Sleep
Sleep
"Cranky? Maybe You Need More Shut-Eye"
By Janie O'Connor M.Ed
President, Shiftworker.com
(See following articles)"Sleep -- 11 Strategies To Count on Instead of
Counting Sheep,"
"Stop in The Name of Sleep," "Getting In Sleep
Shape," "The ABC's of ZZZZZs,"
"Body Language,"
"Consequences of Sleep Deprivation," and "Now
You Can Pick Your Nap . . . "
| According to
Naitoh, Kelly and Englund (Occupation Medicine, April-June, 1990), sleep loss is a
slippery slope that can lead to conflicts on the job. Not only does losing sleep result in
chronic excessive fatigue and sleepiness, but it also creates sagging motivation for work
and poor job performance. The culminating frustration can result in irritability and not
getting along with one's peers. Researchers who lived with sleep-deprived subjects
reported frequent psychotic behavior. That crazy-making aspect of chronic fatigue never
feels "normal." Still, it helps to know that being overly-tired is common among
shiftworkers. As one worker says, "It's good to know that our physical feelings are
normal." Sleep deprivation influences sleep/wakefulness, stress, euphoria, energy,
irritation and concentration. Even those workers who are veterans at doing "graveyard
shifts" still complain about sleep loss. Added to the occasional
"waking-up-too-often during a sleep cycle" is an anxious "will I get enough
sleep?" feeling. That anxiousness can actually work against falling asleep. Helpful Hints: * Establish and maintain boundaries around your sleep needs; then sharethe boundaries with family members. Hang a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on the bedroom door. * Remember that as a shiftworker, protecting your daytime sleep is a high priority. |
"Sleep -- 11
Strategies To Count On
Instead Of Counting Sheep"
By Janie O'Connor M.Ed
President, Shiftworker.com
(See following articles) "Stop in The Name of
Sleep," "Getting In Sleep Shape,"
"The ABC's of ZZZZZs," "Body Language," "Consequences
of Sleep Deprivation,"
and "Now You Can Pick Your Nap . . . "
| Courting sleep has often
been associated with counting wooly creatures. Forget the sheep-counting tactic and try the following instead: 1) Keep your sleeping room cool, dark and quiet. 2) Unplug the phone or use answering machines. 3) Don't answer the doorbell. (Disconnect the door bell) 4) Maintain a regular meal/sleep schedule while on the same schedule. 5) Have conference with family and friends to make sure you're all on the same "protecting daytime sleep page." 6) Try to achieve one long sleep, but if not possible, take routine naps. 7) Give your children's school your neighbor's phone number for emergencies. 8) Avoid the "sleep robbers," caffeine and alcohol, before sleep since both may cause wakefulness after 2 hours of sleep. 9) Hire a baby sitter during sleep times to protect against interruptions from your children. 10) When sleep eludes you, get out of bed and read, watch TV or do an activity until you feel sleepy. 11) Start exercising on a routine basis to enhance sleep |
Stop in The
Name of Sleep
by Janie O'Connor M.Ed.
President, Shiftworker.com
(See following articles) "Getting In Sleep Shape," "The ABC's
of ZZZZZs," "Body Language,"
"Consequences of Sleep Deprivation," and "Now
You Can Pick Your Nap . . . "
| Have trouble sleeping
through the day? Try something creative! My cousin protects her husband's sleep by
displaying a large plastic clock on the front t door. The hands of the clock
indicate the time that it's OK to knock. An additional note at the bottom of the
clock says, "Please don't ring the bell. Daytime sleeper. All pickups and
deliveries in the rear please." At the back door is another sign that says,
"Please don't slam the door." Or try this. One woman at a training session told the group that she puts a paper semaphore on her bedroom door. Green light means you could come in: yellow means knock first and maybe you will be invited in; but red means do not enter and stay away from the door. It's OK to let people know that you are protecting your sleep. Reading the evaluation comments from training sessions often reveals statements around the "need to improve my sleeping habits." Recently, 20% of the respondents in training indicated that they would make changes in sleeping habits including being assertive about protecting daytime sleep. The most important benefit of sleep may be that it restores us mentally and physically. Studies bear out the fact that the loss of even one night's sleep is likely to result in fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate, and mood shifts. One suggestion that arises in our training sessions is to have shiftworkers ask someone else to tell them honestly if they are moody, crabby or irritable. Protect your day time sleep at all costs. |
Getting In
Sleep Shape
by Janie O'Connor M/Ed.
