Study reveals sleep problems with shiftwork

Lamp, The, July, 2008

A study of 2,273 registered nurses in the United States proves what nurses know all too well: adverse work schedules negatively impact on sleep quality and work performance.

The study, authored by Dr Jeanne Geiger-Brown of the University of Maryland, was presented last month to the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

The research analysed work schedule variables including hours per day, days per week, weekends per month, quick returns (less than 10 hours off between shifts), mandatory overtime, on-call, and circadian mismatch.

Respondents were also asked about home demands, including time spent on childcare, dependent elderly care, and domestic chores.

According to the results, the worse the schedule, the worse the sleep for most nurses.

Dr Geiger-Brown told the online journal Science Daily that inadequate sleep has both short-term (needlestick injuries and musculoskeletal disorders) and long-term (cardiovascular and metabolic diseases) health consequences for nurses, and possibly for the patients they care for.

'Adequate sleep is critical to providing quality patient care,' she said.