The 20 Most Sleep-Deprived Jobs in Canada

Studies have shown that people in certain professions get less sleep than others and this could lead to health problems, lower productivity and economic losses. The Toronto Star cites a study that says sleep deprivation among Canadian workers is costing the country’s economy the equivalent of 1.35% of the GDP. Is your job costing you shut-eye? Here are some of the most sleep-deprived jobs in Canada.

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1. Home Health Aides

According to the Baltimore Sun citing a study by mattress company Sleepy’s, home health aides have one of the most sleep-deprived jobs. The reason could be two-fold: caring for someone who is ill or disabled is highly stressful and it’s a low-paying job which could lead to financial worry. Luckily there are some weird and wonderful ways to make extra cash.

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2. Lawyers

The Baltimore Sun says that lawyers work long hours, which leads to less sleep. In addition, lawyers may be kept awake by the moral quandaries associated with their cases. Of course this could all be worth it if your law firm is one of Canada’s best companies to work for.

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3. Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians

The Sleepy’s study says that paramedics and emergency medical technicians tend to work long hours. They are often on call at night too, which means disrupted sleep.

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4. Police Officers

Police officers have a scary job and the stress may cause a lack of sleep. In addition, crime doesn’t wait for office hours but often happens late at night. It’s no wonder that many police officers retire early.

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5. Economists

Economists may sound like they have a cushy job but in reality they work according to tight schedules and deadlines. This means they often have to work overtime, according to the Baltimore Sun.

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6. The Press

WebMD says that 24-hour cable news has created new shift workers, from reporters to camera operators. Journalists who work in other media also work long and irregular hours to get the news to you as it happens.

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7. Long-haul Truck Drivers

According to MoneyTalksNews, 54 per cent of transportation workers don’t get enough sleep. Long-haul truckers, for instance, may drive through the night with only a short nap or two in between. However, working these long hours can mean a salary of over $200,000 a year.

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8. Social Workers

The Baltimore Sun says that social workers lose sleep due to large caseloads. They sometimes have to work in the evenings and over weekends too to tend to emergencies. If you want a better work/life balance, you may want to rethink your career.

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9. Communications Equipment Operators

MoneyTalksNews cites a study by the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, that says nearly 60 per cent of communications equipment workers are sleep deprived. Network administrators, for instance, need to work late hours to ensure that you can access the internet any time you want.

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10. Plant Operators

The Baltimore Sun says that plant operators tend to work in rotating 8- or 12-hour shifts. This disrupts their body clock and sleep patterns. Nearly half of plant operators are sleep deprived, according to MoneyTalksNews.

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11. Medical Interns

It’s not unusual for medical interns to work 24 hours straight. According to WebMD, medical interns are more likely to crash their cars after a long shift or to make a wrong diagnosis when they haven’t had enough sleep. To make matters worse, they usually have hefty student loans to worry about.

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12. Admin Assistants/Office Managers

The Baltimore Sun says that administrative assistants have so many different duties and people relying on them to keep track of everything that they may lose sleep just thinking about their to-do lists for the next day.

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13. Rail Transportation Workers

Rail transportation workers, according to MoneyTalksNews, tend to be sleep deprived too. About 52 per cent get less than 7 hours of sleep at night. The silver lining is that they get to take some really amazing train trips around Canada.

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14. Printing Workers

About half of all printing workers get too little sleep, MoneyTalksNews says. Printing presses usually run at night, so printing workers have to work night shifts that disrupt their sleeping patterns. As the world is going digital, their job is under threat too, which may cause them to lose even more sleep.

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15. Financial Analysts

Financial analysts, according to the Baltimore Sun, need to work late hours in order to get all their work done. This is because they spend much of the day travelling and meeting with clients.

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16. Food Preparation and Serving Workers

MoneyTalksNews says that nearly 49 per cent of people working in the food industry sleep too little. They often have to get up very early to get the day’s food ready or they have to work late to clean up and prepare for the next day. At least getting to work early has some benefits.

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17. Entertainment Workers

Whether you’re an usher, set dresser or performer, if you work in the entertainment industry, you probably work late at night. Just over 48 per cent of entertainment workers sleep less than they should, according to MoneyTalksNews. Getting involved in a star’s lucrative business venture instead may be better for sleep.

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18. Firefighters

About 45 per cent of firefighters suffer from a lack of sleep, MoneyTalksNews says. A fire may take a long time, even days, to put out and afterwards the adrenalin rush can make it difficult to fall asleep. Firefighting is also one of the worst jobs for your health.

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19. Airline Pilots

It’s one of those things that airlines won’t tell you, but your pilot might just be exhausted. Airline pilots work long and irregular hours that could disrupt their sleep. WebMD says that they also have to deal with jet lag because they travel through multiple time zones.

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20. New Parents

Being a new parent may not be a profession but let’s face it, it’s a full-time job. WebMD says that the constant disruption of a baby waking up every few hours means that new parents don’t get long stretches of deep, refreshing sleep. However, there are cool products that can make life easier if you have a newborn.