Adjusting to Shift Work

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Adjusting to Shift Work

• Presented By
• Becky Clarkson, RN
• IRU Team Leader

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Shift Work

• Classification
• Circadian Rhythm Disorder
• Sleep Disorder
• Social Domestic Issue

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Personal Risk Factors

• Being over 50 years of age
• Second or moonlighting job
• Heavy domestic workload
• Larks or morning-type individuals
• History of sleep disorders
• Psychiatric illness
• History of alcohol or drug abuse

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Coping

• Evaluate your personal needs
• Lark or Owl?

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Coping . . .

• Keep a regular sleep schedule
• Work with others to help keep you alert.
• Be active during breaks
• Drink a caffeinated beverage (coffee, tea, cola)
  
• Do the most boring tasks early.
• Night shift workers are most sleepy around
  4-5 a.m.

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Tips for Daytime Sleeping

• Wear sunglasses on your way home
• Keep the same bed time and wake time
• Use eye masks and ear plugs
• Avoid eating a heavy meal
• Avoid alcohol

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More Solutions

• Napping

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Symptoms

• Insomnia
• Disrupted sleep
• Reduced performance
• Difficulties with relationships
• Irritability/depression

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Drowsy Driving

• Only half of crashes are reported (Miller, 1991)
• Most police are not trained to detect fatigue
• There is no objective measurement (e.g., blood
  test)
• Self-reporting tends to be inaccurate
• Drowsiness is often linked to other factors
  (e.g., alcohol, drugs)

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Characteristics of Drowsy Driving Crashes

• Most happen between midnight 600 am and in the
  mid afternoon (circadian dip)
• The driver is alone and male
• Rear-end or head-on collisions, or single vehicle
  accident
• No evidence of braking or evasive maneuvers
• Most are serious injury and/or death

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National Crash Statistics

• U.S.D.O.T. estimates
• 100,000 police-report crashes annually
• 1,550 fatalities (4)
• 71,000 injuries
• Another 1 million crashes are linked to
  inattention, which increases with fatigue

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Special At-Risk Groups Include

• Young people
• Shift workers
• Commercial drivers
• People with undiagnosed or untreated sleep
  disorders
• Business travelers
• The elderly

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Countermeasures While Driving

• Stop driving
• Pull off the road at a safe place and take a
  short nap
• Let a passenger take over the driving
• Consume caffeine
• Dont rely on drowsy driving devices
• Be aware of shoulder rumble strips

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How To Reduce Your Risk

• Take a nap or drink caffeine before leaving work
  if tired
• Consult your physician or local sleep disorders
  center if you are experiencing frequent daytime
  sleepiness or having difficulty sleeping at night

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Before A Trip

• Get a good nights sleep, preferably 8 hrs
• Schedule breaks every 100 miles or 2 hours during
  long trips
• Travel with a companion to help watch for the
  signs of fatigue
• Avoid alcohol and sedating medications

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• Online Source www.sleepfoundation.org
• National Sleep Foundation
• Shift Work and Sleep
• Reviewed by
• Christopher Drake, Ph.D.
• Senior Scientist at the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep
  Disorders and Research Center in Detroit and
  Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
  Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State
  University, Detroit, Michigan.

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Wishing you safe sleep and work.