Costly sleep disorders ... do you have one?

There are more than 100 different sleep disorders. Some of them include:

Insomnia - an inability to fall asleep

Narcolepsy - sudden and unpredictable attacks of sleep

Apnea - the inability to sleep and breathe at the same time

Sleep disorders cost industry billions of dollars each year in terms of lost productivity, medical bills and industrial accidents. Human error due to sleep loss and fatigue have contributed to some of the most spectacular and disastrous accidents in history.

The situation is getting worse rather than better, even in light of increased knowledge in the area. North Americans are becoming increasingly sleep deprived because workers tend to put in longer days with greater stress. Because alertness on the job is crucial to top performance and productivity, no amount of motivation and training will combat poor performance associated with fatigue.

So pay attention to your sleep patterns and be alert to signs of fatigue among your co-workers. Making others aware of the impact of sleep disorders could not only save your organization huge amounts of money, but could also save you from a serious or debilitating accident.