1. Does the solution involve making sleep more
highly valued?
Changing corporate culture on sleep health is absolutely essential for
addressing sleep illiteracy in society at large.
• Corporate America is focused on getting the highest levels of productivity from its
capital assets.
• One of its most important assets, its employees, is currently facing a major conspiracy
against its sleep health which is significantly impeding its productivity. Due to changes
in the workplace and home life, parents are constantly connected – to work, and to
devices like smart phones, laptops and iPads, as well as traditional media – so that
they are constantly “on”. These “Sleep Stealers” are creating a massive sleep deficit
that medical research has shown leads to us getting fatter, sicker and less productive.
Why should business take a leadership role?
• The corporate world is well positioned to examine factors that directly impact
productivity and healthcare costs. Sleep Health is a business issue as well as a
healthcare issue.
• Presentee-ism, accidents, poor judgment and absenteeism due to poor sleep health
have direct impacts on productivity.
• When poor sleep health leads to chronic sleep disorders, corporate healthcare costs
increase due the rising incidence of the comorbidities of sleep disorders.