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Insomnia costs Polish economy $8bn a year, study finds

25.04.2025 10:00
Sleep deprivation is draining at least PLN 8 billion (USD 2 billion) from Poland’s economy each year as tired workers see their productivity slump, according to a survey published on Friday by the daily Rzeczpospolita.
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The poll, conducted by UCE Research and online-therapy platform ePsycholodzy.pl, found that 41.4 percent of Polish adults are dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep.

"Chronic stress—from job pressure to family worries and sheer overload—makes it harder to fall asleep and keeps the brain from fully recovering," said psychologist Michał Murgrabia, head of ePsycholodzy.pl.

The Rzeczpospolita newspaper noted that the PLN 8 billion estimate excludes recruitment costs, customer losses and other knock-on effects, meaning the real impact could be far higher.

By comparison, US studies put sleep-related economic losses at up to USD 1.4 trillion annually.

Excessive screen time is compounding the problem, said Kinga Stopczyńska of the University of Łódź in central Poland.

The average Pole now spends almost 1 hour 54 minutes a day on social media, she added, warning that ubiquitous smartphones and remote work are likely to deepen the nationwide sleep deficit.

(jh/gs)

Source: PAP