The effects of the number of consecutive night shifts on sleep duration and quality

Feb 15, 2020Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health

How working several night shifts in a row affects sleep length and quality

AI simplified

Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Participants experienced shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality after night shifts compared to recovery days.

Sleep duration (including naps) was notably shorter after night shifts.
Premature awakening and non-refreshing sleep were more common following night shifts.
Difficulty falling asleep decreased after night shifts compared to recovery days.
No improvement in sleep duration or quality was observed with an increasing number of consecutive night shifts.
The poorest sleep quality occurred after the last shift in a series of consecutive night shifts.

AI simplified

Objectives The organization of night shift work affects sleep duration and quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the number of consecutive night shifts on sleep duration and quality among police officers with night shift work as part of their normal schedule. Methods This quasi-experimental, within-subject crossover study included 73 police officers. All participants performed three work schedules: two, four and seven consecutive night shifts followed by the same number of recovery days, ie, day work or days off (2+2, 4+4, and 7+7). Sleep assessed through sleep diaries and actigraphy after all night shifts and recovery days (totaling 26 days) was compared by use of repeated measures analysis. Results Participants experienced shorter sleep duration (with and without naps), more premature awakening, less difficulty falling asleep, and more non-refreshing sleep after night shifts compared with recovery days. Sleep duration and quality did not change with increasing number of consecutive night shifts. Sleep was shorter and of poorer quality after the last night shift in the 2+2 and 4+4 work schedule compared with the second and fourth night shift, respectively, in the 7+7 schedule. Conclusion Sleep duration was reduced after night shift work and did not increase with more consecutive night shifts, which leads to accumulated sleep debt. Sleep duration was shortest and sleep quality was poorest after the last night shift in a series of night shifts.

Full Text

We can’t show the full text here under this license. Use the link below to read it at the source.

View on DOI ↗View on PubMed ↗

The effects of the number of consecutive night shifts on sleep duration and quality

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief