研究人员发现，睡眠不足导致美国每年经济损失超过4000亿美元，并造成每年损失123万个工作日。
The impact of chronic sleeplessness in the United States far exceeds the costs in other industrialized countries. The runner-up, Japan, loses as much as $138 billion annually to sleeplessness among workers, but that represents a greater share of its economy, researchers at the RAND Corporation found.
慢性失眠对美国的影响远远超过对其他工业国家。兰德公司(RAND Corporation)的研究人员发现，第二名日本每年因工人睡眠不足而损失1380亿美元，但这在日本经济中所占的比重更大。
The number of individuals who sleep less than the recommended hours is increasing in the developed world. From 20 to 30 percent of these workers complain of a lack of sleep on a daily basis.
在发达国家，睡眠时间少于推荐时间的人数越来越多。劳动者中有20%到30%的人抱怨每天睡眠不足。
“Inadequate sleep is too easily accepted into the community as part of life,” said Dr. David Hillman, a clinical professor at the University of Western Australia who studies sleep deficiency. In many work settings, “sleep is an indulgence.”
“睡眠不足很容易被社会当做是生活的一部分，”研究睡眠不足的西澳大利亚大学(University of Western Australia )临床教授戴维·希尔曼(David Hillman)博士说。在许多工作环境中，“睡眠是一种放纵。”
On a less quantifiable level, inadequate sleep reduces the safety and productivity of workers. Researchers have linked such shattering events as the Challenger space shuttle accident to human error caused by a lack of sleep.
在不太可量化的水平上，睡眠不足会降低工人的安全性和生产率。研究人员认为，“挑战者”航天飞机失事等事故都与因睡眠不足引起的人为错误有关。
“It’s a huge problem that translates into enormous costs,” said Dr. Hillman. “And it’s a call to not only mitigate the suffering, but also to mitigate the costs.”
“这是一个巨大的问题，它转化为巨大的损失，”希尔曼博士说。“解决它不仅是为了减轻痛苦，也是为了降低成本。”
As the work force becomes more competitive, he said, employers must acknowledge inadequate sleep as a threat to company productivity. Well-rested employees are more efficient, tend to be healthier and feel more content.
他说，随着劳动力竞争更加强烈，雇主必须承认，睡眠不足会威胁公司的生产力。员工如果能得到更好的休息，效率会更高、身体更健康、更有满足感。
More people should be educated about the importance of sleep and sleep hygiene at a young age, Dr. Hillman added. Usually, poor sleeping habits in middle age can be traced back to sleep patterns formed in youth.
希尔曼博士还说，更多的人应该在年轻时就接受关于睡眠和睡眠卫生重要性的教育，中年人的不良睡眠习惯通常可以追溯到青年时期形成的睡眠模式。
“Changing the positive mind-set around inadequate sleep as a lifestyle is necessary to safeguard one’s health,” said Dr. Hillman. A company performs well when managers are “aware of the wellness of their employees,” he added.
“不再把睡眠不足的生活方式作为积极的心态，这对维持健康是非常必要的，”希尔曼博士还说，当管理者们“关注员工的健康”时，公司就会运行良好。
