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When Workers Hit the Snooze Button posted on Monday, 09 June 2008

120 Million Americans Snore, Leading to Billion Dollar Annual Losses in Corporate Productivity

By Marc Kayem, MD
Founder, The Snoring and Apnea Center of California

Jim Miller, an upper level manager in a graphic design firm, was experiencing a work slump. Literally. Nearly every day he’d find himself waking up with his head resting inches from his keyboard, having been out for the count for who knows how long. He managed to keep it under wraps, until his wife began to suggest they sleep apart, which led to a few angry outbursts to co-workers over issues as petty as a water cooler that needed a refill. It wasn’t until he received a formal warning from his supervisor after a few missed deadlines that he knew something had to give.

Sound familiar? The work place is full of Jim Millers, in other words, those whose snoring and sleep apnea problems start off in the bedroom and then eventually seep out into the workplace. The result amounts to an annual loss of $46 billion in corporate work productivity. That’s an average of almost three hours a week and $2,500 in wages a year for each employee who has a sleep breathing problem and doesn’t do anything about it. Furthermore, it means higher insurance rates, production costs and consumer costs.

As an employer, here’s what you can do to help your employees who suffer from snoring or sleep breathing disorders such as sleep apnea (an obstructed airway that causes lapses in breathing during sleep):

(1). Be mindful of the problem by creating an environment within human resources where employees can discuss sleep problems openly.

(2). Be knowledgeable on doctors in your area who treat sleep breathing disorders so you can make a recommendation.

(3). When planning retreats or off-site company events with overnight stays, make an effort beforehand to pair those with sleep breathing disorders in adjoining or adjacent rooms.

(4). Ask employees how they have been sleeping and be ready to make suggestions on the latest treatments to reduce snoring and treat sleep apnea (you may get them from our website www.snoring911.com).

Although 40,000 people die each year from complications linked to sleep apnea, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence since loud snoring and daytime sleepiness is one of the primary symptoms of sleep apnea. If you are one of those workers who suffer, follow these guidelines:- See your doctor and/or a sleep disorder specialist.
- Sleep on your side or head and torso reclined forward with pillows.
- Adopt a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and exercise.
- Avoid heavy meals at least three hours before bedtime and alcohol four hours or more.
- Avoid sedating antihistamines or tranquilizers before bedtime.
- Avoid smoking and known allergens that cause nasal congestion.

There are many new procedures that require no downtime and have little or no pain associated with them. You owe it to yourself, to your family and to your company to get a good night’s sleep.

My colleague, Dr. Michelle Putnam, and I opened the Snoring and Apnea Center of California—and launched our website, www.snoring911.com—to bring the issue of snoring out in the open, encourage people to talk about it and get help.

Dr. Marc Kayem, M.D., F.R.C.S.C.

Dr. Kayem graduated from the University of Ottawa School of Medicine in Ottawa, Canada in 1987 and specialized in Otolaryngology at the University of Montreal. He established his practice in Los Angeles in 1999 and in 2007, he and his associate, Michelle Putnam, M.D., launched The Snoring and Apnea Center of California, one of the first of its kind in the nation. Dr. Kayem has published articles in major peer reviewed journals and is a team physician for the local NHL professional sports team The Los Angeles Kings.

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