Working rotating shifts

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Working Rotating Shifts If you are a nurse and have never worked crazy shifts, well, let's just say you are one in a million. Rotating shifts go hand in hand with nursing. You may be assigned overnight for 6 months and then on to day shift. It's an adjustment that most nurses make at some point. Sleep Deprivation The body suffers physically from lack of sleep. When you are not getting regular sleep, the body is more prone to sickness, and it may be difficult to be as alert as needed on the job. Not getting enough good sleep is dangerous, not only for yourself, but for others as well. Driving is not the only dangerous activity that can happen when sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation affects the following: Concentration Memory Mood Reacting Times For a nurse, all of the above are critical for you to do an acceptable job. Some very major incidents in history came as a result of one person being sleep deprivedThree Mile Island power plant located in Pennsylvania. This was a disaster that occurred and affected lives for many years. At the time, nuclear effects were not as known as they are today. For many years families were affected by the contamination. Children born 15 years after the accident, faced physical and developmental disabilities at a much higher rate within a certain radius of the plant. There was little doubt that nuclear accident had disastrous repercussions. To think it all occurred due to sleep deprivation is a very sad fact. Chernobyl is something you may not be familiar with; however, if you resided anywhere near the area, you would certainly be familiar with it. Once again, a person that dozed off after working rotating shifts, missed the warning signs of a nuclear explosion. This accident occurred in 1986, and the effects are still being felt today. Problems have been passed down from generation to generation, and will most likely continue for some time. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez had a giant oil spill off the coast of Alaska. This was the largest environmental accident to date, and it happened because of a lack of sleep. Related: Reasons Why You should be Proud to be a Nurse


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