Shift work disorders: implications and proposed management

Economic demand has modified the temporal organization of work and established the system of shift work. The inability of the individual worker to maintain an adequate quantity and quality of sleep after a day of shift work is damaging to the physical, psychological and socio-familiar aspects of worker health. It may cause chronic fatigue and stress and increase the risk for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. The sleep disorders most often developed by routine shift work are insomnia and excessive sleepiness. These disorders have the potential to generate errors at work due to a loss of attention and promptitude during the performance of tasks, harm the productivity and quality of services and contribute to accidents and fatalities. In this short review, the main consequences of shift work as they relate to worker health and welfare and some management proposals currently being discussed in the literature are presented.