Shift Work: Maintaining Daytime Function with Sporadic Shifts

PART 2 - For many shift workers, especially those with young families or caring commitments, it’s necessary to prioritise daytime function, especially if night shifts are sporadic or unpredictable. In Part 2 of Shift Work: The Ultimate Survival Guide, we explore effective strategies for optimising daytime function despite the challenges posed by shift work. In this installment, we will share essential tools on how to optimise your sleep while also locking your circadian rhythm on daytime, even in the midst of intermittent evening or night shifts that risk throwing your rhythm off course.

Case Study: Tanya, Bank Nurse

Tanya, a bank nurse with a young family, struggles to find consistent sleep during the day due to household responsibilities and the noise from her children. Her sporadic night and late shifts add to the difficulty of maintaining a stable sleep schedule. She always feels tired and is struggling to cope with the symptoms of daytime fatigue. When she does get the chance to sleep, her body often won't let her. She needs to operate effectively during the day, prevent sleep deprivation, and survive intermittent and unpredictable late and evening shifts.

How to Cope with Intermittent Night Shifts

While some shift work might slot neatly into a regular, predictable rhythm, many shift workers juggle erratic rotas, often with little notice for night or evening shifts. This lack of predictability can significantly disrupt sleep patterns and make advanced planning for optimal sleep a challenge. Notably, two-thirds of staff are given less than a week's notice for their shifts, and one in ten staff receives schedules less than 24 hours in advance. Sporadic night shifts may suit some, especially those with daytime caring responsibilities, but they come with a risk of chronic sleep deprivation and significant fatigue.

Mastering the Sleep Game Amidst Shifting Schedules

Imagine you've just landed from an intercontinental flight, and despite every fibre in you crying out for sleep, you're due at work immediately. That disorientation is what you're essentially grappling with when your work schedule plays hopscotch across varied shifts. Whether it's frequent night shifts or a chaotic blend of day and evening duties, the challenge is to stay ahead of the curve in managing your sleep and overall well-being.

Optimising Your Circadian Rhythm During Shift Work

Our circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, synchronises every function of our body. It is controlled by the hormone melatonin which is secreted in darkness and is adjusted using external factors from the world around us such as light, our bodies movements, and when we eat. This internal clock can only shift by 30–60 minutes per day. If your late and afternoon shifts are unpredictable or sporadic, adjusting your internal body clock to match your shifts is simply not an option. Studies show that constantly shifting our body clock or being out of sync with our body clock can profoundly impact our physical and mental health. Sporadic night shifts can knock our internal clock off its daytime rhythm, leaving us groggy and fatigued, and making it harder to reset back to daytime function. One strategy to improve daytime function is to lock our body clock on its daytime rhythm by controlling the factors that influence it: light, movement, and nutrition.

How to Guide When Daytime Function is Priority

The Goal: Keeping your body's internal clock steady, optimise alertness during the day, and relish downtime.

The Drill: Minimise daytime sleep, try an early nap of perhaps 1-2 hours before a night shift to reduce fatigue and help you get through the night shift. Then, restrict sleep the following day to 1-2 hours, ideally in the morning only. This will ensure you have sufficient sleep pressure to get good quality sleep at your usual bedtime. Optimise the quality of sleep when you have the opportunity—use eye masks, ear plugs, white noise, and get the support of your family.

Keep nights and evenings dimly lit (even at work if possible). Restrict nighttime meals to a light, healthy snack, and maintain your usual daytime meal times. It's akin to pushing through post-night shifts with scant sleep to prep for the impending day shift. While suitable for sporadic night shifts, it's not a marathon solution given sleep deprivation's lurking threats.

Pros:

• Stay synced with daytime on days off or when working day shifts

• Less strain on your body with frequent internal clock shifts

• More time to enjoy life during daylight hours

Cons:

• Possibly subpar performance during nocturnal shifts

• Potential safety concerns if your role involves critical decisions, machinery operation, or caregiving

Important Note: Sleep debt risk is real and may be impossible to catch up. As a sleep specialist, I would only recommend this approach to those with intermittent, short, or sporadic late or night shifts.

Watch out for the next installment when we will be giving you all the secrets to shifting your circadian rhythm to master shift work.

Stay tuned for Part 3: Shifting Your Rhythm to Align with Your Schedule! Don’t miss out on essential tips for optimising your circadian rhythm and mastering shift work

References

https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1747201/two-thirds-of-shift-workers-given-less-than-weeks-notice-of-hours-research-finds

https://oem.bmj.com/content/58/1/68?fbclid=IwAR0XlHukYafa_TJnQu55XEVVqWALuOU3N5K6OvxJ-YJ0w6rXhKrEsJPRvmg&int_source=trendmd&int_medium=cpc&int_campaign=usage-042019

Shift work: health, performance and safety problems, traditional countermeasures, and innovative management strategies to reduce circadian misalignment. Nat Sci Sleep. 2012; 4: 111–132.