Shift Work: Health, Performance and Safety Problems, Traditional Countermeasures, and Innovative Management Strategies to Reduce Circadian Misalignment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Eastman CI ; Smith MR
• Description:
  There are three mechanisms that may contribute to the health, performance, and safety problems associated with night-shift work: (1) circadian misalignment between the internal circadian clock and activities such as work, sleep, and eating, (2) chronic, partial sleep deprivation, and (3) melatonin suppression by light at night. The typical countermeasures, such as caffeine, naps, and melatonin (for its sleep-promoting effect), along with education about sleep and circadian rhythms, are the components of most fatigue risk-management plans. We contend that these, while better than nothing, are not enough because they do not address the underlying cause of the problems, which is circadian misalignment. We explain how to reset (phase-shift) the circadian clock to partially align with the night-work, day-sleep schedule, and thus reduce circadian misalignment while preserving sleep and functioning on days off. This involves controlling light and dark using outdoor light exposure, sunglasses, sleep in the dark, and a little bright light during night work. We present a diagram of a sleep-and-light schedule to reduce circadian misalignment in permanent night work, or a rotation between evenings and nights, and give practical advice on how to implement this type of plan. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Circadian Rhythm Fatigue Lighting Occupational Health Safety Shift Work Schedule Sleep Sleep Initiation And Maintenance Disorders
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Circadian Rhythms Biological Rhythms Bright Light Circadian Rhythms Melatonin Night Work Phase-shifting Shift Work Sleep Deprivation Work Schedules
• ISSN:
  1179-1608
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  111-132
• Volume:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059511
• Citation:
  Nat Sci Sleep 2012 Sep; 4:111-132
• Contact Point Address:
  Charmane Eastman, Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory, Behavioral Sciences Department, Rush University Medical Center, 1645 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 425, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
• Email:
  ceastman@rush.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19990930
• Source Full Name:
  Nature and Science of Sleep
• End Date:
  20090430
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:35ef7d3aa08370cd6d5d55308010129a4324bfe0420bf5c63d546a20728bc09769abe02f388f7f4c14d828eb75ff647bab5300fee8c1b4f6ef1914ba85fab727
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223710/cdc_223710_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 553.54 KB ]