Shift Work and Sleep: Common Questions Answered

Working hours that conflict with the body clock, and the sleep problems that follow.

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 dark glasses travelling 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.

What is Shift Work and Sleep?

Working hours that conflict with the body clock, and the sleep problems that follow.

Why does it matter?

Night work asks you to be alert at the trough of your circadian cycle and to sleep at its peak, which no amount of discipline changes.

Useful pre-shift nap for Shift Work and Sleep?

20-30 minutes.

Anchor sleep block for Shift Work and Sleep?

Around 4 hours at a fixed clock time.

Light to stay alert for Shift Work and Sleep?

Bright light in the first half of a night shift.

Light to avoid for Shift Work and Sleep?

Morning daylight on the commute home.

What is the single most useful thing to do?

Wear dark glasses travelling home after a night shift.

What is the most common mistake?

Driving while fighting to stay awake.

When should I see a doctor?

See a GP if you remain persistently sleepy despite adequate opportunity to sleep, or if you fall asleep involuntarily. In the UK, drivers must inform the DVLA of conditions causing excessive daytime sleepiness. Report safety-critical sleepiness to your employer.

Where to go next

• The First Steps With Shift Work and Sleep
• Shift Work and Sleep: The Quick Reference
• Shift Work and Sleep — the reference entry
• Napping: What Published Guidance Supports
• The Body Clock: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise

When to speak to a doctor

See a GP if you remain persistently sleepy despite adequate opportunity to sleep, or if you fall asleep involuntarily. In the UK, drivers must inform the DVLA of conditions causing excessive daytime sleepiness. Report safety-critical sleepiness to your employer.

Where this comes from

• Health and Safety Executive — managing shift work
• NHS — Sleep and tiredness

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, summarised or generalised 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 a GP, 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 999.