One-third of working Indians sleep deprived: survey

Mumbai: Almost a third of professionals in India say they sacrifice sleep to fit in personal and work commitments by waking up early or by burning the proverbial midnight oil, a survey said.

The survey, conducted by Regus, a multinational providing flexible working hours, said that in India 31 per cent of working people sacrifice sleep to fit in work and personal commitments, while 22 per cent feel they have to over-compensate for time taken off for personal matters.

It said that globally 29 per cent of professionals sleep less than they wish to, to fit all their commitments.

"Although flexible working hours is highlighted to reduce commuting, creating more hours in the day for sleep or family life and improving productivity and staff retention, only 60 per cent of firms are rewarding management for encouraging the creation of a flexible workforce," the survey said.

The survey highlighted that working professionals who had a short commuting time (41 per cent) and greater flexibility of location (36 per cent) would have had more time to spend with their families and to catch some extra shut-eye.

Businesses can also benefit from introducing greater flexibility, which is reported to improve productivity (69 per cent) and help retain staff (84 per cent), the survey claimed.

The survey interviewed more than 24,000 business people from over 90 countries.

"With 11 per cent of Indians having taken time off due to sleep deprivation, it is vital all businesses address the issue immediately," said Madhusudan Thakur, regional vice president, south Asia, Regus.