Abstract
Good sleep is advantageous to the quality of life. Sleep-related benefits are particularly helpful for the working class, since poor or inadequate amounts of sleep degrade work productivity and overall health. This review paper explores the essential role of sleep in healthy work schedules and primarily focuses on the timing of sleep in relation to the work period (that is, before, during and after work). Data from laboratory, field and modeling studies indicate that consistent amounts of sleep prior to work are fundamental to improved performance and alertness in the workplace. In addition, planned naps taken during work maintain appropriate levels of waking function for both daytime and night-time work. Clearly, sufficient sleep after work is vital in promoting recovery from fatigue. Recent data also suggest that the time interval between shifts should be adjusted according to the biological timing of sleep. Although sleep is more likely to be replaced by job and other activities in the real life, research shows that it is worthwhile to revise the work schedules in order to optimize sleep before, sometime during and after the work period. Therefore, we suggest establishing work-sleep balance, similar to work-life balance, as a principle for designing and improving work schedules.
Highlights
Advances in sleep research have produced a considerable amount of data regarding the role of sleep in all areas of life, including the workforce
Sleep duration in the 24-hour period prior to driving. These findings suggest that banking extra sleep may be an effective coping strategy to ensure work performance and to improve the recovery when one anticipates a period of by chronic sleep deprivation
A long interval from a shift to the shift is required. This feature may be critical to recovery, as sleep and health indicators have improved with the change from a fast, forward-rotating three-shift schedule to a slow, backward-rotating schedule with intermediate days off between shifts [50]
Summary
Advances in sleep research have produced a considerable amount of data regarding the role of sleep in all areas of life, including the workforce. Achieving adequate amounts of sleep prior to work is a key factor contributing to productivity In this context, the prior sleep wake model proposed by Dawson and McCulloch provides a simple, yet effective framework [13]. Data among train industry employees (for example, train drivers, controllers and guards) showed that extreme tiredness or exhaustion was significantly associated with sleep duration 24 hours prior to work, shift length, night shifts and workload, and that such symptoms were assumed to be reduced by 12% if the sleep was increased by one hour during that 24-hour period [15]. Poor operational performance and increased errors were significantly associated with less than 6 hours of sleep in the 24 hours prior to work [16]. The aforementioned sleep extension facilitated recovery in performance and alertness following sleep restriction
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