研究发现：睡眠不足导致经济损失超过4000亿美元？（双语）

　　Inadequate sleep causes more than $400 billion in economic losses annually in the United States and results in 1.23 million lost days of work each year, researchers have found.

　　研究人员发现，睡眠不足导致美国每年经济损失超过4000亿美元，并造成每年损失123万个工作日。

　　The impact of chronic sleeplessness in the United States far exceeds the costs in other industrialized countries. The runner-up, Japan, loses as much as $138 billion annually to sleeplessness among workers, but that represents a greater share of its economy, researchers at the RAND Corporation found.

　　慢性失眠对美国的影响远远超过对其他工业国家。兰德公司(RAND Corporation)的研究人员发现，第二名日本每年因工人睡眠不足而损失1380亿美元，但这在日本经济中所占的比重更大。

　　The number of individuals who sleep less than the recommended hours is increasing in the developed world. From 20 to 30 percent of these workers complain of a lack of sleep on a daily basis.

　　在发达国家，睡眠时间少于推荐时间的人数越来越多。劳动者中有20%到30%的人抱怨每天睡眠不足。

　　“Inadequate sleep is too easily accepted into the community as part of life,” said Dr. David Hillman, a clinical professor at the University of Western Australia who studies sleep deficiency. In many work settings, “sleep is an indulgence.”

　　“睡眠不足很容易被社会当做是生活的一部分，”研究睡眠不足的西澳大利亚大学(University of Western Australia )临床教授戴维.希尔曼(David Hillman)博士说。在许多工作环境中，“睡眠是一种放纵。”

　　On a less quantifiable level, inadequate sleep reduces the safety and productivity of workers. Researchers have linked such shattering events as the Challenger space shuttle accident to human error caused by a lack of sleep.

　　在不太可量化的水平上，睡眠不足会降低工人的安全性和生产率。研究人员认为，“挑战者”航天飞机失事等事故都与因睡眠不足引起的人为错误有关。

　　“It’s a huge problem that translates into enormous costs,” said Dr. Hillman. “And it’s a call to not only mitigate the suffering, but also to mitigate the costs.”

　　“这是一个巨大的问题，它转化为巨大的损失，”希尔曼博士说。“解决它不仅是为了减轻痛苦，也是为了降低成本。”

　　As the work force becomes more competitive, he said, employers must acknowledge inadequate sleep as a threat to company productivity. Well-rested employees are more efficient, tend to be healthier and feel more content.

　　他说，随着劳动力竞争更加强烈，雇主必须承认，睡眠不足会威胁公司的生产力。员工如果能得到更好的休息，效率会更高、身体更健康、更有满足感。

　　More people should be educated about the importance of sleep and sleep hygiene at a young age, Dr. Hillman added. Usually, poor sleeping habits in middle age can be traced back to sleep patterns formed in youth.

　　希尔曼博士还说，更多的人应该在年轻时就接受关于睡眠和睡眠卫生重要性的教育，中年人的不良睡眠习惯通常可以追溯到青年时期形成的睡眠模式。

　　“Changing the positive mind-set around inadequate sleep as a lifestyle is necessary to safeguard one’s health,” said Dr. Hillman. A company performs well when managers are “aware of the wellness of their employees,” he added.

　　“不再把睡眠不足的生活方式作为积极的心态，这对维持健康是非常必要的，”希尔曼博士还说，当管理者们“关注员工的健康”时，公司就会运行良好。