Expectation of a loud alarm is not associated with changes in on-call sleep in the laboratory

Anecdotally, people report disturbed sleep when ‘on-call’ and field data suggest that being on-call, even if ‘undisturbed’, may result in sleep disturbance. We investigated changes to sleep when expecting a loud, oncall alarm as compared to sleep when not expecting an alarm. Healthy males (n = 16) aged 24.6 ± 4.0 years took part in a simulated on-call scenario involving two conditions; Control and on-call. Prior to the Control sleep, participants were told that they would not be woken during the night, prior to the on-call sleep, participants were told to expect a loud alarm during the night, following which they were to complete 2 h of testing. Sleep was measured using a standard 5-channel polysomnograhic (PSG) montage. Sleep diaries were used to compare subjective variables; pre- and post-sleep sleepiness and sleep quality. There was no significant difference between the two nights for any of the PSG variables, except for REM where there was a nonsignificant trend (p = .051) with 8 min more REM on the on-call night. Participants were significantly sleepier following the on-call night, likely due to the earlier wake time (p.01). These results question whether simply being oncall is disruptive to sleep or whether disruption is connected to other factors such as likelihood of being called, worry about missing the call and/or the events that follow

The impact of on-call work for partners’ sleep, relationship quality and daytime functioning

The on-call schedule is a common work arrangement that allows for the continuance of services during periods of low demand or emergencies. Even though 17%–25% of the world’s population participate in on-call work, the human impacts of on-call are generally poorly described in the literature. Of the studies available on the effects of on-call work on workers, disturbances to sleep duration and sleep quality are the most commonly reported, along with negative sleep-related consequences on sleepiness, fatigue, stress and mood. Research has shown that for couples sharing a bed, disturbances to sleep can impair relationship conflict resolution and reduce relationship quality. In the ‘off-site’ on-call scenario where workers are sleeping at home, their co-sleeping partner may be at risk of sleep disturbances and the subsequent detrimental consequences of this disturbed sleep for themselves and their relationship. To date, few studies have investigated the impact of on-call work for partners’ sleep and the potential sleep-related consequences. Therefore, further studies are needed to specifically address whether on-call work impacts the sleep of partners and whether these sleep disturbances also impact the partner’s daily performance and relationship quality. Our aim was to provide a narrative around the existing, relevant literature that both investigate and inform the potential impact of on-call for workers’ partners’ sleep and related consequences

No rest for the women: Understanding the impact of on-call work for women in the emergency services

Background The unpredictable, ‘on-call’ component of the Emergency Services (ES) may be difficult to navigate in the context of domestic and work responsibilities, and especially difficult for women, given they tend to take on a greater household burden than do men. Our aim was to understand women’s experiences in the ES, particularly the impact of being on-call and related coping strategies. Methods Twenty-four women were recruited from two ES agencies in Australia. Participation involved a brief questionnaire and a 45-60 minute interview. Interviews were recorded, and audio files transcribed before analysis using nVIVO software. Results Interview data identified two major themes: impact and management. Women talked about the impact of on-call for themselves (e.g. disturbed? sleep, fatigue and the relentlessness of the role) but also discussed the, largely negative, impact for their family/household. In terms of management, support (family, social, work) and planning and preparation were identified as important in helping women manage their multiple roles in the context of on-call unpredictability. Conclusion The negative impacts of on-call work on women’s sleep supports existing quantitative and qualitative data in the broader on-call area. For those women with children, managing their care presents one of the biggest challenges to being able to manage the on-call component of their work. Future research should to focus on quantifying the impact of on-call for both men and women, particularly the ‘relentlessness’ of the work identified in this study and whether this toll changes based on other factors such as experience, role or gender

Sleep hygiene in shiftworkers: A systematic review

In response to demand for the ‘24/7’ availability of services, shift work has become increasingly common. Given their non-traditional working hours, shift workers sleep at non-traditional times, and as such, significant research has been undertaken to understand the sleep of this population. However, sleep hygiene in shift workers has been paid little research attention. Sleep hygiene describes a range of behaviours, lifestyle, and environmental factors that can optimise sleep quantity and quality. In order to investigate the ways in which shift workers engage with sleep hygiene, a systematic review using the databases Sage, ScienceDirect, and Scopus was undertaken. The search terms utilised were: shift work, shiftwork, shift-work, sleep hygiene, sleep routine, and sleep habit. Sixteen studies were included for review. Findings show that shift workers frequently report caffeine consumption and daytime napping, contrary to recommendations. Shift workers also commonly altered their bedroom environment to optimise sleep. Diet, exercise, alcohol and nicotine consumption were investigated minimally from a sleep hygiene perspective. Future research should aim to comprehensively investigate sleep hygiene in shift working populations, assess the applicability of current sleep hygiene guidelines to shit workers, consider the development of shift work-specific sleep hygiene guidelines, and direct the development of sleep hygiene interventions for this sleep-vulnerable population

Groggy, dazed and confused: The impact of anticipating an important task when on-call on sleep inertia

Introduction: On-call scheduling is used in occupations to respond to emergency situations and results in workers’ obtaining reduced sleep. Reduced sleep can increase the magnitude and duration of sleep inertia, the hypo-vigilant state experienced upon waking, resulting in impairments to cognitive performance. This study investigated how anticipation of performing an important task, upon waking, impacts performance when on-call

