Heavy Snoring & Sleep Apnea Impact Workers' Job Performance and Safety

High Correlation Exists Between Heavy Snoring and Sleep Apnea for Extended Hours Workers

LEXINGTON, Mass., Dec. 4, 2003:-- Extended hours workers who report that they usually or always snore loudly when sleeping have a higher risk of developing sleep apnea, according to research by Circadian Technologies, Inc. Among the 21% of extended hours workers reporting that they usually or always snore loudly, 41% were found to be at risk of suffering from sleep apnea when screened. Extended hours employees are those working irregular schedules, night and evening shifts, or extended hours, typically outside the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on a regular basis (24 million Americans).

"Compared with employees that report that they never or rarely snore, extended hours employees that usually or always snore, as well as those employees found to be at risk for sleep apnea upon screening, have more sleep problems and are more fatigued," said Dr. Acacia Aguirre, Circadian's Medical Director.

"Sleep disorders, including insomnia, are more frequent among employees at risk of having sleep apnea. Among extended hours workers, complaints of difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently are reported by 25% of non-snorers, 27% of snorers and 48% of workers screened as being at risk for obstructive sleep apnea." TOP

Sleep disorders, including loud snoring, have a significant impact on employees' health, performance and safety, according to Circadian's database of more than 5,000 surveyed extended hours employees. When the groups were studied separately, both the snorers and those at risk for sleep apnea reported they need more sleep to feel rested than the non-snorers. More than two-thirds of snorers and employees at risk for apnea, report needing eight hours of sleep or more per day (70% and 68%, respectively). Less than half of the non-snorers (48%) report needing eight hours of sleep or more. In addition, 32% of snorers and 38% of at-risk employees report that they are more likely to take naps during the day, compared with 25% of non-snorers. TOP

Both the snorers and employees found to be at risk for sleep apnea through screening find their jobs more challenging than employees who do not snore. Both groups also make more mistakes while working:

• Highly mentally demanding: 44% of non-snorers, 50.9% of snorers, 59.2% of at-risk of sleep apnea.

• Highly physically demanding: 27% of non-snorers, 33.7% of snorers, 34.1% of at-risk of sleep apnea.

• Very fatiguing: 25% of non-snorers, 33.3% of snorers, 42.3% of at-risk of sleep apnea.

• Report "nodding off" while working: 24% of non-snorers, 36.5% of snorers, 40.5% of at-risk of sleep apnea.

• Report making mistakes while working: 7% of non-snorers, 14.2% of snorers, 16.7% of at-risk of sleep apnea.

"Not surprisingly, there is a clear impact of snoring and sleep apnea on work performance. In addition, 57.4% of extended hours employees who report being loud snorers state that they had fatigue-related accidents or near accidents during the past year. This compares to 40.7% of employees screened as being at risk for sleep apnea and 30% of non-snorers." said Aguirre. TOP

Approximately 24 million Americans-or one-fifth of the U.S. workforce-work extended hours, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of these are in white-collar occupations, including health care, technology, customer service, retail and media, and this number is expected to grow as more corporations and institutions move to round-the-clock operations.


About Circadian Technologies, Inc.

Circadian is the leading international research and consulting firm assisting companies with extended hours operations to improve profits by increasing productivity and reducing the increased costs, risks, and liabilities of human factors. For more information, visit www.circadian.com.