Many employees find themselves bored by a work meeting, but are they bored enough to fall asleep?  A new study finds that nearly one in five Americans have become sleep during a meeting or other important conversation requiring concentration.

A new study examined nearly 9000 participants over the age of 18 who were living in Texas, New York, and California.  Each participant was interviewed over the telephone about their sleeping habits, health, sleep problems, and mental disorders.  The results were that nearly 20 percent of U.S. adults reported moderate to excessive sleepiness.  In general, both men and women reported similar levels of drowsiness.  However, 13 percent of women reported severe sleepiness in comparison to nearly 9 percent of men.  Overall, 11 percent of participants in the study reported suffering from severe sleepiness.

Researchers also found that sleepiness is more common in the U.S. than in Europe.  A previous study found that 15 percent of individuals surveyed in five European countries suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness.  Those with obstructive sleep apnea were three times more likely to become sleepy during the daytime.  In addition, those with insomnia were more than two times more likely to become sleepy, along with those who generally get fewer than six hours of sleep per night.  Individuals who work at night as well as those who suffer from a major depressive disorder were twice as likely to become drowsy.

According to the CDC, about 11 percent of Americas do not get enough sleep.  However, experts have yet to agree on how much sleep is necessary for the average individual to obtain each night.  These findings raise public health concerns, since excessive sleepiness can affect workplace injuries as well as driving accidents.

The findings of this study shed new light on the importance of sleep not only for individual health but also for public safety.