Alternating work shifts can cause a sleep disorder associated with your "internal clock". This clock makes you feel sleepy or alert at regular times every day. Your internal clock tells your body when it is time to sleep and when it is time to be awake. Among other factors, your clock is “set” by your exposure to sunlight.

There are several types of shift work schedules. These include the following:

• Night shifts
• Early-morning shifts
• Rotating shifts

This sleep problem causes you to be severely tired, and can hinder your work performance. This condition usually lasts as long as an individual has a shift schedule. Once you begin sleeping at a normal time again, the problems tend to go away. In some people, the sleep problems may continue even after the shift work schedule has ended.

EDUCATIONAL ARTICLES

Shift Work and Sleep Disorders