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Physiological Adaptation of Shift Workers.

PB89227870

Publication Date	1976
Personal Author	Weitzman, E. D.
Page Count	50
Abstract	Health workers in a large municipal hospital participated in the study to define the mode of adaptation of several important physiological measures to acute and chronic sleep/wake cycle shifts in shift workers. The study was divided into two parts: an acute shift work reversal protocol and a more chronic reversal group. A total of nine subjects (eight nurses and one intern) participated. Polygraphic sleep stage patterns, plasma cortisol, body temperature curves, and growth hormones were sampled over several selected 24-hour periods. The findings suggest that a significant and persistent decrement of sleep amount, organization and stability occur when hospital workers assume a night shift schedule. The major effect was a decrease in total sleep time, an increase in sleep stage shifts, and decreases in the minutes spent in both rapid eye movement (REM) and Stages 3 and 4 of sleep. However, the percentage of the sleep occupied by REM, Stage 2 and Stage 3 remained rather constant. Changes in cortisol indicated that the circadian rhythm of secretion was clearly changed during the night work schedule although no mean concentration differences were noted. Following sleep onset there was a consistent decrease in the cortisol concentration, independent of the time of day.
Keywords	Adaptation Stress(Physiology) Sleep Circadian rhythms Rapid eye movement Fatigue tests Personnel Environments Work time standards Cortisol
Source Agency	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NTIS Subject Category	57W - Stress Physiology 57S - Physiology 44M - Health Resources
Corporate Authors	Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, NY. Dept. of Neurology.; National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Summary progress rept. 1 Jul 74-31 Dec 76.
NTIS Issue Number	198924

Physiological Adaptation of Shift Workers.

Physiological Adaptation of Shift Workers.
PB89227870

Publication Date	1976
Personal Author	Weitzman, E. D.
Page Count	50
Abstract	Health workers in a large municipal hospital participated in the study to define the mode of adaptation of several important physiological measures to acute and chronic sleep/wake cycle shifts in shift workers. The study was divided into two parts: an acute shift work reversal protocol and a more chronic reversal group. A total of nine subjects (eight nurses and one intern) participated. Polygraphic sleep stage patterns, plasma cortisol, body temperature curves, and growth hormones were sampled over several selected 24-hour periods. The findings suggest that a significant and persistent decrement of sleep amount, organization and stability occur when hospital workers assume a night shift schedule. The major effect was a decrease in total sleep time, an increase in sleep stage shifts, and decreases in the minutes spent in both rapid eye movement (REM) and Stages 3 and 4 of sleep. However, the percentage of the sleep occupied by REM, Stage 2 and Stage 3 remained rather constant. Changes in cortisol indicated that the circadian rhythm of secretion was clearly changed during the night work schedule although no mean concentration differences were noted. Following sleep onset there was a consistent decrease in the cortisol concentration, independent of the time of day.
Keywords	Adaptation Stress(Physiology) Sleep Circadian rhythms Rapid eye movement Fatigue tests Personnel Environments Work time standards Cortisol
Source Agency	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
NTIS Subject Category	57W - Stress Physiology 57S - Physiology 44M - Health Resources
Corporate Authors	Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, NY. Dept. of Neurology.; National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Summary progress rept. 1 Jul 74-31 Dec 76.
NTIS Issue Number	198924