People sleep fewer hours than they did many years ago. This is because we tend to work longer hours compared to the past and this results in fatigue.
People tend to sleep less as compared to the past because they are expected to work more. This is due to the job market being more competitive than ever before and workers have to get more done or they fall behind or may get replaced by someone else. This means that people have to get up earlier and do not return home until late in the evening, thus cutting into their sleep pattern. For example, recent studies have shown that the average employee works 2.4 hours more than the average worker from the 1970s.
The primary effect of this is widespread chronic fatigue. That is to say large sections of the population do not get the required 8 hours and this results in a high percentage of them being too tired to live their lives effectively. This could mean that they underperform at work, are more irritable with those around them or could even have health problems. For example, the Golden State Warriors basketball team employed a sleep expert to study the players. The data illustrated that players who sleep for more than 9 hours a night have fewer injuries as compared to those who sleep for 6 hours.
In conclusion, people are more sleep-deprived than in previous generations due to longer working hours and the effect is that many are tired every single day to the point of exhaustion.