Is Shift Work Sleep Disorder Wrecking Your Life?
June 6th, 2009 | by admin | << Insomnia Effect and Facts Sleep Disorder Medication With Melatrol Natural Sleep Aid You'll Sleep Peacefully >>Shift work sleep disorder affects around five million people. That’s a lot of people who are going through their day sleep deprived because their job is stopping them from getting the sleep they need. These are people employed in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, transport, nursing, hospitality and emergency services, in fact any profession that requires you to work at night and sleep during the day.
Why does working shifts have such a dramatic effect on our sleep? Those of us who work at night and sleep during the day are working in opposition to their inbuilt circadian rhythm. How does the circadian rhythm work? It is actually a 24 hour clock that is triggered by sunlight & controls our sleep/wake cycles. Melatonin, a sleep inducing hormone, is produced during darkness and is diminished when the sun comes up making us feel wide awake. No matter how many hours we’ve already been awake the melatonin in our brain decreases on seeing bright light and we will feel wide awake. Even those who have worked shifts for many years never totally overcome this disruption to their circadian rhythm.
What are health problems associated with shift work? Lack of sleep over the long term can negatively affect our health in many ways. Apart from the constant feelings of tiredness and lack of energy, There is a clear danger from driving a motor vehicle while sleep deprived.Even more serious, our immune system can become depressed exposing us to more risk of diseases such as the flu.
What is the answer then for shift workers? Fortunately there are ways we can minimize the damage from this sleep disorder, but it demands that you make getting sleep a priority. The hardest part in sleeping during the day is light and noise. Therefore your first priority has to be your sleep environment. Make sure your room is as dark as possible by installing the thickest blinds you can find. If noise is a problem, consider moving your bedroom to a quieter part of the house away from family areas. If this is not possible, ask for the co-operation of your family in keeping quiet and invest in a good set of earplugs.
Don’t let your body wake up! Use a pair of dark sunglasses when driving home from work to block out the sunlight. Limit your caffeine intake during the latter part of your shift to prevent restlessness.
Establish a sleep routine and never break it, not even when you have a day off. Make sure your family and friends know what times of the day you sleep so that they don’t disturb you.
If shift work sleep disorder is affecting your lifestyle despite the above advice, it may be advisable to give up shift work and find another job. Always make your health and wellbeing your number one priority.
