Working Nights

Extra Sleep Improves Performance, Alertness and Mood

According to a new study being presented tomorrow at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, getting extra sleep over an extended period of time improves athletic performance, alertness and mood.  In this small study, football player participants extended their sleep for seven to eight weeks during the season, obtaining as much sleep as possible and aiming for a minimum of ten hours of sleep each night.  By substantially increasing their length of sleep, the players decreased daytime sleepiness and fatigue and felt increased vigor towards the end of their season.  For more details click here.  This study supports other research indicating that sleep improves the performance, alertness and mood of shift workers.

2010 Sleep in America Poll Released!

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has just released the 1st poll to examine sleep among four ethnic groups in the United States: Asians, Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics and Whites-the 2010 Sleep in America Poll. Although significant differences in the sleep habits and attitudes of each group are revealed, there are also a number of interesting similarities. The poll found that more than three fourths of respondents from each ethnic group agree that poor sleep is associated with health problems. It also showed that each group reports similar experiences missing work or family functions because of fatigue. This is of extreme significance to shift workers who routinely average less sleep than day workers.

The NSF is committed to understanding people’s sleep needs and giving them the tools necessary to get the optimum amount of rest. Read more about the poll and its findings at the NSF’s website…

New Study Supports Claims that Oatmeal is Good for Shift Workers!

Numerous studies have indicated that sleep is essential for normal immune system functioning and to maintain the bodies’ ability to fight off disease and sickness. Most shift workers exist in sleep deprived states as a result of only getting 5-6 hours of sleep per 24-hour period.  So, as a result, it’s likely that shift workers’ immune systems are compromised, contributing to more cases of the common cold and flu, but also to chronic health issues many shift workers face – for example, diabetes and heart disease.

At Working Nights, we’re always looking for new solutions to improve shift worker health and wellbeing.  Here’s a new idea…..

Read this article…

Is Moonlighting Poised to Return, and if so, What Should Employers and Employees Do About it?

As the economy turns, it’s likely that more people will start taking second jobs. Added employment security and the need to double up on paychecks to make up for losses during the recession will drive people in this direction. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7.6 million Americans held multiple jobs during the first five months of this year, or 5% of all employees, about the same as last year. During earlier economic boom periods, moonlighting has increased. For example, at the end of 1989 over 7.2 million Americans worked more than one job, an increase of 25% since 1985. And, by 1997, 8.5% worked more than one job, almost another 20% increase. Now, during more difficult financial times, perhaps it’s not surprising that the numbers are down a bit.

But, the downward trend seems poised for a quick uptick as the economy improves and employers supplement their workforce with part timers rather than bulk up on full-time employees.
Read this article…

Safety at Work for an Aging Population of Workers

Everywhere we turn there are articles about more seniors in the workforce. This is not a new trend, but the pattern has clearly stepped up as a result of the current recession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 1977 and 2007, total employment in the US increased by 59%. Amazingly, employment of workers 65 and over had already increased 101% during this time! For men over 65, the 1977 to 2007 increase was 75%, but for women it was 147%. What does this mean for safety at work? We have a lot to do!
Read this article…

New York Times Opinion Supports Napping and Working Nights Agrees

Here’s the letter to the Editor and the link to the original editorial:

August 5, 2009
To the Editor:

Re “To Nap, Perchance to Dream” (editorial, Aug. 5):

I agree wholeheartedly with the statements made about the positive effects of a good nap.

But as an expert in researching, writing and consulting with numerous companies regarding employees’ readiness for work, I know that many not only allow naps, they even provide napping facilities.

These businesses recognize just what the editorial pointed out, that “short naps enhance alertness and productivity.” Our work on how our bodies’ circadian rhythms affect workers’ abilities to focus and concentrate, particularly in businesses running 24/7, supports that even just a 20-minute nap can be highly invigorating.

Betsy Connolly
President, Circadian Age Inc.
Wayland, Mass., Aug. 5, 2009

A version of this article appeared in print on August 6, 2009, on page A28 of the New York edition.

Preventing Accidents and Injuries at Work

Besides general health risks, shift workers also face a wide range of faster-acting dangers. Every seven seconds another worker gets injured, and every day, machinery accidents, falls, crashes, and other accidents take lives. Older workers and minority workers face higher injury and fatality rates. Read here the startling facts about on-the-job death and injury, the financial and health costs, the facts of why accidents happen and tips for making work a safer place. Read this article…

The Impact of Fatigue on Driving

Most people know that driving after drinking enough alcohol could be a death wish, but driving home after a seemingly endless shift could be equally dangerous. After 22 hours without sleep, you act the same behind the wheel as if you had a blood alcohol level of 0.08, the legal driving limit. It won’t get you pulled over (yet, although several states have laws pending to outlaw driving while drowsy) but falling asleep at the wheel can send you hurtling towards a tree or another vehicle with no control over your car just as easily as alcohol or drugs can. The urge to reach home and bed can sometimes overtake caution on the road. Truck drivers and night-owl teens are also greatly affected by this risk, which often goes unnoticed in our up-and-at-’em culture. Read this article…

How Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Patterns Affect Learning and Performance

Circadian rhythms, or each person’s internal “body clock” that clicks through the day setting off urges to sleep, eat, and complete other daily actions, have a larger affect on our lives than one might realize. Every body has a definitive time of day in which it is most alert, least alert, most active and most tired, and screwing with this natural cycle can be disastrous. Shift work forces most people to work outside their natural, circadian determined working hours, like working nights or evenings, so that not only do workers find it more difficult to concentrate on their job while they are doing it, they also have more trouble relaxing and falling asleep during their off-hours. Your circadian biological clock can be “reset” over time using light therapy and gradually shifting sleep times to the desired pattern, but many shift workers try to sleep normal hours during their days off and opposite hours when they work night shifts, further disrupting their body clock. Several methods can help night workers and extended hours workers determine the workings of their own circadian rhythms and biological clock, and to better adapt themselves to shift work schedules. Read this article…