Evaluating the quality and duration of sleep using actigraphy in petroleum industry shift workers

Increased use of shift work has led to more and more people working outside a traditional daytime schedule. Currently, approximately 20% of the labor force in developed countries is shift workers. Shift work can have devastating effects on employees' quality of life and sleep, leading to negative consequences for individuals and their families. This study evaluates the effect of different shift schedules (seven days/seven nights, fixed-day or fixed-night, and stand-by shift) on the sleep of oil rig shift workers.

In this cross-sectional study, 43 offshore workers from the National Iranian Drilling Company were enrolled. Subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire package consisting of the Epworth Sleepiness scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Changes in sleep patterns were measured using actigraphy for different shift schedules.

The mean age of the participants was 35.9 ± 7.9 years and the mean tenure with the drilling company was 10 ± 6.8 years. The mean total sleep time was 353 ± 58 min. The seven day/seven night shift workers had less total sleep time than the other three groups of shift workers. The mean PSQI and Epworth Sleepiness scale scores were 6.77 ± 3.1 and 7.49 ± 4.3, respectively. Twelve shift workers (27%) were diagnosed with shift work disorder in the current study and 31 participants had poor sleep quality according to PSQI score (≥5).

Poor sleep quality is common in oil rig shift workers. Further research is needed to evaluate sleep problems in oil rig shift workers.