Better Sleep for Shift Workers
According to a study in the Dec 2008 issue of the journal Sleep, the use of light exposure therapy, dark sunglasses and a strict sleep schedule can help night-shift workers create a “compromise circadian phase position,” with better increased performance and alertness during night shifts. It also allows adequate nighttime sleep on days off.
“The major finding of this study was that complete physiological adaptation to a night shift and day sleep schedule does not appear necessary in order to improve night shift alertness and lengthen daytime sleep,” said lead author Mark Smith, post-doctoral fellow in the Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “Instead, we found that partial physiological adaptation using scheduled exposure to light and darkness is sufficient to bring night shift performance back to daytime levels.”
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