Sleep deprivation costs American businesses about 1.2 million employee workdays and roughly $411 billion in revenue a year, according to a report from the RAND Corp. That lost productivity in the form of sleepy workers shaves an estimated 2.3 percent off the country's GDP each year.
Though sleep deprivation is a worldwide problem, it's especially bad in the United States, where employment regulation and working culture might not be as sleep-friendly as European Union countries, for example. While a lack of sleep can lead to lower productivity, the reverse is also true: Getting more sleep helps productivity, and in return, being more productive can lead to better sleep. So it's in businesses' best interest to encourage their workers to work hard and also sleep well, for the sake of the employees as well as the company.
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