What is shift work and how maintain a healthy sleep schedule
Shift work is a working schedule that falls outside the traditional 9 to 5 working hours, and it often involves evening or night shifts, early morning shifts, and rotating shifts. This type of schedule is common in sectors that require 24-hour services, such as healthcare, security, hospitality, and some production facilities. While shift work is crucial for continuous service and production, it can pose significant challenges to the health and wellbeing of workers, particularly in terms of sleep patterns and overall circadian rhythm. The human body is naturally tuned to a circadian rhythm, a roughly 24-hour cycle that governs our sleep-wake patterns, influenced by environmental cues like light and darkness. Night shift workers face the challenge of working against their natural circadian rhythms, which can lead to a condition known as Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWSD). Symptoms include insomnia when trying to sleep and excessive sleepiness while awake, and these can lead to bro...