Helping Staff Cope with Shift Work Sleep Disorder

THIS ARTICLE IS EDITED FROM AN UPCOMING PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH HAYLEY LOKAN, AN ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST WHO IS RUNNING A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOR THE AHA|SA.

Hayley is a former sleep technologist who did shift work while monitoring patients in various sleep clinics, so she brings academic insights as well as personal experience to the sleep issues caused by shift work.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF SHIFT WORK SLEEP DISORDERS?

The two main symptoms are insomnia which is trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, and excessive sleepiness.

Now they may seem at odds with each other but let me explain what's happening.

Our bodies are naturally set to a 24- hour body clock and our hormones support that. So the way that we're built is that we are awake during the day and sleep mostly at night, that's the way that we're wired.

Our hormones enable that, so melatonin for example is secreted at certain times that naturally we would expect our body to become sleepy.

What's happening with shift work is that you're working at opposite hours to when our bodies would naturally expect us to be working. When you are then trying to go to sleep during the day it can be harder to get to sleep or stay asleep because you might be trying to sleep at say 7, 8 or 9am in the morning. This can also then make you feel fatigued and have reduced alertness during the day heading into your shift that night.

You’re kind of hitting yourself on both sides. You're sleepy because you're not getting enough sleep but the insomnia is kicking in because you're trying to sleep at times when your body is actually not wired to sleep.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO IF THEY HAVE A SHIFT WORK SLEEP DISORDER?

If this is a chronic problem for you, there are people such as sleep psychologists who I suggest that you talk to.

But for some quick tips, make sure that you do make enough time for sleep - don't short-change yourself. If you're finishing your shift at 2, 3 or 4am in the morning, don't think ‘OK, well as long as I get five hours sleep during the day that's enough’. Because of the way that your body is naturally wired, typically the sleep that you get during the day isn't going to be as good or as restorative as the sleep that you might normally get at night time. So don't set your alarm to wake up earlier than you might otherwise need to.

...make sure that you do make enough time for sleep - don't shortchange yourself.

WHAT ELSE?

Make sure you can sleep in peace. I know it's really difficult and, trust me, I was there as well trying to sleep in an environment with construction noises next door. Encourage people, if you have other people in the house, to leave you alone for a few hours. Put your phone on silent or turn it off.

Blackout blinds are really useful as a way to simulate night time.

Some people swear by ear plugs and eye masks. It’s an individual thing but whatever you can do to minimise that external noise and light is worthwhile.

Make sure your sleeping environment is really comfy and you're not too warm, that you're cool enough, but not too cold.

Avoid stimulants like coffee, energy drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, all of that stuff in the hour or two before going to bed. And avoiding the foods that could disrupt your sleep, such as spicy food and food with MSG.

IS THERE ANYTHING VENUE OWNERS AND MANAGERS CAN DO TO HELP MINIMISE THE IMPACT OF SHIFT WORK ON THEIR STAFF?

Definitely.

With the rostering process, be mindful of not putting people on too many back-to-back shifts if you can. They might have a couple of nights on and then a couple off, then a couple of nights on again.

In a perfect world you would put people on consistent shifts, such as all night shifts.

But if you are a venue that rotates shifts - and I know a lot of hotels do - then consider whether you can of rotate them in one direction, as opposed to the other.

If you've got people who are working a morning shift and then an afternoon shift and then a night shift, that's better than if you have someone on an afternoon shift followed by a morning shift.

Try and push it forward, as opposed to bring it back.

SHOULD YOU OR YOUR STAFF TAKE NAPS?

Some people think napping is terrible and certainly if you're napping for hours, yes that's likely to detract from the sleep you're going to get when you do try and sleep properly.

But half an hour – like a power nap - and even up to about 90 minutes can be useful just before you go to work.

So perhaps you clock off at 4am and you get to bed at 7am. If you do wake up at midday, try and have another nap before you start work again that night. And the closer you can do it to starting your shift, the better.

Yes, you're robbing your next sleep I guess but you're about to start a shift, so you are going to work for 8 or 10 hours so that's OK because it's going to top you up.

Hayley’s new series of podcasts will be advertised in the AHA|SA newsletter when they are launched.