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.

New Study Makes it Clear; We Need More than Six Hours of Sleep

Shift workers are known to get less sleep than people working regular days.  It’s been studied, written, and talked about for years.  Some people brag about how little sleep they can survive on.  Others complain about their lack of sleep and how tired they feel all the time.  A new study is going to make all of us take a much closer look at our sleeping habits.  It will show us why we need to do all we can to get in the recommended 6 – 8 hours per 24 hour period (we actually recommend 7 – 8).

Researcher from the University of Warwick and the Federico II University Medical School in Naples, Italy, have concluded that people who sleep for less than six hours each night were 12% more likely to die prematurely than those who get the recommended 6-8 hours.  This research offers indisputable evidence of the need for adequate sleep. The researchers also found that long sleepers, those who sleep 9 hours or more regularly, are likely to have other underlying health conditions.

The study included more than 1.3 million participants, followed up for up to 25 years, with more than 100,000 deaths recorded.  The study was published in the May 3^rd issue of the journal, Sleep.

For information about working shift work and sleep click on the links below.  Each one will give you or your employees, if you’re a manager, ideas about how to get more sleep while working shift work.

Insomnia and Shift Work

Men and Sleep

Women and Sleep

Restorative Sleep Improves Memory and Creativity

©2010 Circadian Age, Inc. ‘Working Nights’

Insomniacs with Nighttime Awakenings Have a Huge Impact on Health Care Costs and Workforce Management

Did you know that 30-40% of adults report some symptoms of insomnia within any given year?  But that’s nothing…..according to the National Sleep Foundation, over 60% of people who work shifts report that they suffer from insomnia.  And, 30% of shift workers claim that they’re excessively tired all the time.  People who work shifts are twice as likely to fall asleep at the wheel as those working during the day-time.  Read this article…

Restorative Sleep Improves Memory and Creativity

Johah Lehrer has written  a terrific summary pointing to what we gain and what we lose when we don’t get enough sleep.  Watching his wife sleep comfortably and soundly, while he lies awake with insomnia, Lehrer reviews the literature, touching on how the brain replays our own experiences over and over again, sketching them deeply into the neural networks of our brains.  This cements our long term memories.  Lehrer also points out that REM sleep helps make us more creative and lets us integrate new information into our problem solving. 

To read the entire article, click here.  

Jonah Lehrer is a contributing editor at Wired Magazine. He’s the author of “How We Decide” and “Proust Was A Neuroscientist” and blogs at The Frontal Cortex.

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…

A Great Book to Read over the Holidays – “My Stroke of Insight,” by Jill Bolte Taylor

Book Review – My Stroke of Insight – a Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.,

Taylor’s book provides a unique education about our brains, in particular, about how the two different hemispheres of our brains work – together and independently.  Taylor provides insight into the impact of impaired brain functioning, something that is critical to the health and safety of shift workers and to the success of shift work operations.  Shift workers are known to exist on less than the optimal amount of sleep ~ typically 5 hours versus 7-8 hours; while obviously not as severe as a stroke, sleep deprivation has been shown to have a significant negative impact on the brain’s ability to perform.

There have been many studies on the impact of sleep deprivation on the brain.  In one study (Dai-Jin Kim et al, International Journal of Neuroscience, 2001), sleep deprived subjects showed no differences in distractibility, physical and visual functioning, reading, writing, arithmetic, and intellectual processes when compared to study participants who were allowed to sleep.  However, cognitive functions such as motor skills, rhythm, receptive and expressive speech, memory and complex verbal and arithmetic functions were decreased after sleep deprivation.  In another study (Drummond et al, Nature, 2000), researchers found “dynamic, compensatory changes in cerebral activation during verbal learning after sleep deprivation.” The researchers found that the prefrontal cortex (controls decision making and following through with thoughts and actions) and the parietal lobes (sensory integration) were key factors in allowing the subjects to function after sleep deprivation.  In other words, our brains work hard to compensate when we are sleep deprived and this may explain why some people claim they can exist on very little sleep – something we don’t recommend.

Read this article…

Working Nights is on the Radio and the Internet!

We are now on WBZ Radio 1030!

Working Nights on Drowsy Driving

Here’s one of our new Working Nights internet cartoons!

