Interesting article. I worked night shifts for nearly 20 years, at the end of which time my whole internal clock was out of whack. I ended up sleeping in stages consisting of four hours’ sleep, three hours’ waking and another three hours’ sleep. My most productive time is the three hours between sleeps, although admittedly it takes me more than half an hour to get my equilibrium right following the first awakening.
While in the Army we worked swing shifts. 6 days on, 2 days off on days, then 6 days on and 2 days off on afternoons, then 6 days on and 3 days off on midnights......
I can't say that I had any problem with it, it was just something we had to accept.
***Interesting article. I worked night shifts for nearly 20 years,***
I worked an 8 hour rotating shift for about ten years. Midnights, evenings, days. Four days off between. Talk about messing you up!
Then we went to an 8 hour forward rotation for about 15 years. Midnights, days, evenings. Much better as that was in sync with our body clocks.
Then the fools voted to have a 12 hour day rotating. 4 midnights, 1 1/2 days off, then 3 days. Then three days off, and 3 midnights, 1 1/2 days off, and 4 day shifts, 6AM to 6PM.
Thought I was gonna die! Finally I had to retire or or fall over dead as I kept falling asleep at work in a very stressful job.
The fools wanted the 12 hour rotating shift as it gave them about 20 days off in a row. The problem was so many people were calling in sick that no one ever got 20 days off.
I’ve always been nocturnal from the time I was a toddler. Over the years I worked both night shift/day shift at different times and ALWAYS was more productive/creative at 3 am rather than 3 pm. I really don’t get tired until the sun rises. Then I sleep erratically for the rest of the ‘night’.
Sounds weird, bit for me that’s ‘normal’. Or I’m a vampire and just haven’t realized it yet.