CANBERRA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Sleep deprivation is costing the Australian economy more than 50 billion U.S. dollars annually, a report released on Tuesday found.
The report, released by Deloitte Access Economics, found that 39.8 percent of Australians were not getting enough sleep, costing the nation 52.48 billion U.S. dollars every year.
Deloitte estimated that sleep deprivation accounted for 14.16 billion U.S. dollars in lost productivity in the financial year ended in June 2017 while costing Australia's health system 1.42 billion U.S. dollars.
Almost 400 Australians die each year as a result of driving or operating heavy machinery while fatigued, the report said.
Dorothy Bruck, chair of the Sleep Health Foundation, said 7.4 million Australians suffered from a lack of sleep.
Sleep deprivation can be a contributing factor in heart disease, stroke, diabetes and depression.
"The cost of sleep deprivation is utterly alarming and confirms we need to take urgent action to put sleep on the national agenda," Bruck told Australian media on Tuesday.
"Sleep or rather the lack of it is a substantial burden on our economy and the livelihood of Australians, dampening mood, exacerbating health problems, dulling our productivity and making us a danger on the roads and in workplaces around the country."
