There has been an increase in number of accidents, caused by sleepiness, in oppose to alcohol and the drugs. There has also been an increase in industrial accidents, especially where the night or shift work is common.
We as a society has moved in to a 24 hour cycle, sometimes confused when we need to sleep and have rest. We experience a lot of pressure to stay awake for longer hours, or to do longer shifts.
There have been a number of research done, which have shown that people doing night shifts, have difficulty to fall asleep during day time, theit performance is reduced and they find difficult to stay focused and alerted when it’s needed. They also have a higher accident rate, comparing to people doing nine to five jobs.
Another issue is the general health. The shift workers are more likely to develop such diseases as sleep disorders of all kind, risks of having cardiovascular disease, diabetes and others.
In addition to that the accidents caused by sleepiness cost the economy a lot of money.