Symptoms of sleep and sleepiness problems in relation to rest-days, and day-, evening - and night shifts
| Work schedules | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent day % (n)* | Two-shift (day–evening) rotation % (n)* | Permanent night % (n)* | Three-shift (day–evening–night) rotation % (n)* | Total % (n)* | |
| (1) Sleep onset latency (using more than 30 min to fall asleep) | |||||
| Day shift | 11.6 (17) | 17.0 (65) | 11.9 (84) | 13.5 (166) | |
| Evening shift | 54.3 (207) | 55.2 (388) | 54.9 (595) | ||
| Night shift | 13.2 (15) | 27.7 (193) | 25.6 (208) | ||
| Rest-days | 9.3 (13) | 8.4 (33) | 13.6 (16) | 8.4 (62) | 8.9 (124) |
| (2) Wake after sleep onset (bouts of wakefulness lasting more than 30 min within the main sleep period) | |||||
| Day shift | 9.6 (14) | 7.1 (27) | 5.3 (37) | 6.4 (78) | |
| Evening shift | 19.5 (74) | 15.8 (111) | 17.1 (185) | ||
| Night shift | 18.3 (21) | 29.0 (201) | 27.4 (222) | ||
| Rest-days | 6.6 (9) | 3.0 (12) | 9.4 (11) | 3.5 (26) | 4.2 (58) |
| (3) Premature awakening (waking more than 30 min earlier than wished, without falling asleep again) | |||||
| Day shift | 11.0 (16) | 14.9 (57) | 8.3 (58) | 10.7 (131) | |
| Evening shift | 17.8 (68) | 11.1 (78) | 13.5 (146) | ||
| Night shift | 24.6 (28) | 39.3 (273) | 37.2 (301) | ||
| Rest-days | 7.3 (10) | 5.5 (22) | 5.9 (7) | 2.5 (18) | 4.1 (57) |
| (4) Not feeling adequately rested following sleep | |||||
| Day shift | 50.7 (75) | 43.6 (167) | 44.0 (310) | 44.7 (552) | |
| Evening shift | 49.9 (190) | 43.1 (304) | 45.5 (494 | ||
| Night shift | 41.7 (48) | 63.5 (444) | 60.4 (492) | ||
| Rest-days | 14.2 (19) | 9.7 (38) | 13.6 (16) | 9.5 (70) | 10.4 (143) |
| (5) Experience of being tired/sleepy at work | |||||
| Day shift | 16.9 (25) | 29.8 (115) | 23.8 (168) | 24.8 (308) | |
| Evening shift | 22.4 (86) | 10.8 (76) | 14.9 (162) | ||
| Night shift | 41.7 (48) | 70.2 (493) | 66.2 (541) | ||
| (6) Experience of being tired/sleepy during free periods on workdays | |||||
| Day shift | 41.8 (61) | 43.0 (166) | 44.4 (313) | 43.7 (540) | |
| Evening shift | 24.2 (93) | 18.5 (131) | 20.5 (224) | ||
| Night shift | 42.9 (48) | 65.8 (459) | 62.6 (507) | ||
| (7) Experience of being tired/sleepy when not working/on vacation | |||||
| Rest-days | 11.0 (18) | 7.4 (30) | 14.5 (18) | 6.6 (50) | 8.0 (116) |
The percentage distribution refers to the nurses within each work schedule (permanent day, permanent night, two-shift and three-shift rotation) reporting to ‘often’ or ‘always’ experiencing the symptoms.
*Columns depict the percentage (%) and number (n) of nurses within a given work schedule who reported to ‘often’ or ‘always’ experience a specific shift-related symptom.