Re: Swing Shift, please help. ideas?
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Re: Swing Shift, please help. ideas?

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Posted by Sandman on December 07, 2009 at 11:09:01:

In Reply to: Swing Shift, please help. ideas? posted by apearl17 on December 06, 2009 at 20:36:35:

Having a night shift that happens 4-6 weeks apart would probably mean your bodies circadian rhythm will never lock in for your shift work. So you will have to power through those weeks getting as much sleep as you can.

After coming off a week of night shifts, you should try and lock in your circadian rhy to the day schedule asap. Start by locking in you wake up time even on days you don't work and as soon as you wake up get as much bright light as you can. Ten minutes of bright sunlight would help or sitting in front of bright lights inside for a longer period of time could work. Depends on the light intensity.

Next, to get to sleep at your normal time, avoid bright light, exercise, eating meals, etc. at least 2 hours before bed. (see tips for better sleep, link on sleepnet's homepage)

If you have trouble sleeping, always get up at the same time, get bright light, and follow the same bed time routine until your circadian rhythm is back on track.

There are other strategies to lock in a circadian rhythm. Most are discussed on the insomnia forum. You may want to read discussions on the topic there. You can post a questions there if you don't see the info you are looking for.

Best wishes,
Sandman

Disclaimer, I am not an MD and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. If you feel that you need assistance with medications and/or diagnosis, you should seek medical advice from a qualified physician.

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