Can’t. Keep. Eyes. Open. Zzz ... Source: Getty Images

Long work hours and lengthy commutes may be partially to blame for that, new research from the University of Pennsylvania has found.

Scientists have pointed towards a potential solution — but it would require a drastic change to the typical work day. Pushing back work start times could help combat chronic sleep loss, according to the study, published in the December issue of the journal SLEEP.

The researchers analysed the sleep habits of nearly 125,000 Americans over the age of 15, using eight years’ worth of data from the American Time Use Surveys.

They found that work is more responsible than any other activity for people shortening their sleep.

Respondents who got less than seven hours of sleep per night also had longer commutes, began their commutes earlier in the morning, and ended their commutes later in the evening than normal sleepers.

“The evidence that time spent working was the most prominent sleep thief was overwhelming,” the study’s lead author, sleep researcher Dr. Mathias Basner, said.

“Potential intervention strategies to decrease the prevalence of chronic sleep loss in the population include greater flexibility in morning work and class start times, reducing the prevalence of multiple jobs, and shortening morning and evening commute times.”

The findings showed that for every hour later that work or education started in the morning, sleep time increased by roughly 20 minutes. Workers who started the day at or before 6am slept only six hours on average, while those who started between 9am and 10am slept an average of 7.3 hours. Self-employed workers, who presumably had more flexible schedules, were 17 per cent less likely to get insufficient sleep.

The idea of pushing the workday back an hour or two might seem radical to some employers, but the benefits for both employee wellbeing and the bottom line could be significant. Plenty of research shows that sleep deprivation can have a detrimental impact in the workplace.

Sleep deprivation is linked to reduced productivity, difficulty focusing, lower job satisfaction and impairments to innovative thinking.

This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post and was republished with permission.