Sleep Disorder Affecting Shift Workers
This sleep disorder is a fairly common form of sleeping problem and is known as Shift Work Sleep Disorder or SWSD. It is common among medical professionals, police officers, and fireman, or those who work the night shift. People who suffer with this, have this attributed mostly because of the change in their work schedules and their sleeping patterns. You’ll find this often in college students when they’re changing semesters and quarters when they get new schedules and can sometimes throw sleep patterns off.
If you were used to getting up early one semester and then you get to sleep late on another it can throw your sleeping patterns off, which can make you feel disoriented and confused which is the main cause for why people get up and retire late, and are late for their jobs and classes because they’re not giving themselves enough time to adjust between schedule changes. Many people need a natural sleep aid containing melatonin to regulate their sleep patterns.
This is why when a job or school schedules changes it’s ideal to give yourself adequate time to make the adjustment so that it doesn’t throw you off physically, so you’re able to wake up and retire at a reasonable time so you can make it to work and school on time.
This is why it’s not always wise to constantly change your schedule because if you do it too often you’re going to confuse you own cycles and won’t know whether you are coming or going! Your circadian rhythm is thrown out of whack. There are some people who’s jobs switch their schedules around so much that it can throw someone completely out of sync, because the hours start to get rather conflicted when they’re coming and going and not making time for other things like having a life or maintaining their priorities outside of their job and school.
Working The Night Shift
This also can happen if you’re running between more than one job and school because if you’re going to a job during the day and then doing the night shift, it can throw you off as well. People are advised to give themselves so much time between things in order to make the full transition into the new schedule or time frame so they’re not feeling overwhelmed and stressed out since stress can play a huge thing in work related insomnia. The stress comes from having to make so many drastic changes too fast and at one time.
This is why people get burned out quickly and dealing with the physical things like indigestion and other problems because they’re pushing themselves too hard and sometimes forcing themselves to do things that isn’t even normal and is considered unhealthy.
College students who are like this tending to gain or lose weight because of the stress they’re under to switch from one thing to another and not giving themselves a chance to really adjust fully to a schedule or lifestyle change. Even people who work as nurses and doctors occasionally go through this. Because hours are rather strange, and that can throw off the pattern your body has become custom to when to rise and retire and if you interfere with that, it can make you feel weird which can also affect appetite and mental focus and concentration which most people deal with the disorientation of switching things around too fast.
Treating The Sleep Disorder
A natural or herbal sleep aid may help you to keep your body relaxed when you need it to be. One with melatonin is ideal for night shift workers.
How to Deal with Shift Work Sleep Disorders
If you notice that you cannot work for the number of hours you used to, or if the toll of doing shift work is finally starting to have an effect your health, you could be experiencing shift work sleep disorder or SWSD. This complaint may mean that you are increasingly sleepy through the day but unable to sleep while fighting the urge to sleep on the job when working the night shift. Here are some things that you can do in order to treat the symptoms.
The most obvious remedy is to try to modify your work schedule to hours that are more sociable. By working at night, you are upsetting your body’s inner clock, termed the circadian rhythm, which regulates itself with the rising and setting of the sun to know when it is time to wake and sleep respectively. Shift work pushes your body into an abnormal state of working when it should be asleep and sleeping when it would normally be awake. This is the reason that you feel drowsy during the night and then are unable to drop off during the day although you are very tired. Consequently, if feasible, it is in your best interests to have a chat with your work supervisor to see if shift changes can be made.
Here are some sleep strategies for shift workers that you may like to try. If you are unable to change your working schedule, there are other actions you can take to minimize the effects on your body. When you are working, avoid drinking the likes of tea, coffee and other caffeinated beverages to keep yourself awake. Although the caffeine can work as a stimulus to some people, the effects are short lived and you will likely feel even more tired and groggy after the original buzz has worn off. Caffeine in addition dries out the respiratory tracts, which could lead to sleep apnea syndrome and snoring when you eventually try getting some shut eye. As an alternative, try to drink natural fruit juices or even plain water. In addition, ask your doctor about any natural supplements you could take while working to keep yourself alert.
Shift work sleep disorder may additionally mean that you are sleepy-eyed during the day, even if you use this time for relaxation before your shift. If you have narcolepsy, which is thought to be caused by the brains inability to adjust to normal sleep wake cycles, you may find that you are doing things without remembering, or having vivid dreams while you are not in sleep mode. Your body may also be in a slight state of paralysis when you are trying to waken, which is an indicator that shift work sleep disorder may be your problem.
Maintaining a record of your work schedules and sleep patterns is usually adequate information for your physician to make a correct diagnosis. Nevertheless, for ongoing sleep issues or if an underlying sleep disorder is suspected, you might be required to maintain a sleep diary in which you maintain a record of your sleeping habits. You should also try to keep a regular sleep schedule, even on your days off or at weekends. If you believe they may be helpful, ask your doctor about medications like Ritalin or Melotonin. It is crucial that you do not try and self diagnose your problem as it might be something more than a shift work sleep disorder.
