Talk:Shift work sleep disorder
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[edit] Proposed merge
"Shift lag" is a synonym for "Shift work sleep disorder," which is the official term. [1]. Clayoquot Sound 01:21, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Post-merge commments
I have moved the following content to Talk, as it is unsourced and written as a how-to guide. If anyone out there has time, please rewrite as necessary, cite sources, and expand the article Kla'quot 06:51, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Cause of Shift Lag
Interruption of the Circadian rhythm, the "internal body clock" that regulates Sleeping and Feeding patterns, results in Sleep Deprivation, Poor Diet and associated emotional and physical health issues. Hormone production is also adversely affected.
[edit] Shift Lag Symptoms
Symptoms of Shift Lag can include any or all of the following:
- Irritability/Moodiness
- Mood Swings
- Loss of patience
- Defenciveness
- Loss of sex drive (due to decreased Testosterone production)
- Addiction to Sleeping Pills (and the related health issues of such an addiction)
- Sensitivity (both Mental/Emotional and Physical)
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Forgetfulness
- (Gastro-)Intestinal/Rectal problems such as Constipation. Most likely attributable to the effect that Shift Work can have on a person's diet
- Dehydration
While not a symptom, a concerning side effect of regular Shift lag is an increase in risk of Cardiovascular Disease.
[edit] Dealing with Shift Lag
The best way to deal with Shift Lag is to avoid it if at all possible; Prevention is better than the cure. If you cannot avoid the Shift work that is causing your Shift Lag, there are a number of techniques and products to help you cater with and recover from Shift Lag.
One popular method for getting over Shift Lag is to stay awake as long as possible on the day following a night shift, the idea being that you exhaust yourself by the following evening and resume your sleeping pattern as close to normal as possible.
Another popular method is to take a Power nap at work between 2am and 4am, to coincide with the Circadian Rhythm's 3am "reset." This reportedly eases the after effects of Shift lag by basically tricking your body into thinking that you were in a normal sleeping state during the Circadian reset. This is, however, anecdotal and speculative.
Script and Non-Script sleeping medications may also help with short term Shift Lag, but is not advisable for career shift workers, as sleeping medications can be addictive, and potentially dangerous - overdosing can be fatal.
In some countries there is a product available called "No Sleep Lag" which can reportedly help with the affects of Sleep lag.
Exercise can help ease the symptoms, however it is difficult to motivate someone with shift lag into exercise.
