This is a term with which all shift workers should be familiar. It is from the Latin Circa-meaning about and Dies-meaning day. Circadian Rhythm is a fancy word for the medically proven fact that our bodies want to wake up and go to sleep around the same time every day. It also explains why shift workers have such a high incidence of sleep disorders. The good news is that with awareness comes an ability to influence your Circadian Rhythms and enhance your ability to obtain restful sleep.

Many of the steps you can take actually occur before you even attempt to sleep. You should avoid exercise within 4 hours of trying to sleep. You should avoid large meals and excessive fluids within 2 hours of trying to sleep which will also reduce your opportunities for reflux. A lot of people don’t realize that caffeine (while legal, is still a drug) can stay in your system for 8 hours after consumption. It is recommended that you cut out caffeine 6 hours before bedtime to improve sleep quality. Most people immediately identify coffee and energy drinks as sources of caffeine but they forget about tea, sodas, and chocolate. For a list of how much caffeine is in products you can go to www.energyfiend.com/the-caffeine-database. Coffee is also a diuretic which can lead to dehydration which can lead to fatigue. Alcohol may help you get to sleep initially but will also increase the likelihood your sleep is less restful besides you have to have 8 hours alcohol-free before working a shift.

Since we know that light and food help set our internal clock, we can use this information to improve our quality of sleep. Having a pre-sleep ritual can help prepare your mind to making a break with the stress of the day and get ready to sleep. It can be as simple as always brushing your teeth, washing your face and wearing pajamas when going to bed. Don’t read books or watch TV in bed to help your brain realize going to bed means going to sleep. Sleep in a dark, quiet room. I use blackout curtains to help achieve this. I also like a stand alone fan to provide white noise to help mask any noises emanating from the rest of the house.

Some people have found occasional use of melatonin is helpful. It must be stressed that since your body naturally produces melatonin, regular ingestion could create long term sleep issues by interfering with your body’s production. That being said, in a study of shift working nurses (Journal of Circadian Rhythms) melatonin was found to reduce the amount of time needed to fall asleep and for many improves the quality of sleep. It also must be stated that the aeromedical.org site mentions that some individuals do suffer from side effects from the “natural” supplement. Some doctors now recommend Benadryl as a long-term sleep aid (check the labels of poplar over the counter sleep aids and you will often find the generic name for Benadryl). Unfortunately this is not an option for air traffic controllers as the flight surgeon has said we need 24 hours after our last Benadryl dose and the start of our next shift.

Hopefully this will help you get a better night’s sleep.(WebMD)