Sleeping at work : not all about location, location, location

Working arrangements in industries that use non-standard hours sometimes necessitate an‘onsite’ workforce where workers sleep in accommodation within or adjacent to the workplace. Of particular relevance to these workers is the widely held (and largely anecdotal) assumption that sleep at home is better than sleep away, particularly when away for work. This narrative review explores the idea that sleep outcomes in these unique work situations are the product of an interaction between numerous factors including timing and duration of breaks, commute length, sleeping environment (noise, movement, vibration, light), circadian phase, demographic factors and familiarity with the sleep location.Based on the data presented in this review, it is our contention that the location of sleep, whilst important, is secondary to other factors such as the timing and duration of sleep periods. We suggest that future research should include measures that allow conceptualisation of other critical factors such as familiarity with the sleeping environment

On-call work: To sleep or not to sleep?: It depends

On-call working time arrangements are increasingly common, involve work only in the event of an unpredictable incident and exist primarily outside of standard hours. Like other non-standard working time arrangements, on-call work disrupts sleep and can therefore have negative effects on health, safety and performance. Unlike other non-standard working time arrangements, on-call work often allows sleep opportunities between calls. Any sleep obtained during on-call periods will be beneficial for waking performance. However, there is evidence that sleep while on call may be of substantially reduced restorative value because of the expectation of receiving the call and apprehension about missing the call. In turn, waking from sleep to respond to a call may be associated with temporary increases in performance impairment. This is dependent on characteristics of both the preceding sleep, the tasks required upon waking and the availability and utility of any countermeasures to support the transition from sleep to wake. In this paper, we critically evaluate the evidence both for and against sleeping during on-call periods and conclude that some sleep, even if it is of reduced quality and broken by repeated calls, is a good strategy. We also note, however, that organisations utilising on-call working time arrangements need to systematically manage the likelihood that on-call sleep can be associated with temporary performance impairments upon waking. Given that the majority of work in this area has been laboratory-based, there is a significant need for field-based investigations of the magnitude of sleep inertia, in addition to the utility of sleep inertia countermeasures. Field studies should include working with subject matter experts to identify the real-world impacts of changes in performance associated with sleeping, or not sleeping, whilst on call

The cost of inadequate sleep among on-call workers in Australia: A workplace perspective

On-call or stand-by is becoming an increasingly prevalent form of work scheduling. However, on-call arrangements are typically utilised when workloads are low, for example at night, which can result in inadequate sleep. It is a matter of concern that on-call work is associated with an increased risk of workplace injury. This study sought to determine the economic cost of injury due to inadequate sleep in Australian on-call workers. The prevalence of inadequate sleep among on-call workers was determined using an online survey, and economic costs were estimated using a previously validated costing methodology. Two-thirds of the sample (66%) reported obtaining inadequate sleep on weekdays (work days) and over 80% reported inadequate sleep while on-call. The resulting cost of injury is estimated at $2.25 billion per year ($1.71–2.73 billion). This equates to $1222 per person per incident involving a short-term absence from work;$2.53 million per incident classified as full incapacity, and $1.78 million for each fatality. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to quantify the economic cost of workplace injury due to inadequate sleep in on-call workers. Well-rested employees are critical to safe and productive workplace operations. Therefore, it is in the interest of both employers and governments to prioritise and invest far more into the management of inadequate sleep in industries which utilise on-call work arrangements. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Breaking up sitting with light-intensity physical activity: Implications for shift-workers

Prolonged sitting, restricted sleep, and circadian disruption are all independent risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Previous research has demonstrated that breaking up sitting with light-intensity physical activity has clear benefits for the health of day workers, but these findings may not apply in the presence of sleep restriction and/or circadian disruption—both of which are commonly experienced by shift-workers. Specifically, sleep restriction, and circadian disruption result in acute physiological changes that may offset the benefits of breaking up sitting. This commentary will explore the potential benefits of breaking up sitting for health, work performance, and subsequent sleep in shift-workers. Future areas of research designed to understand the mechanisms by which prolonged sitting and shift work impact worker health and safety and to support the design of effective occupational health and safety interventions are proposed. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

More than hours of work: Fatigue management during high-intensity maritime operations

Objectives: This study examines the impacts of peak summer demand on operator workload and fatigue in a maritime environment. Methods: Participants (n = 12) were senior shipboard personnel who were working during the summer “double sailing” period for a roll-on roll-off ferry service. Wrist actigraphy was used to determine sleep opportunity and sleep duration, as well as prior sleep, total wake time, performance and alertness at the beginning and end of work periods. Results: Contrary to expectations, sleep was significantly greater, and both subjective estimates of fatigue and objective neurobehavioral performance were not impacted negatively by periods of increased work intensity. Conclusions: This study highlights a number of features of a fatigue-risk management system that appear to have been instrumental in ensuring adequate sleep and performance was maintained throughout periods of increased operational intensity. As a simple colloquial description of the fatigue-risk management system at play in this operation, it was fine to “work hard” if you were able to “sleep hard” as well. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC