Night shift friends: Ever wake up and find yourself unable to fall back asleep, even though you know you’re tired? Or find yourself unable to fall asleep in the first place, even though you’ve been awake for 20 hours? Blame it on your circadian rhythms. Yup, those internal body clocks that tell you when it’s time to rise and shine or hit the hay.
Thanks to these circadian rhythms, our bodies are programmed to follow a roughly 24-hour schedule. They help regulate everything from hormone production to body temperature and, you guessed it, sleep-wake cycles. But throw in some late-night shifts or irregular work hours, and suddenly, your body’s alarm clock goes wonky, leading to a whole heap of sleep problems.
The night shift struggle is real. It’s like your body’s saying, “Hey, I’m ready for bed,” but your work schedule responds, “Sorry, we’re just getting started!” This misalignment can mess with your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, leaving you sleep-deprived and feeling groggy.
You might be wondering how exactly circadian rhythms mess with your snooze time. Well, when you’re exposed to light at night and darkness during the day (as many shift workers are), your brain gets confused. It’s wondering, “Wait, should I be producing sleep hormones or wake-up hormones right now?!” As a result, your sleep-wake cycle gets thrown off track with your day.
But fear not, weary night shift warriors! There are ways to tame the circadian rhythm beast and reclaim your much-needed sleep. One option, if you work only one type of shift, is to stick to a consistent sleep schedule that works with those shift hours even on your day off. It might sound like a bummer, but your body will thank you. Also, consider making your sleep environment as dark as you can to help signal to your body that it’s time to catch those Zzz’s.
For people with more variable schedules, or who can’t make a consistent night schedule work for them, there’s our app, Arcashift, that we made specifically for shift workers to sleep and feel better. We use the science of circadian rhythms to generate time-specific recommendations for your normal daily activities. Making the whole task of getting your circadian rhythms back on track a breeze. According to our users, it only takes two weeks to improve your sleep and feel your best. So, why not start today?!
