Fifteen-minute consultation: problems in the healthy paediatrician – managing the effects of shift work on your health

Summary

Sleep is fundamental to good health. Healthcare professionals receive little teaching on the importance of sleep, particularly with respect to their own health when working night shifts. Knowledge of basic sleep physiology, together with simple strategies to improve core sleep and the ability to cope with working nights, can result in significant improvements both for healthcare professionals and for the patients they care for.

This article by Dr Mike Farquhar, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education & Practice, gives practical advice for night shift workers and, generally, how to improve your quality of sleep.