Unique challenges of sleeping for shift workers

Sleep Week: Catching Z's for shift workers

On today's edition of Sleep Week, we take a look at how those who work overnight and sleep during the day can get the best sleep.

TAMPA, Fla. - While her patients are resting at the Sleep Clinic at Tampa General Hospital, Respiratory Therapist Peach Dixon-Bartholomew is wide awake.

"My hours are usually 6:30 p.m. to 7 a.m.", said Dixon-Bartholomew.

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To aim for a healthy amount of sleep, she turns the day into night when she gets home.

"Blackout curtains are a must. A nice dark room. Keep it nice and cool," said Dixon-Bartholomew. "You know the things that you like, the things that make your environment more comfortable for you to sleep. I like a warm blanket, but I also like the fan spinning."

Dr. Lara Wittine, the medical director of the Sleep Lab at Adventhealth Tampa, said prioritizing good steady rest is especially important for shift workers.

"We need at least seven hours in a 24-hour period," Dr. Wittine said. "And so, as long as they are able to get that seven hours, and they feel that they're functioning fine with that, then they're getting adequate sleep." 

Wittine says shift workers can tend to be more at risk for different things like obesity or heart disease. 

"We have found that shift workers are more susceptible to having increased inflammation in their body, and that inflammation can be, a risk factor for developing things like metabolic syndrome and obesity and, heart disease, breast cancer, risks and cancer risks are higher [for] shift workers," Dr. Wittine said. "It's because they chronically have this kind of misalignment between when they're putting stresses on their body and when their own body rhythms say they need to be shut down."

Dixon-Bartholomew said consistency is key.

"In the past, if I've ever worked one day on, one day off, that just does nothing for your rhythm. So, I try to keep my days closer together. So, I have a consistent sleep pattern at least for half of the week", said Dixon-Bartholomew.

Shift workers can ask their doctors about supplements.

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"Magnesium. So, magnesium definitely does help. To help just soothe you. Calm you just before you go to bed", said Dixon-Bartholomew.

"We recommend low doses of melatonin. Like one milligram, 1.5 milligrams. I usually tell people, especially shift workers, like, almost as soon as you're coming home, take that low dose of melatonin, to start kind of anchoring your sleep schedule right from and starting that, that process in the brain to get them drowsy", said Dr. Wittine.

And it's not just a matter of health but safety.

According to AAA, drowsy driving has become a bigger problem on the roads.

"Commercial truck drivers, drivers who work the night shift or long shifts, all at a higher risk of driving drowsy. It's really difficult for folks who are on overnight shifts because you have to sleep during the day, and you just have to kind of figure out a way to make it work, whether that's, you know, taking a few naps, you know, when you can", said AAA Public Relations Manager Mark Jenkins.

Dixon-Bartholomew is managing her sleep health while helping others take care of theirs.

"I do like working overnight. At the end of the day, it is the best just for my schedule", said Dixon-Bartholomew.