Surviving Shiftwork

Type: Union News Subject: OHS
1 November 2005

Dr Delwyn Bartlett

Shiftwork is a loathsome aspect of the nursing that's almost impossible to avoid. Research psychologist Dr Delwyn Bartlett shared some tips with conference delegates on how get more and better sleep when you're caught in the shiftwork zone.

When you're working nightshift it may seem that everyone else is off having a good night's sleep. But you're not alone. Around 20% of workers work nightshift, said Dr Bartlett.

'When you are working nightshift you lose around five to seven hours' sleep per week,' she said. 'Twice the number of accidents happen on nightshift than dayshift and nightshift workers are more vulnerable to car accidents on the way to and from work.'

So how much sleep do we need? Around 7-8 hours said Dr Delwyn. However, some people need as little as 4 hours per night, and others need 10 hours.

According to Dr Bartlett, shiftwork means you are working against your body's natural rhythm. 'Shiftwork is very stressful. You are pushed into a state of hyperarousal,' she said.

'When you are stressed muscular tensions increases, memory can be affected, you become moody, you can suffer stomach upsets and diarrhoea, more frequent illnesses like colds and flu and sleep disturbance is common.

'In extreme cases individuals suffer from a clinical condition called shiftwork sleep disorder (SWSD) where they cannot maintain a normal sleep duration despite attempts to optimise environmental conditions for sleep. Around 2-5% of shiftworkers are thought to suffer
from SWSD.'

To maximise sleep after a nightshift, Dr Bartlett recommends you wear dark sunglasses with side shields on the way home from work. 'The darker the better but you need to be able to see.'

'Go home and get into bed as soon as possible. Avoid doing anything else.

'Make your sleep environment as dark as possible. Use black plastic bags on the windows if need be and have background white noise like a fan. Keep your bedroom cool. Don't forget to pull out the phone and leave a note on the front door telling all callers that you are sleeping.'

Whether you're working nightshift or not, Dr Bartlett has some tips for a better night's (or day's) sleep:

Use your bed for sleep and sex only
Get out of bed if you haven't fallen asleep after 20 minutes. Sit on the floor for five minutes then get back in to bed.

'If you are not sleeping well it is important to check out whether you have a sleeping disorder such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, obstructive sleep apnoea,' said Dr Bartlett. 'It's also important to check out the possibility of other medical conditions or psychological disorders.'

Sleep can be disturbed by increased stress. Disturbed sleep also predicted by increased work demands, high physical workload, being female aged over 45 years and having a high body mass index.

How you think is how you feel, warns Dr Bartlett. 'Negative thoughts can keep you awake so it's important to distract negative thoughts in bed. Focus on something calming and try to think realistically about sleep and being awake at night, instead of catastrophising about the consequences of not sleeping.'

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