If you work shift work, you may have what doctor’s are calling “Shift Work Sleep Disorder” (SWSD) because you work nights or rotating shifts. Often people who work shift work have difficulties sleeping during the day and that means that they’re not getting the rest that they need to function properly. SWSD creates problems with your body’s internal clock. Normally the natural light and darkness help your body to know when it’s time to get up, and when it’s time to sleep. If you are working rotating shifts, or steady nights, your body needs to be able to reset its natural internal clock.

You can help your doctor to determine if you have shift work sleep disorder by keeping a sleep diary. Your sleep diary should keep track of things such as:

• What time you went to bed
• How long it took you to fall asleep
• What time you awoke
• Whether or not you woke up during your sleeping time, and if so keep track of the specifics – how many times you woke up, how long were you up, how long it took to fall back asleep
• How many total hours did you sleep?
• How tired did you feel in the morning?

You can also keep notes of things such as what you did in the hour before you went to bed, whether you had taken a nap the day before, what you ate, what you drank, physical activities, and medication you are on.

Your doctor will likely want you to keep track of your sleep over a period of a week or two and in some cases, may even ask you to complete a sleep study. You may also be asked to have a test called actigraphy where a device is put on your wrist to measure your movements during the day and night.

One of the secondary problems associated with shift work sleep disorder is the added stress it can add to a person’s life. Lack of sleep could lead to problems concentrating, poor job performance, and the increased possibility of becoming sick. According to a recent article on WebMD, experts found that shift workers have a higher chance of getting some health problems such as an increased risk of heart attack and higher cholesterol levels, though it is not known why it would raise the risk of these health problems.

Some researchers suspect that shift worker’s produce less melatonin, which is a hormone that helps control and regulate your awake/sleep cycle, if they work at night. Since the hormone also plays a role in maintaining your immune system, it is thought that shift workers who produce a lower level of melatonin could be placing themselves at risk of developing additional health problems.

If you do work nights, you can try to control the light, sound, and temperature when you are sleeping, as well as trying some of these tips from other shift workers:

• Try wearing sunglasses on your way home to counter some of the effect of the daylight.
• Put up blackout drapes, wear a sleeping mask, or block out your windows by other means.
• Utilize a white noise machine to block out the everyday sounds of your house, or put in ear plugs before you go to bed.
• If possible, take a nap at work during one of your breaks
• Talk to your family so that they are aware of how important it is for you to have uninterrupted sleep.