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Related Experiment Videos

Recovery from work shifts: how long does it take?

P Totterdell1, E Spelten, L Smith

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.

The Journal of Applied Psychology
|February 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Shift work negatively impacts nurse recovery, with alertness and performance declining after night shifts. Optimal rest scheduling is crucial for mitigating fatigue and improving well-being in healthcare professionals.

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Area of Science:

  • Occupational Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Human Factors Engineering

Background:

  • Work hour regulations often mandate rest periods, but empirical data on work recovery is limited.
  • Shift work, particularly night shifts, presents unique challenges for worker adaptation and recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of shift work on recovery patterns in nurses.
  • To examine the relationship between rest day scheduling and physiological/cognitive outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty-one shift-working nurses participated over 28 days.
  • Utilized handheld computers for self-ratings, cognitive tasks, and sleep diaries.
  • Monitored performance and well-being metrics across work and rest days.

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Main Results:

  • Performance and well-being measures were poorer on rest days following night shifts compared to day shifts.
  • Alertness was lowest on the first rest day after a night shift.
  • Recovery over rest days was less effective after night shifts than day shifts, with reaction times worsening over consecutive night shifts.

Conclusions:

  • Findings suggest significant adaptive costs associated with fatigue and circadian rhythm disruption from night shifts.
  • The scheduling of rest days is critical for effective recovery in shift workers.
  • Implications for optimizing shift schedules to enhance nurse recovery and reduce fatigue are discussed.