In the tough economic climate we've been having lately, workers' hours have been cut in order to meet insurance regulations and jobs have been outsourced. To make ends' meet, people have been taking what work they can find. Oftentimes, this means taking shift work in various industries. But working the late shift can mean more than just having an odd schedule; in fact, it can even lead to a sleep disorder. 

Shift Work Disorder: Causes and Symptoms

 Shift work is employment that runs unusual or irregular hours, especially during the night. Not surprisingly, it can disrupt the natural circadian rhythms of employees. People can find it hard to stay awake when they have to alert during work hours, or they might have trouble sleeping when the opportunity comes. They can be constantly groggy or irritable. When these characteristics become chronic, it's referred to as shift work disorder. 

Shift Work and the Body Clock

A person’s body clock is based on the normal day and night rotation of sunshine and darkness. It keeps track of the passage of time in 24-hour cycles and regulates everything from body temperature to hormone levels to alertness. In shift workers, this body clock is thrown off because they consistently do not receive enough sleep. Shift workers rarely get eight or nine hours of unbroken restful slumber. They generally get around four to five solid hours of sleep before daytime commotion disrupts them. 

Dangers of Working the Night Shift

A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2012 analyzed the symptoms and effects of shift work disorder: 

• Shift work throws off the body’s natural circadian rhythms, making “normal” seem like an impossible dream
• Sleep deprivation wrecks the concentration, reaction time, memory and mood of the shift worker
• Lack of restful sleep cheats workers of an otherwise healthy lifestyle
• Shift workers or rotating workers rarely eat properly, if at all
• And that leads to a host of physical ills
• Which end up messing up the mind even further

Given all these negative results, it's easy to see why shift schedules are called the graveyard shift!

It's also not surprising that the study found that shift work seriously strains people's heart health. The study reports that shift workers are 23% more likely than other workers to have a heart attack because of the stress and sleep disruption that results from irregular hours. In fact, any sleep disorder that significantly disrupts sleep patterns can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.  

Sleep Better with a Late Shift

We are simply wired to sleep at night and be active during the day. When that routine is disturbed, here are tips for hanging in there:

• Don’t drink coffee or stay-awake drinks during the shift. It will impede sleep when you get off work.
• Get your body used to the new routine by keeping strict hours for sleep and not deviating from them.
• Set yourself up for restful sleep by getting dark curtains, earplugs and something making white noise.
• Keep your healthy lifestyle healthy by re-scheduling workouts, eating healthy foods and getting plenty of fresh air in the hours after you wake and before you work.

If you're still having trouble sleeping regularly or are showing the sypmtoms of exhaustion and irritation, you should speak to your doctor. You can also contact us at Advanced Sleep Medicine Services to learn more about sleep disorders and what you can do to treat them. 

Do you work unusual hours? How does this affect your sleep schedule? Comment to share your story!

Photo Credit: greyweed