Eurkalert reports that a new study found that allergic workers missed an hour of work per week during peak hay fever season. While an hour may not seem like much, it adds up quickly since 20 to 50 million Americans suffer from hay fever.

‘That means the potential loss of millions of hours of work productivity, not to mention the associated economic costs,’ says Sheryl Szeinbach, lead author of the study. Some estimates suggest that nearly 4 million days of work are missed each year due to allergy symptoms.

Study participants cited a lack of sleep and a negative impact on their overall health as the two main reasons for missing work.

If you're having trouble sleeping because of your allergies, see The Importance of Healthy Sleep.