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Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWSD)

© James Foster Robinson

As a security officer I have worked rotating shifts for years. I have never been able to adjust to it and found that I was tired all the time. Several years ago I was diagnosed with Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea and prescribed a CPAP Machine. Using this machine to help me breath at night has changed my life and enabled me to continue to work. However, I still feel tired, not as much now but still enough to know something is still wrong. The answer is that I may also suffer from SWSD or Shift Work Sleep Disorder as I still doing shift work.

But what is SWSD? It is a sleep disorder resulting from a constant or recurring disruption of your normal sleep patterns. Our bodies are usually adjusted to a natural circadian rhythm in which we sleep at night and are awake during the day. Anyone working nontraditional hours or shift such as 4 pm to midnight or midnight to 8 am are very likely to suffer from SWSD.

In the United States it is estimated that of the nearly twenty million people who work some form of shift work, 25 percent suffer from SWSD. It is even worse for those who rotate through various shifts. Many shift workers find it hard to adjust or do not adjust at all.

Symptoms include insomnia, excessive sleepiness, no energy, frequent headaches and having difficulty concentrating. If you have any of these symptoms, discuss them with your doctor. Non-treatment could lead to more accidents and sickness as well as irritability, impatience, anxiety, and depression. Ask your doctor for information on treatments. It is not wise to take any drug or over the counter medicine to help you sleep without first checking with your physician.

There are some things that you can do to help you sleep better when you do work shift work. Try not to work rotating shifts such as 4 pm to 12 pm then 8 am to 4 pm then 12 am to 8 am. Your body can not even begin to adjust. Work the same night shift regularly is better as your body has time to adjust. You can also prepare yourself to sleep better even if it is during the day. To keep the daylight from activating your internal clock, try wearing wrap-around dark glasses on the way home from work. Develop a ritual for going to bed and stick to a regular schedule seven days a week. Hit sack as soon as you can after getting home from work. Discuss the problem with your family and set up a quiet time so you can sleep in peace. They should try to avoid all unnecessary noise at this time.

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