Reducing the workplace impact of sleep apnoea
Occupational health practitioners can play a positive role in assisting employees who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea, and in managing the effects of their condition.
Obstructive sleep apnoea is one of the causes of disruptive sleep, resulting in daytime sleepiness - a major incapacitating symptom. This can impair an employee's ability to think, communicate and make decisions, meaning that every aspect of working life may be affected.
Wake-up call: Obstructive sleep apnoea By Ann Ramsey, Hugh Scott, Jackie Kennaugh and Hilary Doherty from British Airways Health Services, writing in Occupational Health magazine.
Also
Sleeping giant Sleepiness is a common problem in the workplace, often put down to late nights and burning the candle at both ends. But some people battling to stay awake at work may be suffering from a serious medical condition called narcolepsy.
Napping enhances workplace performance, says US research Sleepiness at work is endemic and it is affecting productivity and job satisfaction, according to the authors of a US book on workplace napping. Their research suggests that allowing employees to nap during breaks can improve individual wellbeing and enhance business performance.
Work and sleep: Surviving in the 24-hour society Shift- and nightwork are linked to reduced alertness and performance, ill health, accidents and sleep-related road crashes, according to leading experts in sleep research. Evidence presented at a major international conference at the Royal Society of Medicine, "The sleepless society: can we cope?", shows the tenacious grip our body clock exerts over work activities, with serious implications for HR and fleet managers.