According
to one study, officers who have spent entire careers working nights and alternating shifts are at particular risk. As the
officer gets older and continues shift work, there is evidence that the cardiovascular system is adversely affected. Additional
research indicates that officers who work nights tend to get less sleep than those on conventional shifts. Some get as little
as four hours sleep per day. Studies conclude that increasing age, coupled with sleep deprivation, poses a high risk for early
development of coronary heart disease. Recent research by the World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that shift work
is a “possible” carcinogen, that is, it may be a factor in cancer.
Other studies
have emphasized the effects of shift work. A study of air traffic controllers who normally worked 10-hour night
shifts showed a marked decline in performance after six hours on the job. A Federal
Transportation study found that truckers are three times as likely to have accidents after 10 hours of night driving as after
four hours.
Research
has found that people deprived of normal sleeping patterns can actually fall into “microsleep” for a few seconds
and be unaware that they aren’t performing the task before them. Research by the National Institutes of Health suggests
that disruption of biological sleep rhythms is associated with such disorders as depression and neurosis.
There are
psychological and social problems associated with shift work as well. Perhaps the basic psychological problem stems from continual
change. Changes in daily routine call for psychological “synchronization” of one’s self—how one views
himself in relation to the rest of the world. This view must change as shifts change. Equally important is the effect of change
on the officer’s social network—his family. They, like the officer,
must accept an altered view of relationships that accompany change.
Police officers
who work nights may deprive themselves of sleep just to integrate into the family: they want to be awake and active when their
wives and children are up. This activity leaves he night shift officer more fatigued than his counterpart on the day shift.
In addition, the officers’ community involvement suffers. Night workers are less likely to attend church, union meetings,
school functions, and family social gatherings.
One important
finding regarding psychological processes involves memory. Researchers have found that disruption of the circadian cycle can
produce “retrograde amnesia”. Individuals who suffer from this may forget something they learned prior to a shift
change. This phenomenon can be especially dangerous for police officers, whose very lies depend on their ability to remember
important information. Another noted problem concerns the ability to make coherent decisions.
SHIFT WORK: ALTERNATIVES
There are
basically three major alternatives for shift work: 1) rapid rotation; 2) dedicated
(permanent) shifts; and 3) slow rotation.
Perhaps the
most disruptive type of shift work is rapid rotation. This protocol is common in police work, where an officer must change
from afternoon to day to night shift in the space of one week. In terms of disturbing one’s “biological clock,”
rapid rotation is devastating. Past experiments by Dr. C.F. Ehret have demonstrated that rapid rotation caused such high disruption
in laboratory animals that no Circadian rhythm could be detected. Body temperature and blood chemistry of these animals were
in a constant state of flux. Dr. Ehret concluded that individuals who must face critical decisions (such as police officers)
should not work rapid rotation shifts. Their performance levels are seriously affected especially in the early morning hours.
Permanent
shifts are effective for reducing the problems of shift work. Such shifts eliminated the major cause of disruption: change.
There is increasing evidence that fixed shift systems are more cost-effective than other protocols. Recently, many departments
are moving to extended fixed shifts consisting of either 10 or 12 hour shifts. Officers
appear to like these extended hour shifts because they allow for more time off duty. Research in several police departments
indicated a dramatic decrease in sick leave and an increase in productivity as a direct result of permanent shifts. Other
departments conclude that their permanent shift program makes it easier to plan schedules.
Of course,
the fixed shift approach is not perfect. Twelve hour shifts, for example, can
increase the risk of fatigue, especially on the midnight tour. Such shifts may also cause a morale problem, especially among younger officers who are involuntarily
assigned to night shifts. Many officers who work nights permanently tend to deprive
themselves of sleep and “burn both ends of the candle.” This could lead to individual health problems, as well
as poor work performance.
A third type
of shift protocol involves slow rotation. Slow rotation refers to changing shifts over an extended period of time. Dr. Ehret
suggested that slow rotation is better than rapid rotation—better on the premise that it causes the least amount of
disruption among officers who must change shifts. Ideally, Dr. Ehret states, slow rotation is the logical choice when permanent
shifts are impossible. He recommends that officers not be required to change shifts for at least 4-5 weeks at a time. This
allows for minimal disruption of the circadian cycle.
