Short rest periods between shifts linked to shift work disorder

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Short rest periods between shifts linked to shift work disorder

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nurses who often return to work with less than 11 hours between shifts are at higher risk of sleep problems and severe fatigue than others, according to a new study. Shift work disorder, a combination of difficulty sleeping and excessive sleepiness while awake, is known to affect night workers, but there’s been little research on people who rest less than 12 hours before returning to work for another shift at any time of day, researchers say. “For now, all we know is that quick returns represents a possible work related health risk, and that getting enough hours between work shifts should be an aim when scheduling work hours,” said the lead author of the new study, Dr. Elisabeth Flo of the University of Bergen in Norway. If quick returns impede sleep time and lead to sleep deprivation, they may be linked to the health issues typically associated with shift work, like increased accident risk, sleep disorders, cancer, metabolic disturbances, peptic ulcer disease and coronary heart disease, she told Reuters Health by email.

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