Almost 40% Of Aussies Are Sleep Deprived, & It’s A Yuge $66 Billion Problem

According to a recent study, almost 4 out of 10 of you reading this article are lacking sleep.

First off, if you are one of the 39.8% of Australians that are sleep deprived: Please watch the below video with the volume right up to wake yourself up.

Awake now? Good. Because our lack of sleep may also be costing us big time, both in the workplace and in real life.

The study from Deloitte Access Economics and commissioned by the Sleep Health Foundation, suggests that Australia’s collective lack of sleep lost us $66.3 billion dollars in combined health costs and productivity losses last financial year. We assume “productivity losses” also includes the countless hours we’ve all spent mindlessly staring at our computer screens until our morning coffee kicked in.

In addition, almost one in five of us, or 19.5%, also suffer from Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, which is a form of sleep deprivation caused by illness, disease, or sleep-related conditions. It sucks even more that it’s both the cause of, and caused by, anxiety and depression. So if you’ve ever stayed up late worried about not getting enough sleep, which makes you stay up even later, you’re not alone.

In total, 7.4 million of us aren’t getting our recommended eight-to-nine hours a day in the land of nod. Our sleep deprivation was also the unfortunate cause of an estimated 3,017 deaths last year, and is the cause of 23% of all motor vehicle accidents.

If you’re among those already yawning by 11am, the report suggests several methods to get on top of your sleep. One of the best is to avoid blue-lit screens (i.e. most modern computer and mobile screens), as well as better practices in the workplace, especially if you are working irregular hours or shift work. Better education programs, especially around driving while tired, were also suggested.

However, at the end of the day, the best option really is to just get the right amount of sleep every night.

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