ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — When people who work a normal, day schedule are preparing for bed, those like Sergeant Rayshaun Gause with the University of Virginia Police Department are just starting their day and heading in to work.
“The community out here keeps us awake,” Gause said.
One-fifth of Americans are like Gause.
The graveyard shift has become increasingly normal. Many industries such as emergency health care and transportation depend on employees who work outside the normal nine-to-five business hours.
But working a standing or rotating night shift can affect mental and physical health. It disrupts the body’s metabolic process and circadian rhythm, which tends to coincide with the cycle of daytime and nighttime.
“I rarely sleep in the day time because when it’s nice outside, who wants to be sleep,” Gause said.
And whether you are a morning person or night owl, the overnight shift can be challenging.
“There are people who tolerate it better than others. I don’t think it’s something that we’re ever really used to. So many biological mechanisms in your body are telling you this is unnatural,” Dr. Christopher Winter, medical director at Charlottesville Neurology & Sleep Medicine, said.
These workers must combat their bodies’ natural rest period while trying to remain alert and high functioning.
This is something University of Virginia Ambassador Jared Hall knows all too well. He works eight-hour shifts from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
“You just see a lot more activity then you typically do during the day. It’s not by any means a drag when you’re constantly moving and constantly chatting,” Hall said.
As a nurse at UVA with the Blue Ridge Poison Control Center, Jennifer Horn knows how important a good night’s rest is professionally and personally.
“I make sure I have the necessary sleep for work because work is a priority for me,” Horn said.
She’s been working overnight for more than 20 years.
There are negative side effects to working overnight and the hours are inconvenient. But, many night workers can’t give up the night shift entirely.
So the question is how do they get the necessary sleep and take care of themselves?
“Eating well, getting your exercise, and protecting your sleep. It’s about setting up a schedule being disciplined about it,” Winter said.
And preparing for bed starts before overnight workers hit the pillow. He suggests wearing sunglasses or glasses that block blue light exposure.
“Light tends to be the biggest problem when an individual is done working at 6 a.m. They walk out of the building, hospital or newsroom and now they see the light getting brighter and brighter in the environment. That’s telling their brain it’s time to be awake,” Winter said.
Once it’s time to lay down, one of the most important things any overnight worker should have are blackout curtains, which simulants a nighttime environment. Sleep masks also help.
But after years of experience on the overnight shift, these workers say it’s their job keeps them going.
“It’s a job that we have to ensure the safety out there. We’re protecting and serving,” Gause said.
