According to this survey:
- Americans are more likely than other nationalities to lose sleep through stress at work with 30 percent citing it as the reason they wake up during the night
- The average amount of time it takes Americans to fall asleep – at nearly 26 minutes - is more than any other country surveyed – and American men lead the world in snoring with 29 percent snoring every single night.
- 70 percent said that their work suffered because of lack of sleep
- The number one symptom of this lack of sleep was less patience, followed closely behind by less enthusiasm and concentration
"People lose sleep either because they cannot sleep (insomnia) or because they are not setting aside enough time for sleep - both of which can happen because of work-related stress in the current economic environment," said Dr. David White, Chief Medical Officer for Philips Home Healthcare Solutions. "People simply need to take sleep much more seriously."
"Sleep is not optional – it is absolutely critical to people’s health," continued Dr. White "The consequences of not sleeping enough are well documented. People who do not get enough sleep can gain weight, are prone to diabetes, high blood pressure and even heart attacks. We are facing a serious healthcare problem if we do not take sleep more seriously."
In addition to the findings about lack of sleep, the survey also found that while 96% of managers recognize that inadequate sleep can seriously affect a person’s health, only 29% discuss their problematic sleep patterns. Of those that do, just 27% seek professional help from a physician with the majority simply talking about their problems with family and friends.
Respondents were also polled on their awareness of a relatively common sleep disorder, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a condition characterized by the repeated cessation of breathing during sleep.
Other findings from the survey included a very high awareness of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as a curable illness (60%). Interestingly, despite the fact that snoring can be a key symptom of OSA, only 35% considered snoring a problem for them personally and 65% described snoring as a minor inconvenience that they did not feel needed to be dealt with. This highlights a key problem facing the medical profession which is that sleep apnea and other sleep disorders are often under diagnosed because people do not recognize the symptoms or do not take sleep problems seriously enough to talk to their physicians. Research in recent years has shown a link between OSA, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
This survey commissioned by Philips was undertaken by TNS during March 2009. It surveyed 2,500 managers– equally split across the UK, Germany, USA, Japan and The Netherlands – using an online poll. Philips mandated the survey to obtain an indication of peoples’ sleep habits and their awareness of the impact of sleep on health and quality of life. As a leader in the sleep management market and the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Philips’ sleep therapy products are designed to encourage patients’ acceptance of OSA therapy through increased comfort. The end result is improved sleep and, ultimately, improved quality of life.
