Are you a shift worker experiencing some sleep issues? If so, you might suffer from a shift work sleep disorder which is basically a circadian rhythm sleep disorder causing sleep problems due to working long or irregular hours, or both. Want to know more about it? – Continue reading below.
What is Shift Work Disorder?
If you are working outside the typical working hours of 7 am to 6 pm, it means that you are doing a shift work. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will automatically develop a shift work sleep disorder. Namely, people working night, early morning, or rotating shifts are at the highest risk of suffering from the disorder.
Unfortunately, if left untreated, it can lead to other serious health concerns linked to lack of sleep. In addition, shift work disorder can reduce a worker’s professional performance and increase the risk of errors and accidents. Therefore, it’s crucial that you identify the symptoms in order to get help and improve personal health and safety.
What are the Symptoms of Shift Work Disorder?
In general, most shift workers face sleep issues at the beginning which is pretty normal given the fact that they do irregular hours. These sleep problems may go away after a while for some people, but for others, they don’t.
So, to be diagnosed with shift work sleep disorder a person should have persistent symptoms for at least three months. Plus, they should have disturbed sleep-wake patterns for at least two weeks which could be shown through sleep logging and actigraphy.
The two main shift work sleep disorder symptoms include:
- Insomnia – trouble falling or staying asleep, or both.
In brief, insomnia symptoms may vary in shift workers depending on the working hours. So, for instance, those who work between 4 am and 7 am typically have difficulty falling asleep, while those who work evening shifts usually wake up during the night.
- Sleepiness – excessive fatigue and reduced alertness.
Shift workers also suffer from excessive sleepiness and fatigue. They generally need to take a nap at least once during their working hours. Also, sleepiness leads to impaired alertness which then decreases performance capacity, eventually posing a safety risk.
How Does Shift Work Disorder Affect Everyday Life?
As already noted, shift work sleep disorder could lead to potentially serious health concerns. Precisely speaking, the disorder can increase the risk for several medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and even cancer.
What’s more, shift workers are also at higher risk for alcohol and drug dependency as they usually try to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol in order to improve their sleep. And, they also tend to follow unhealthy eating habits.
Safety is yet another concern brought about by shift work sleep disorder as the mix of fatigue, sleepiness, reduced alertness, and poor concentration, puts shift workers at a significantly higher risk of accidents at their workplace or outside.
Conclusion
To conclude, shift work sleep disorder may negatively affect your everyday life and even lead to life-threatening medical conditions. For that reason, if you are having trouble falling and/or staying asleep, i.e. having insomnia symptoms, and experiencing excessive sleepiness and fatigue while awake, make sure you consult your doctor and get a clinical evaluation. Once diagnosed, you will get the treatment needed to relieve your symptoms.