People are in a different world than our bodies and brains, Susan Murphy told OSH professionals in Chicago on March 17 at Safety in Action, Dekra Insight’s annual conference.
This new world, Murphy said, is nonstop, but “the brain lives in a cave and our eyes are the biggest sense that notifies the brain for what time it is. “As the sun sets, it tells our brains to go to sleep.”
Electricity has changed everything, she said.
In the hours before bedtime, the blue light from electronic devices antagonizes the circadian clock from synchronizing daily sleep rhythms to external time cues. Even small amounts of this blue light transmitted from many electronic devices, such as smartphones or televisions, inhibits the brain from producing melatonin, the chemical responsible for coaxing the body into sleep.
The younger the person, the more likely they are to say they don’t sleep as well as they used to because they are connected to technology all the time, a 2012 Time/Qualcomm survey found.
Earlier this month, CDC published a report that found 42.9% of production workers sleep less than 7 hours per night. According to the report, this short sleep duration is prevalent in 22 occupational groups.
Lack of or irregular sleep often leads to fatigue.
Fatigue describes a state of physical tiredness (which reduces a worker’s ability to do manual work), and/or mental tiredness (marked by decreased alertness or concentration).
Micro-sleeps, moments when the brain briefly slips into sleep, are particularly dangerous because they come against the person’s will and without warning. Micro-sleeps are prevalent among night shift workers.
Fatigued workers, Murphy said, are also more susceptible to change blindness, a situation where a person fails to see when a change occurs around them.
For workers, this is dangerous. If a fatigued mind is driving in automatic pilot mode, such as while performing a routine task and change blindness occurs, incidents are likely to occur.
Fatigued employees are more likely to be involved in workplace incidents due to a decreased alertness, slower reaction time and a reduced ability to quickly assess situations, which is why fatigue is believed to be a significant contributor to fatal crashes involving large trucks. According to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, not only do 1 in 25 Americans report having fallen asleep in the past month, but operating a vehicle with 4 to 5 hours of sleep poses a similar risk as drunk drivers.
The National Sleep Foundation has further reading on technology’s impact on sleep, as well as tips for better sleep.
Read the complete article on the American Society for Safety Engineers’ website.
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