Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Unable to Sleep, Unable to Work: Insomnia & Disability

How you sleep - or don't sleep - can affect how you work. Studies show that insomnia can have a negative impact on the workplace.

It can result in decreased productivity. It also can increase absences from work.

Now a
new study from Norway suggests that insomnia can even increase the risk of long-term work disability.

The study involved 6,599 working adults. They were between 40 and 45 years of age.

Results show that insomnia was a strong predictor of permanent work disability. After controlling for other factors, people with insomnia were almost two times more likely to receive disability pension.


The same research team found similar results in a 2008 study. It appeared in the journal Sleep. That study involved 37,302 adults. They were between the ages of 20 and 66. Again, insomnia was associated with increased odds of receiving disability pension.

In Norway you can
quality for disability if your earning ability is impaired by at least 50 percent. The U.S. Social Security Administration has a stricter definition of disability.

Social Security only pays for total disability. Five questions determine if you qualify. Learn more about
disability benefits from the SSA.

About 10 percent of adults have chronic insomnia that lasts for more than a month. You can get help for chronic insomnia at an
AASM-accredited sleep center near you.
Learn more about job stress and insomnia.

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