A recent study shows that farmers and ranchers are at an increased risk for sleep deprivation during peak agricultural seasons.
University of Nebraska Extension Educator Susan Harris tells Brownfield farmers and ranchers spend about 25 fewer minutes in bed and lose nearly 30 minutes of sleep each night. “For one night, you might think that’s no big deal. But especially in a farmer’s or rancher’s life who are routinely around machinery, livestock and dangerous situations, that deficit can add up every week to a lot of sleep deprivation.”
Researchers collected data from 40 producers in five Midwestern states and asked them to wear a watch that recorded activity levels for a week during harvesting or planting season and again during a slower week from January 2021 to February 2022.
