Light Therapy

Reverse Shift-Work Fatigue

The industrial revolution completely changed our work habits. With the advent of electricity, suddenly factories could produce 24/7. The day was parceled into shifts, and those who found themselves working the graveyard shift had to deal with fatigue and sleeplessness as the body was torn between “work hours” and “daylight hours.”

In spite of great improvements in working conditions since the early days of the industrial revolution, shift work fatigue still afflicts thousands. The unhealthy symptoms and deleterious consequences of shift work can be traced back to a conflict between workers’ work/sleep schedule and their natural circadian rhythms. When the body works in a rhythm that contradicts its natural inclinations (being at high productivity at a time the natural rhythms necessitate sleep) it takes its toll on the system.

Answers from Space?

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is leading the way in shift work treatments, conducting experiments using exposure to bright light to help adjust the circadian rhythms of night shift workers. Timed exposure to high intensity artificial light at night, coupled with daytime dark periods can help smooth the mismatch between work requirements and the natural 24 daytime/nighttime cycle.

How Much of A Problem Is It?

Nearly one in five Americans with full-time jobs –works off peak-time hours. This involves over 15.2 million Americans. Some regularly work evenings or nights, others are required to work rotating schedules, jumping back and forth between the day and night shifts on a weekly or monthly basis.

When night shifts are timed so that workers travel home during daylight hours, it causes further stress on the system. Scientific researcher Moore-Ede has also identified something he calls “Shift Maladaptation Syndrome.” He believes that those in their fifties, the “baby boomer” generation, are experiencing a declining ability to handle the toll of shift work. They adapt less quickly and are less able to cope under the stress of circadian misalignment.

Treatments to Prevent Shift Work Fatigue

There are several treatments that can alleviate shift work stress. The most innocuous and gentle is light therapy. It is possible to trick the body into thinking that day is night, and night is day, with appropriately timed doses of high LUX light.

Light treatments help shift workers sleep at consistent times so that the body experiences some consistency. It can also help to light proof the bedroom, so that the body can get its full allotment of rest even in the middle of the day.

Charmane Eastman, PhD, director of the Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory at Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke's Medical Center in Chicago has found that bright light improves sleep and alertness in night-shift workers. Workers can do light therapy either at home to prepare for a shift change, or in the workplace after the change.

Eastman and colleague Stacia Martin worked with exposure to high-intensity (~5700 LUX), medium-intensity (~1200 LUX) and low-intensity light (<250 LUX) in their work with people on night shifts. They found that high- and medium-intensity light were effective in stimulating circadian rhythm adaptation. Medium-intensity light may be preferable to many people as it is less offensive to the eye than high-intensity light but is still effective.

Our changing workforce will continue to require all kinds of shift work. The more we can learn to care for our bodies, using the natural healing and synchronizing effects of light, the more stress we can eliminate, the more productive we’ll be, and the happier we’ll be.

Shift-Work Advisor

Are you experiencing the effects of shift work time changes? Are you fatigued, suffering from restless sleep, or low energy? This questionnaire, based on research by some of the leading medical and scientific researchers, helps you evaluate your sleep cycle, and isolate any abnormalities or inconsistencies in your sleep patterns that that may be able to be adjusted by natural light therapy.

Click here to access the Shift Work Advisor. You can print this out and bring the results to your doctor. If you have any serious or recurring conditions that may require medical treatment, consult a licensed physician.