Whether you’re a recent grad hunting for your first full-time gig or you’re looking to switch careers, one of the most important factors to consider is how a job will impact your sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society have determined that adults need at least seven hours of sleep per day<\/a> to promote optimal health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Short sleep duration\u2014less than seven hours\u2014has been linked to a variety of\u00a0adverse health outcomes<\/a>, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and safety issues related to injuries and drowsy driving<\/a>. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that\u00a0one-third of American adults<\/a>\u00a0get less than seven hours of sleep each night\u2014and people in certain jobs get less sleep than others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s long been known that shift work<\/a> and other work-related factors influence sleep duration and quality, which directly affect worker health and safety. People who hold jobs in production, health care, protective service, transportation, and material moving are more likely to be shift workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The CDC took a closer look in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report<\/em> at who, exactly, in those work categories is most affected by short sleep duration<\/a>. They examined data in detail from 93 occupation groups in 29 states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The information was collected in the agency\u2019s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an annual, random-digit-dialed telephone survey of non-institutionalized U.S. civilian residents at least 18 years old, to gather data on health-related risk behaviors, chronic illnesses and conditions, and use of health-related services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the CDC found that the prevalence of short sleep duration ranged from 21.4% among air transportation workers to 58.2% among communications equipment workers. Mississippi had the highest percentage (26.8%) of workers employed in at least one of the five most sleep-deprived occupations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those reporting the highest levels of inadequate sleep were Black Americans (48.5%), men (37.5%), people with some college education (40%), and those who were divorced, widowed, separated, or never married (39.5%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you as you navigate the job market, we’ve put together a list of the best-rested and most sleep-deprived professions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People in the following jobs catch the most Z’s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n People in these jobs are the most sleep-deprived:<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow your job affects your sleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Best jobs for sleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Worst jobs for sleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sleep and job performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n