Starting out on the night shift can leave a person with sleepless days and sluggish nights but, it can get better.
At the root of this dilemma is the disruption of the body's circadian rhythm, the natural light-dark cycle that's controlled by an internal body clock.
The most significant threat of night shift work is that a continued lack of sleep diminishes reaction time, the ability to make decisions, process and remember information, and maintain awareness. These can cause preventable errors, accidents, and injuries–especially in high-risk situations.
The good news is that with a few changes in the light-dark cycle and sleep schedule, a person's circadian rhythm can be tailored to working a night shift. When that's accomplished, the body is naturally prepared to sleep during the day.
The most critical phase in leaving a night shift is to minimize exposure to morning light. Wear dark sunglasses before walking outside, then continue to lessen as much exposure to light as possible before first going to sleep.
The next step is to follow a consistent program of sleep. Rather than dosing throughout the day, schedule the best time to sleep as long and soundly as possible. Eventually, strict adherence to this schedule creates a new circadian rhythm that enables the body to be alert through the night and sleep during the day.
When it's challenging to sleep long enough to feel rested, get up and stay up. Do not go back to bed in an hour or so in an attempt to fall asleep again. Instead, proceed with the normal daily routine. The next morning, when home from work, be sure to go to bed on time.
Eventually, patience will prevail. After a while, the body accumulates enough sleep debt that it will welcome a good day's sleep.
