Stop Snoring Cures



Shift work sleep disorder affects around five million people. That’s a lot of people who are going through their day sleep deprived because their job is stopping them from getting the sleep they need. These are people employed in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, transport, nursing, hospitality and emergency services, in fact any profession that requires you to work at night and sleep during the day.

 

Why does working shifts have such a dramatic effect on our sleep? People who are awake at night and try to sleep during the day are operating outside their normal circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is operated by sunlight and is hard wired into our brains. If we leave work when the sun is rising, a signal is sent to our brain that it’s time to wake up. It doesn’t matter how many hours we’ve been awake for, the prescence or lack of melatonin will control our sleep cycles. Even if you have been a shift worker for many years, your will never really overcome this circadian rhythm disruption.

 

What are health problems associated with shift work? Lack of sleep over the long term can negatively affect our health in many ways. There is the ever present feelings of tiredness and lethargy during the day, not to mention the dangers of driving tired.Even more serious, our immune system can become depressed exposing us to more risk of diseases such as the flu.

 

What is the answer then for shift workers? There are ways of coping with this sleep disorder, but you must be organized and make sleep a priority in your life. The hardest part in sleeping during the day is light and noise. Therefore your first priority has to be your sleep environment. Ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible, use the darkest blinds or curtains for your windows. It may be necessary to move your bedroom to an isolated part of the house which is removed from the noise of other family members. If you can’t do this, at least ask you family to co-operate by keeping their noise down during the day and always use earplugs.

 

Don’t let your body wake up! Use a pair of dark sunglasses when driving home from work to block out the sunlight. Minimize your coffee intake towards the end of your shift to prevent caffeine induced wakefulness.

 

Establish a sleep routine and never break it, not even when you have a day off. Ensure your friends and family are aware of your sleep times so you are not disturbed.

 

If shift work sleep disorder is affecting your lifestyle despite the above advice, it may be advisable to give up shift work and find another job. Always make your health and wellbeing your number one priority.

 

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