Is your job starting time making you tired?
New research conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has found that the time at which you report to work may have a significant impact on the hours and the quality of sleep you get as well as on-the-job fatigue.
The research found that reporting for duty between 9.00am and 2.00pm was not a problem for achieving optimal sleep but reporting to work between 8.00pm and midnight created the most problems for sleep duration and fatigue. The maximum fatigue occurred when shifts began at 11.00pm and there was also less fatigue than expected for shifts starting after midnight as compared with before midnight.
They suggest that work shifts that begin after midnight allow workers to sleep right until their duty so they were able to start work rested. However, workers who commenced work between 8.00pm and midnight may not be able to get restorative sleep prior to going to work because the shift is too early in their own biological clock or circadian rhythm.
The results suggest the time you are required to show up for work may be as important as how many hours you spend on the shift. Employers may want to consider work schedules that maximise sleep and on-the-job alertness which, in turn, could maximise job performance and productivity.