President: Shiftworker.com
September 1997
(See following articles) " "The
ABC's of ZZZZZs," "Body Language," "Consequences
of Sleep Deprivation,"
and "Now You Can Pick Your Nap . . . "
| Changing schedules =
disturbed sleep patterns is a common equation for shiftworkers. Establishing routine
sleep patterns during a particular spell of duty (going to bed and getting up at the same
time) can move the amount of sleep from the minus to the plus column. A recent
survey of 59 participants, 60 days past a training session, revealed positive sleep
results in 19% who were sticking to a planned timetable. One said, "Staying in
the same sleep routine has helped a lot," while another said, "I've been keeping
a steady sleeping schedule, and it's been a lot easier staying awake at work."
The best way to maintain circadian (body) rhythms is to maintain the same sleep/wake cycle
at all times, including weekends. The solution "sticking to a sleep schedule"
seems simple . . . until the worker has days off or goes on rotation, and the
routine is broken. At this point, workers need to move to Plan B and be flexible.
The flexibility factor was the subject of recent research reported at the Shiftwork
Symposium in Helsinki, Finland in June, 1997. The study found that, "regardless
of the type of shift schedule or job, shiftworkers with inflexible sleeping habits and who
experience greater workload, incur increased sleep disturbances. Such disturbances
trigger increased use of passive coping strategies (alcohol, drugs, isolation) which lead
to undesirable short-term outcomes, for example, increased emotional problems and
fatigue." (Carlla Smith, Ph.D. Bowling Green State University, USA, A
Process Model of Shiftwork and Health. P. 17.) Shiftworkers require two different ways to arrange their sleep; they need to increase the ability to be flexible in their sleep habits, and, during shifts, set and keep a sleep schedule. |
by Janie O'Connor M.Ed When family members understand and respect the sleep needs of the shiftworker, everyone is happy right? That’s our hope. Often, however, the partner or significant others different expectations from those of the shiftworker. Communication can help resolve these issues. So can education related to sleep lengths. According to a research report by Jim Duchon, Ph.D., formerly with the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sleep length is related to the specific shift worked. For instance, daytime sleep after the night shift is normally less than sleep associated with other shifts, and sleep after an afternoon shift is normally more than other shifts. What remains unclear is the cause of these relationships. Circadian (body) rhythms and family or household patterns both influence sleep. But it appears that sleep may be more affected by social or external events during day time and afternoon shifts and on "free" days than on the night shift. Only the number of hours spent on household and child-care responsibilities is related to sleep length for night-shift workers. People tend to delay going to bed after the night shift if they have these responsibilities. Factors such as marital status, number of children, a worker’s age and perceived exertion on the job have little effect on sleep length after a night shift. Body
Language Consequences
of Sleep Deprivation See following article; |
Chronic Sleep Loss Can Contribute To:
|
By Janie O'Connor M.Ed. Replacement naps have been given that name by researchers to designate naps that compensate for previous loss of sleep. During long duty days, maintenance naps (on the job) enhance alertness. Two examples, follow: 1) Many Japanese 24-hour industries provide the option of maintenance naps, offering employees a sleeping break at work. 2) Airline pilots who are allowed a maintenance nap during a flights slack period were found to be more alert when their work load increases (during landing) than their peers who do not nap. Maintenance naps compensate for daytime sleep deprivation. They also help overcome the nighttime low point in body (circadian) alertness. A sleep period of 1 - 3 hours can lessen sleepiness during a 24-hour period of continuous activity. Jeffery Sandy, a custodian at Disneyland takes "power naps." These short 15 or 20 minute sleep periods, if taken during the day, can refresh people who don't have a long episode of sleep inertia (a period of sleep recovery.) Research support power naps as a way to help overcome severe attacks of uncontrollable sleepiness that can make some jobs - like driving hazardous. |