DARIEN, Ill. – Night shift workers classified as alert insomniacs have the highest level of impairment and lowest work productivity when compared to those who are simply sleepy, a study has shown.
Also found is that distinguishing between fatigue and sleepiness is important clinically because alert insomniacs reported significantly greater fatigue than sleepy insomniacs.
The findings are published in the April edition of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
A condition called “shift work disorder” is associated with a recurring work schedule such as night shifts or rotating shifts that overlap normal sleep times, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
This can result in serious safety hazards at work and while commuting to and from work.
The study was done at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and involved 34 permanent night workers, 26 of whom were diagnosed with shift work disorder.
The study was done in an overnight lab protocol where participants stayed awake for 25 hours in a dimly lit, private room.
Data was taken through an EEG cap that measured brain activity. Participants also were given questionnaires to evaluate sleepiness, insomnia severity and work productivity.
The study concluded that impairments found in alert insomniacs have practical and serious consequences for workplace safety and occupational health. They recommend aggressive treatment of insomniac night shift workers to improve work productivity and safety.