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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Activity and sleeping time monitored by an accelerometer in rotating shift workers
Tomoyuki Kawada1, Takako Shimizu, Atsunaru Fujii
1Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. kawada@nms.ac.jp
Work (Reading, Mass.)
|April 17, 2008
Summary
Shift work negatively impacts sleep duration. Higher activity levels during work shifts correlate with less sleep time for rotating shift workers, affecting both morning and evening shifts.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Sleep Medicine
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Rotating shift work presents unique challenges to sleep patterns and daily activity.
- Understanding the interplay between sleep and activity is crucial for worker well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between total sleep time and activity levels in rotating shift workers.
- To compare these relationships across morning and evening work shifts.
Main Methods:
- Activity levels were monitored using wrist-worn devices in 17 rotating shift workers (ages 34-55).
- Data were collected during weekly rotating morning (6:30-15:15) and evening (15:15-24:00) shifts.
- Partial correlation coefficients were calculated, controlling for age.
Main Results:
- Total sleep time showed a significant negative correlation with activity counts before and after sleep for both morning (r=-0.42, r=-0.36) and evening shifts (r=-0.39, r=-0.32).
- Mean total sleep time was significantly lower after morning shifts (349 minutes) compared to evening shifts (382 minutes).
- Activity counts were significantly higher during morning shifts than evening shifts.
Conclusions:
- A clear negative association exists between sleep duration and activity levels (before and after sleep) in rotating shift workers.
- Morning shifts are associated with less sleep and higher activity levels compared to evening shifts.
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