Sleepless Nights May Mean Days Off Work Insomniacs have much higher rates of absenteeism, study finds (HealthDay News) -- If insomnia has you occasionally calling in sick to work, you're not alone: A new study finds insomniacs have higher rates of job absenteeism than the habitually well-rested. A team led by Virginia Godet-Cayre at the Health Economics Research Center in France tracked the work histories of 369 workers with insomnia and 369 workers who were good sleepers. Reporting in the February issue of Sleep, they found that 50 percent of those with insomnia had at least one time of absence from work over a two-year period, compared with 34 percent of good sleepers. Workers with insomnia miss an average of 5.8 days of work per year, while good sleepers miss an average of 2.4 days per year, the study found. "In other words, insomniacs were more frequently absent from work, and their absences lasted longer," the study authors wrote. The study also found the work absences of employees with insomnia cost an average of $3,025 per employer each year, compared with an average of $1,250 for good sleepers. More information The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about insomnia. By Robert Preidt SOURCE: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, news release, Jan. 31, 2006 Last Updated: January 2007 Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.