Shift Work and Sleep: A Practical Checklist
Shift Work and Sleep: what is worth doing, what is worth avoiding, and when to stop and see a doctor.
Working hours that conflict with the body clock, and the sleep problems that follow. Night work asks you to be alert at the low point of your circadian cycle and to sleep at its high point, which no amount of discipline changes.
Key takeaways
- Useful pre-shift nap: 20-30 minutes
- Anchor sleep block: around 4 hours at a fixed clock time
- Most useful single change: Wear sunglasses traveling home after a night shift.
- Commonest mistake: Driving while fighting to stay awake.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
Do
- Wear sunglasses traveling home after a night shift
- Make the bedroom genuinely dark rather than merely dim
- Tell your household what your sleep window is, and defend it
- Nap before driving home if you feel sleepy
Do not
- Driving while fighting to stay awake
- Energy drinks across consecutive nights
- Fully flipping your schedule on days off if you return to nights quickly
The numbers behind the list
Those two lists follow from the published figures here.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Useful pre-shift nap | 20-30 minutes |
| Anchor sleep block | around 4 hours at a fixed clock time |
| Light to stay alert | bright light in the first half of a night shift |
| Light to avoid | morning daylight on the commute home |
| Caffeine cut-off within a shift | the final few hours |
If you change one thing
Wear sunglasses traveling home after a night shift. That is the opening item above. Doing only that is still doing something.
Related topics
- What the Guidance Really Says About Shift Work and Health (Workplace Health)
- Teen Sleep: What Published Guidance Supports (Teen Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Sleep and the Brain (Brain Health)
- What the Guidance Really Says About Sleep and Chronic Pain (Chronic Pain)
Where to go next
- Shift Work and Sleep: Common Questions Answered
- Shift Work and Sleep: The Quick Reference
- Shift Work and Sleep — the reference entry
- Sleep: The Complete Guide
- Napping: What Published Guidance Supports
- The Body Clock: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to speak to a doctor
See your doctor if you stay sleepy despite enough opportunity to sleep, or if you fall asleep without meaning to, and report safety-critical sleepiness to your employer. Do not drive drowsy, and call 911 after any crash or if someone is injured.
Where this comes from
- NIOSH — Work Schedules: Shift Work and Long Work Hours
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine — Healthy Sleep Habits
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
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