Many Pilots, Truck Drivers Sleep-Deprived, Survey Finds

23.05.12

SATURDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- One in 10 American truck drivers, train conductors, airline pilots and other transportation workers may be dangerously sleep-deprived, a new survey suggests.

Many said they feel drowsy while working, and some worry that their fatigue poses a threat to commuter safety, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll found.

As many as 11 percent of these employees work while sleepy, compared to 7 percent of non-transportation workers.

"It is exciting that we are finally able to see the statistics and hopefully do something to improve the situations for our transportation workers," sleep medicine expert Joyce Walsleben said.

Walsleben, who is an associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City, added that many transportation workers "are forced to work horrendous schedules, which puts us all in jeopardy. Too many societal tragedies have already occurred because of sleepiness."

The survey was conducted this year and is the first of its kind, the NSF said. It involved nearly 1,100 pilots, truck drivers, train engineers and conductors, and bus, taxi and limousine drivers (all over the age of 25), as well as non-transportation workers for a point of comparison.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer