What are the challenges of shift-work sleep?
Shift work presents a serious obstacle to good sleep. You can’t enter a good, restorative sleep on command. That’s because of the circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal 24-hour clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles. If you change your sleep and wake times, it takes several days for the circadian rhythm to adapt. That’s why shift workers often get to bed when their bodies are not ready for sleep, and they stay up way past their bedtime. It results in more sleepless bedtimes and also in worse sleep quality.
“Shift workers often experience sleep disruptions because they are unable to allocate a constant and specific time for sleeping, and their body clock is often not adjusted for this. If you are working the night shift, it requires you to go to bed at a time when your brain and body usually are awake and set to function,” said lead author PhD candidate Philipp Beranek.
Data from previous studies show that shift workers get anywhere from 5 hours and 32 minutes to 6 hours and 19 minutes of sleep. And that’s desperately insufficient for the vast majority of people.
“Fly-in, fly-out workers have long shifts, yet they are still required to do all the normal things as well, like having dinner, washing their clothes, doing exercise or even commuting from the mine site. It makes it difficult to manage sufficient sleep within that 24-hour period,” Beranek added.
Why does sleep hygiene matter?
Sleep hygiene refers to habits and environmental factors that promote better sleep. These include diet, exercise, limiting screen time, and creating a comfortable sleep setting. Unfortunately, for shift workers, maintaining good sleep hygiene can be tricky.
The new study, which surveyed 470 shift workers in the mining industry, found a clear link between better sleep hygiene and better sleep health. Workers who reported regular sleep schedules, better sleep environments, and stronger mental health tended to sleep better overall.
“Specifically, we found better sleep health in fly-in, fly-out workers that have a better sleep environment, more regular sleep schedule, and better mental health,” Beranek said.
Practical tips to improve sleep hygiene
Shift workers can take steps to improve their sleep hygiene even in remote and challenging environments. The researchers offer some practical recommendations.
- Set air-conditioning between 16°C and 20°C to keep your room cool.
- Buy a more comfortable pillow.
- Stick to a consistent bedtime and wake-up time as much as possible, even when shifts change.
- Practice mindfulness or meditation before sleep to wind down and make it easier to drift off.
“Having a regular sleep schedule came up as a significant aspect of sleep hygiene for fly-in, fly-out workers. It is nearly impossible for shift workers to have consistent sleep schedules when they are on rotating shifts, but workers should aim to have a regular sleep schedule when they are on the day shift, a regular sleep schedule for when they are on the night shift, and a regular sleep schedule for when they have time off at home,” Beranek advises.
