ArticleNature and science of sleep2012
Shift work: health, performance and safety problems, traditional countermeasures, and innovative management strategies to reduce circadian misalignment.
Article in Nature and science of sleep, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Disrupted Rhythms, Disrupted Microbes: A Systematic Review of Shift Work and Gut Microbiota Alterations.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Systematic review of drugs that modify the circadian system's phase-shifting responses to light exposure.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- An Official American Thoracic Society Statement: The Importance of Healthy Sleep. Recommendations and Future Priorities.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2015Guideline
- The effect of a self-help book for shift work disorder - a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Light therapy in medicine: where do we stand?Annals of translational medicine · 2026Review
- A latent profile analysis of health characteristics in relation to sleep among female sex workers in entertainment venues in Wuhan, China.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Associated factors and a risk prediction model for comorbid circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: implications for early screening and sleep health management.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Sleep-inducing algorithms: can artificial intelligence help shiftworkers and those working nonstandard hours sleep better?Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society · 2026Article
- Estimation of the Circadian Phase Difference in Weekend Sleep and Further Evidence for Our Failure to Sleep More on Weekends to Catch Up on Lost Sleep.Clocks & sleep · 2025Article
- Changes in sleep timing and duration during and after rotating shifts can be explained without the assumptions of the shifts of the circadian phase of sleep and loss of its circadian control.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2025Article
- Are humans facing a sleep epidemic or enlightenment? Large-scale, industrial societies exhibit long, efficient sleep yet weak circadian function.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Weekday-Weekend Shifts of Light/Dark Regimen Extend Sleep and Lifespan ofNature and science of sleep · 2025Article
- Can the Sun Prevent Weekend Sleep Advance After Early Weekday Wakeups?Nature and science of sleep · 2025Article
- Personal light treatment devices: a countermeasure to improve sleep, fatigue, and circadian misalignment in an operational setting.Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society · 2025Article
- Effects of night-float shifts on cognitive function among radiology residents.Emergency radiology · 2024Article
- Article
- Impact of sleep-wake features on fatigue among female shift work nurses.Annals of medicine · 2023Article
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
There are three mechanisms that may contribute to the health, performance, and safety problems associated with night-shift work: (1) circadian misalignment between the internal circadian clock and activities such as work, sleep, and eating, (2) chronic, partial sleep deprivation, and (3) melatonin suppression by light at night. The typical countermeasures, such as caffeine, naps, and melatonin (for its sleep-promoting effect), along with education about sleep and circadian rhythms, are the components of most fatigue risk-management plans. We contend that these, while better than nothing, are not enough because they do not address the underlying cause of the problems, which is circadian misalignment. We explain how to reset (phase-shift) the circadian clock to partially align with the night-work, day-sleep schedule, and thus reduce circadian misalignment while preserving sleep and functioning on days off. This involves controlling light and dark using outdoor light exposure, sunglasses, sleep in the dark, and a little bright light during night work. We present a diagram of a sleep-and-light schedule to reduce circadian misalignment in permanent night work, or a rotation between evenings and nights, and give practical advice on how to implement this type of plan.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.