Study: Truck drivers rank among most sleep-deprived Americans

Posted September 30, 2019

A study from Ball State University indicates that truck drivers as a group are getting inadequate sleep.

The report analyzed more than 150,000 working adults from 2010 to 2018 and found that Americans getting seven hours or less of sleep increased from 30.9 percent in 2010 to 35.6 percent in 2018.

The transport and material moving industry ranked third among the professions with the highest levels of poor sleep, at 41 percent. Police and military ranked first at 50 percent and healthcare support occupations was second at 45 percent.

Inadequate sleep can lead to physical and mental health issues, injury, loss of productivity and premature death, according to the study’s lead author.

The Journal of Community Health published the study on Monday, September 24.