Shift Work Disorder
Some people who work shift work have a natural response which helps them to adjust their body clock and still sleep well in spite of irregular hours. However, a large percentage of shift workers end up with a clash between their body clock, or circadian rhythm, and their work hours which leads to shift work disorder.
Studies show that people with shift work disorder maintain cortisol and melatonin patterns that direct their bodies to be more alert during 'normal' waking hours instead of during work hours, even if they have been working night shift for many months or years and have attempted to make adjustments. The resulting mismatch between sleep signals sent by melatonin release and low cortisol when night shift requires wakefulness can cause extreme fatigue during work and during commuting.
Due to these sleep signals and extreme fatigue, shift work disorder leads to greatly increased risk for accidents both on and off the job. However, with the proper diagnosis and treatment, you can reduce these risks.
How we can help
If you are a shift worker and experience extreme fatigue in spite of trying to adjust your sleeping schedule, we can help you determine the underlying causes of your difficulty and develop a treatment plan that will work for you. Our team of dedicated professionals will evaluate your individual sleep-wake cycle through a number of diagnostic approaches.
In addition to measuring your cortisol curve and melatonin response, your diagnostic plan may include an overnight sleep study or PSG (polysomnography) to provide a picture of how much restorative sleep you get. A daytime test called a MSLT, Multiple Sleep Latency Test, can also assess the degree of your daytime fatigue.
With the proper diagnosis, there are multiple approaches to managing shift work disorder including melatonin treatment, bright light therapy, and other protocols to enable you to get restful sleep on the shift work schedule you need to maintain. Call us now to schedule your appointment. We are here to help you sleep well!
