A shift worker is anyone who follows a work schedule that is outside of the typical 9 to 5 business day. This might include working rotating, split or irregular shifts and include morning, afternoon, evening or night work.
Allowing employers to make full use of the 24 hours in each day and ensuring essential services, including emergency services and healthcare are available at all times.
According to the Sleep Health Foundation of Australia
“The average shift worker sleeps one hour a day less than someone who doesn't work shifts.”
Just like when travelling overseas, and adjusting to a new time zone, it is not easy to switch to working and sleeping different hours of the day.
As daylight suppresses the release of Melatonin, a hormone which plays an important role in telling us when to go to sleep and wake up, shift work in the evenings or at night works directly against our body’s natural biological clock or circadian rhythm.
As a shift worker if you are not getting enough sleep you may find that you are lacking in energy, become irritable easily, have trouble concentrating or completing tasks efficiently. You may also find yourself nodding of and wanting to nap.
Lack of sleep can therefore reduce your ability to effectively do your job and also increase the danger of accidents at work.
By getting enough sleep you will feel better, be more productive and reduce the likelihood of errors or accidents.
Sleep Well, Live Well
It is the first Sunday of April this weekend which means daylight savings is over, and it is time to turn our clocks back an hour at 3am to 2am.
Today, most smartphones and computers will automatically do this for us, but if you have an analog clock you should set yourself a reminder to do this before you go to bed Saturday night.
As the days shorten, by turning our clocks back, it means we are exposed to more bright light in the mornings.
As quoted in a 7 news article, Sleep and Circadian Researcher at Central Queensland University Amy Reynolds says
“Exposure to bright light in the morning, which happens when we are not on daylight saving time, is more ideal for our systems, as it synchronizes our body clocks to the day, and to the social requirements we have in the world, things like starting work and school in the morning.”
Changing our clocks in either direction changes the principle time cue (which is light) for setting and resetting our 24 hour natural cycle, or circadian rhythm. Therefore, our internal clocks become out of sync.
Turn back your clocks this Sunday and remember that with a good night sleep you will feel and function better.
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