How to Manage Fatigue
- Selina Barker
- Oct 29
- 3 min read
Don’t forget to fall back! This Sunday, across North America, daylight savings will push clocks back one hour. You may think this gives you an extra hour to “catch up” on sleep, but don’t underestimate the damage that hour can do to your sleep schedule. Keeping a consistent routine is paramount to getting quality sleep and feeling fully rested during the day. Without quality sleep, employees suffer fatigue; an incredible risk for those who drive as part of their commute or their job, as drowsy driving leads to deadly consequences.
Fatigue is Dangerous
Poor sleep quality, insufficient sleep time, or a constantly changing sleep schedule are some of the top causes of fatigue. When it comes to a complex task like driving, the value of sleep and the dangers of fatigue cannot be overstated.
Often brought on by a lack of sleep and rest, or an overabundance of stress and work, fatigue causes drivers to make poor decisions and take risks. Drowsy driving can even result in drivers falling asleep at the wheel and risking the lives of everyone on the road.
“One in five crash fatalities involve driver fatigue.”
Certain characteristics of a job, such as long, late, or unfixed hours, jetlag, heat, boring or monotonous tasks, and mental or physical demands all increase the likelihood of fatigue. Employees with long commutes, sleep disorders, responsibilities at home such as dependents, and other stressors are especially at risk of fatigue while working. This is of particular concern to people who drive as part of their jobs, as drowsy driving kills.
“In the U.S., motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death at work.”
Combatting Fatigue
Drivers can avoid fatigue by prioritizing quality sleep. Drowsy driving leads to collisions that injure and kill hundreds of thousands of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians annually. The warning signs of drowsy driving include, “harsh braking, lane deviation, larger or more abrupt steering wheel corrections, and greater variability in speed or following distance.”
On top of the immediate risk of driving drowsy, fatigue leads to long-term health issues. Up to 40% of workers who work outside the traditional 9-5 schedule will develop shift work sleep disorder, manifesting in difficulty concentrating, headaches, lack of energy, decreased alertness, poor mood, and irritability. Other symptoms include insomnia - or even hypersomnia, which causes excessive sleepiness at unwanted times, such as when driving. These prolonged sleep issues can also lead to health problems such as:
Getting sick often
High cholesterol
Heart disease
Obesity
Cancer
Employers and employees should work together to manage the growing problem of fatigue. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety recommends that companies set a minimum amount of time that workers must have between shifts. “The International Working Time Society states that shift workers need at least 11 hours between shifts in order to obtain 7 hours of sleep,” as these 4 interim hours allow for commuting, eating, bathing, and other essential activities.
“There is a strong relationship between hours of work and the rate of injuries and crashes.”
If employers and employees work together to implement and enforce fatigue management strategies, collision rates will plummet, and productivity will rise. To enhance their quality of life, drivers must improve their quality of sleep.
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