How is the sleep of nurses affected by rotating shift work?

Abstract

Nursing is a profession in which rotating shift work is common. Consecutive shifts and the rotation between evening, morning and night shifts have been studied to have an impact on the sleep of nurses. Sleep may be poorer, shorter and disturbed when working patternless shifts as the circadian rhythm of each individual is different. The study focuses on rotating shift work and its impacts on sleep. The aim of the study is to find out how rotating shift work affects sleep in nurses that work rotating shifts. The study’s purpose is to provide further information about shift work that could be used in developing the occupational well-being of nurses. The study was implemented as a literature review. Articles used in the work have been gathered from online databases and journals from the area of the study. The results of the study indicate that certain shift patterns and rotations have a negative impact on the sleep of nurses who work these shifts. Rotating shift work has led to insufficient sleep, poor sleep and fatigue in nurses, hence possibly affecting work performance and health of nurses.