Employees Who Work Extended Shifts, Are Tired - Both at Work & While Driving

It may come as no surprise to nurses, but researchers have recently announced that hospital nurses who work the night shift are more likely to have problems staying awake at work, get less sleep, and drive when they're drowsy, said researchers. This is problematic because it contributes to an increase in the number of people who are injured in car accidents across America.

In a recent press release, researchers at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, announced their findings. It is extremely dangerous for anyone to drive their car while they're drowsy and this problem continues to grow in the United States.

Some people compare the act of driving a car while someone is drowsy to having had a few drinks, being considered legally intoxicated, and driving a car in that condition. Just like the person who is drunk, a drowsy driver has a decreased awareness of their surroundings, their judgment is impaired, their reaction time is slower, and they have a greater chance of being involved in an accident.

Indeed, to illustrate the problem of drowsy driving, one only needs to look at traffic safety reports. According to a report commissioned by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, nine out of every 10 police officers have stopped a driver than they initially thought was drunk, only to learn that the person wasn't drunk at all. The driver was drowsy.

Researchers believe that it is critically important to educate all drivers, particularly those who work night shifts, about the importance of getting an adequate amount of sleep. Many people simply do not realize that they are at a much greater risk of having an auto accident if they driver drive their car when they're drowsy or fatigued.

More than half, 67 percent, of the nurses who participated in this study said that they drove their car while they were drowsy on at least one occasion while this study was being conducted. Perhaps more frightening, three percent of the participants in this study were tired and drowsy, but still drove their car, on a regular basis, occurring nearly daily.