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…

Feeling the Impacts of Chronic Stress Brings You Back to Old Habits

Do you feel frazzled and overwhelmed? Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you anxious and impatient? These are just some of the symptoms of chronic stress. According to a new study, the effects of chronic stress force us back into old habits. And this may actually cause us to make bad decisions because in some situations, we are better off inhibiting a habit and instead using a goal oriented strategy – an effort that will force us to approach the situation differently. But when we are stressed we are more likely to just fall back on our habitual approach to dealing with the situation as opposed to being creative and forging a new path.
Read this article…

Lowering Stress and Anxiety for Shift Workers (and for others too!)

Stress and anxiety are normal parts of life. Sometimes we all need a little angst to keep us going: to make the best presentation, ace the test, or get the job offer. But over time, the effects of too much tension can be mentally and physically taxing.

Extended periods of stress can cause destructive changes in the body, such as depression or a suppressed immune system, potentially leading to heart disease, stroke, or cancer. Stress and anxiety can be felt physically, appearing as an increased heart rate and high blood pressure, sweating, dry mouth, tight muscles, twitching, abdominal pain, and headaches. Emotional responses to stress may include feeling restless, being unable to concentrate, and talking negatively to yourself.

Shift workers experience unique challenges in their life and jobs that can lead to increased tension. Without proper planning, work/life/family balance can get completely out of synch as a result of working rotating shifts or long hours. As a result of the struggle to adapt to ever changing work schedules, shift workers often don’t get enough sleep.

While most sleep experts suggest seven to eight hours of sleep is needed to feel well-rested, most people don’t get this much, and shift workers get even less than the day time population. The National Institute of Health has reported that people who work at night or have frequent major shifts in their work hours, or who have inactive lifestyles, are at a greater risk of developing insomnia. Many shift workers also report that they don’t exercise frequently, so the problem only gets worse. Read this article…

Calendar Contest Provides Healthy Benefits for Kids and Adults

BOSTON, MA (July 27, 2009) — ‘Working Nights’ announces an exciting new calendar contest. The 2010 Working Nights Creative Arts Calendar Contest offers organizations the opportunity to create a custom health and safety calendar incorporating winning illustrations or photographs submitted by company employees and their family members. For the full press release click on the link below:

Full Press Release

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Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) – Update

Up to ten percent of the population may suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome, a misunderstood and often ignored disorder. It affects more women than men, and causes more discomfort at night than during the day. While some people who suffer from RLS may not realize it is a true disorder and avoid medical help, RLS harms sleep patterns and may be worsened by uneven sleep schedules of shift workers. Read this article…

Running on Empty- Safe Driving on a Shift Work Schedule

While people worry about the dangers of sky diving, bungee jumping, and other death-defying activities, in fact one of the most dangerous things you can do is turn that little metal key in your car every day. In the U.S., someone dies in a car accident once every 13 seconds. Since shift workers experience many of the symptoms that are the most frequent causes of car crashes- fatigue and drowsiness, nodding off from lack of sleep, drug use, and use of sleep aids- driving safety is especially important from shift workers. The perils of a commute after a long day (or especially after working nights) can be deadly.
Read this article…

Smoking and Disturbed Sleep

For a shift worker in need of a good night’s sleep, a relaxing smoke or a soothing cigarette break on the porch is not the answer. Smoking has been linked with less restful sleeping by the American College of Chest Physicians, and a less restful sleep at night is one thing that extended hours workers do not need. Shift workers, especially those on the night shift, already get less sleep than day workers, and this inequity is only compounded since a far greater percentage of shift workers smoke than in the overall population. Suffering from sleep apnea, feeling fatigued at work, complaining about getting a whole four hours of sleep and waking up tired? Don’t let the smoke get in your eyes about solutions. Read this article…

The Importance of Training for Sustainable, High Performance Shift Work

Accidents, safety risks, and human error plague shift work at all hours of the day and night. Many managers see these dangers as a necessary evil that rides along with workers on shifts, especially rotating shifts and night shifts. Productivity also sinks as the shifts run into the late night/early morning hours, and extended hours workers take far more time off for illness than normal hours workers. This article shows specific ways that training managers together with shift workers raises productivity, decreases worker absences, and improves worker adaptation to the shift and night work lifestyle. Read this article…