Tens of millions are spent reminding workers to work safely and be mindful of the many hazards they will inevitably face in the course of their workdays, but scare little focus has been cast on one of the biggest contributors to workplace injuries: the lack of sleep.
Almost everyone suffers from trouble sleeping at one time or another, reports the Harvard Medical School HealthBeat. Insomnia—the inability to sleep—isn’t a single disorder itself, but rather a general symptom like fever or pain.
A new study finds that people who suffer from insomnia have a greater heart attack risk than sound sleepers. The research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association was able to quantify the elevated risk for three separate symptoms of insomnia, compared with people who never or almost never experienced trouble sleeping: