The results of a new study show that more Americans are working and driving on very little sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of drowsy driving -related car accidents which kills thousands of Americans every year. These auto accidents also often result in catastrophic personal injuries.
According to the Gallup poll, Americans are getting even less sleep than they used to. More Americans report getting less sleep than they need or would like compared to a decade earlier. In 2013, for example, a similar poll found that 56% of Americans believed they had gotten the amount of sleep they needed, while that number dropped to just 42% in this new poll. In 2013, 43% of Americans believed that they did not get enough sleep, and that number ballooned to more than half of all Americans in the new poll.
Sleep experts recommend at least 8 hours of sleep for the average adult, but more than a quarter of Americans are barely getting that. What’s more alarming is that more than 50% of Americans say that they survive on just 6 to 7 hours of sleep every day, while 20% get less than 5 hours of sleep, which is truly worrying. Getting 5 hours of sleep or surviving on that low amount of sleep was not even heard of back in the 1940s. Women below 50 seem to be more sleep-deprived, with only 36% admitting to getting enough sleep. In contrast, 48% of men believed that they are getting enough sleep.
It is worrying that close to a quarter of all Americans are functioning on such extreme levels of sleep deprivation, and are possibly a huge risk to themselves and to other motorists when they are driving. Driving on less than 5 hours of sleep in 24 hours, for instance, is very likely to increase your risks of being involved in a car accident.
The study did not provide any reasons for the drop in sleep volumes over the past decade among many Americans of both genders. The American work culture could be partly to blame. Sleep is seen by far too many Americans as a waste of time which leads to more workers trying to function on less than 5 hours of sleep. Additionally, the pandemic seems to have disrupted many sleep patterns, and those sleep habits have not returned to normal. The explosion in social media usage over the past decade has also resulted in Americans becoming addicted to social media and using their phones at night, which has significantly influenced their sleep patterns.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other types of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.