Working Nights: Health and Safety Guide

This is one of many publications designed to help shiftworkers cope with the reality of living with a round-the-clock lifestyle. They are intended to improve shiftworkers' health, safety at work and at home, optimize job performance and maximize quality of life.

The author, Dr. Moore-Ede, is the founder and president of Circadian Technologies, Inc., a company that aids workers in coping with nightshifts and rotating work schedules. As a Harvard University professor, Dr. Moore-Ede has conducted research into many of the problems that plague shift workers and developed solutions for coping with round-the-clock work.

This pamphlet is short and well written. It provides "authoritative information and practical tips for shiftworkers and others who work at night." This is valuable knowledge; 20 per cent of the work force in the United States (Canadian figures not available) are shiftworkers. This is defined as working more than half of their hours outside the "traditional" times of 8a.m. to 4p.m.

Now despite this, and despite the fact that there is an increasing reliance on shiftwork to propel the economy, the human body was not designed to work at night. Our built-in circadian rhythms dictate that we be more alert in the daytime, and naturally sleepy during the night.

This pamphlet suggests practical ways to help shiftworkers take charge of their lives, and deal with problems like fatigue, stomach upsets, and handling significant others.

Concise and clearly written chapters deal with topics such as: understanding your circadian rhythms, work performance, job safety, and sleep. One of the interesting points in the book is that a shiftworker on a rotating schedule has all the symptoms of jetlag without any of the benefits of travel. Thus, a person dealing with such rotation may suffer from a condition called "industrial jetlag." Working an irregular schedule can cause such things as chronic sleep deprivation, reduced alertness and increased accidents. It is worth noting that the industrial accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl occurred on the nightshift. Alertness falls during the night hours and many people are unaware of just how tired they are. Common warning signs of fatigue to watch for include: irritability, inability to concentrate, difficulty focusing eyes and keeping them open, sluggishness, waves of sleepiness, and an inability to recall the last five minutes.

When a person is fighting to stay awake, they can actually fall into a zombie-like state. Although their eyes stay open and they can perform simple tasks, they are unable to respond appropriately to an urgent situation. This trance is called Automatic Behavior Syndrome and can be triggered by a monotonous task.

The chapter on sleep discusses the stages of sleep, and suggests how the shiftworker can optimize their sleep. There is a paragraph on sleep-inducing foods, a section on the best times to nap and for how long, and how exercising can improve the quality of sleep.

This is an interesting pamphlet full of great information for shiftworkers. It would be valuable for beginning nurses just starting out in the world of shiftwork. Experienced nurses, too, may find some suggestions for coping that they haven't yet discovered. It's a quick read and I recommend it.

DR. MARTIN MOORE-EDE (CIRCADIAN INFORMATION)

Copyright Alberta Association of Registered Nurses Mar/Apr 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved