Toward Better Sleep for Workers: Impressions of Some Needs

Abstract

We know there are persons exposed demanding work schedules and sleep loss in almost every occupation or industry, but we still need better population-based information on how many sleepy or inattentive workers there are, where they are, and to what extent they are a risk to themselves or others. The absence of such information, however, does not prevent us from continuing to conduct worksite interventions and demonstrations that will produce good, evidence-based guidelines to help workers and workplace administrators make informed choices about sleep and provide optimal conditions for sleep. In addition, systematic study and publication of how managers and policy-makers accept our research to make worksite changes, and what factors beside our research influence their decisions, would contribute techniques to the greater public health community aiming to translate research results into good practice.