The American workforce is at war with a subtle enemy. That enemy is so subtle that many deny it even exists. The name of the enemy is fatigue and the cause is sleep deprivation.

Employee surveys show that most people think they only need 7 hours of sleep per night, yet they are actually getting much less than that. People readily exchange sleep for other activities, thinking there is little harm.

The fact is they need 8 hours. The result is a continual build-up of sleep debt as they get less sleep than they need night after night. After two weeks of mild sleep deprivation, cognitive abilities approach those of someone who is legally drunk.

Convincing employees that getting less than 8 hours of sleep is unsafe and unhealthy is not an easy task. Even if they believe that to be true, they still feel the sacrifice is worth the extra time spent with family, friends, hobbies, or simply watching TV.

I'm going to post a few more blogs on some of tactics managers can use to address fatigue in the workplace. If you have any horror stories you'd like to share, please feel free to post a comment.