SURVIVING SHIFT WORK: HINTS
Below are listed some helpful hints concerning shift work survival
from the Health and Safety Executive website http://www.hse.gov.uk/about/site_map/index.htm
Identify a suitable sleep schedule
- If you work regular shifts, try going to bed at different times
eg soon after you arrive back from work or stay up and sleep before the next shift;
- Have a short sleep before your first night shift;
- If coming off night shifts, have a short sleep and go to bed earlier
that night;
- Once you have identified a suitable sleep schedule try to keep
to it.
Make the environment favorable for sleeping
- Sleep in your bedroom and avoid using it for other activities
such as watching television, eating and working;
- Use heavy curtains, blackout blinds or eye shades to darken the
bedroom;
- Disconnect the phone or use an answer machine and turn the ringer
down;
- Ask your family not to disturb you and to keep the noise down
when you are sleeping;
- If it is too noisy to sleep consider using earplugs, white noise
or background music to mask external noises;
- Adjust the bedroom temperature to a comfortable level, cool conditions
improve sleep.
Techniques to promote sleep
- Go for a short walk, relax with a book, listen to music and/or
take a hot bath before going to bed;
- Avoid vigorous exercise before sleep as it is stimulating and
raises the body temperature;
- Avoid caffeine, ‘energy’ drinks and other stimulants
a few hours before bedtime as they can stop you going to sleep;
- Don’t go to bed feeling hungry: have a light meal or snack
before sleeping but avoid fatty, spicy and/or heavy meals, as these are more difficult to digest and can disturb sleep;
- Avoid alcohol as it lowers the quality of sleep.
Diet
- Regular light meals/snacks are less likely to affect alertness
or cause drowsiness than a single heavy meal;
- Choose foods that are easy to digest such as pasta, rice, bread,
salad, fruit, vegetables and milk products;
- Avoid fatty, spicy and/or heavy meals as these are more difficult
to digest. They can make you feel drowsy when you need to be alert. They may also disturb sleep when you need to rest;
- Avoid sugary foods, such as chocolate – they provide a short-term
energy boost followed by a dip in energy levels;
- Fruit and vegetables are good snacks as their sugar is converted
into energy relatively slowly and they also provide vitamins, minerals and fiber;
- Drink plenty of fluid as dehydration can reduce both mental and
physical performance but avoid drinking too much fluid before sleeping as this may overload the bladder.
Stimulants and sedatives
- Caffeine is a mild stimulant present in coffee, tea and cola as
well as in tablet form and in special ‘energy’ drinks. It can improve reaction time and feelings of alertness
for short periods. Only use caffeine occasionally and don’t rely on it to keep you awake. If you do decide to take caffeine
or other stimulants, you should consider what might happen when its effects wear off, e.g., when you are operating machinery
or driving.
- Avoid the use of alcohol to help you fall asleep. Although alcohol
can promote the onset of sleep it is also associated with earlier awakenings, disrupted sleep and poorer sleep quality. Regularly
drinking too much increases the risk of long-term damage to your physical and mental health, your work, social and personal
relationships.
- Regular use of sleeping pills and other sedatives to aid sleep
are not recommended because they can lead to dependency and addiction.
- New drugs have recently been developed that can alter our state
of alertness. Although their use may be widespread abroad, the ways in which they work and their long-term effects are not
yet fully understood and consequently their use is not advised unless under medical supervision.
Ways to improve your alertness at work
- Take moderate exercise before starting work which may increase
your alertness during the shift.
- Keep the light bright;
- Take regular short breaks during the shift if possible;
- Get up and walk around during breaks;
- Plan to do more stimulating work at the times you feel most drowsy;
- Keep in contact co-workers as this may help both you and them
stay alert.
Unfortunately,
shift work cannot be avoided in police work. It is essential that police officers understand that disruption of the circadian
cycle may have deleterious effects. By taking precautions, officers can better survive shift work and have a healthier, productive,
and happier life. A good resource outlining research experiments dealing with police fatigue and shift work can be found in:
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000248d.pdf
