This is a very interesting web site. I found it through searching for shift work sleep disorder info.
Here's my question:
I'm a fifty-three year old male who works in industry. I have worked different shifts most of my adult life. For the last four years, I have worked as a supervisor on a fairly unusual shift.
My twenty-one day work cycle begins on a Sat. morning at 6 A.M. and consists of a twelve hour day. I repeat this 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. shift on Sunday. I then work five consecutive days on a 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. shift. I have Sat. - Tue. off, starting work again on third shift (10:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.) on Wed. night. I then work this eight hour third shift until Sat., when I work a twelve-hour 6:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m. shift. I repeat this shift on Sun. Then I work Mon. and Tue. on the 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. third shift. I have Wed. - Fri. off and start at the beginning of the cycle on Sat. morning at 6:00 a.m.
This is a seven day on, four day off, seven day on, three day off cycle, with twelve hour shifts on weekends.
I was doing o.k. for quite awhile. As I said, I have worked shift work most of my adult life. But over the past year my sleep pattern has become inconsistent. Sometimes on my days off I find it difficult to go to sleep at all and sometimes I sleep for ten hours. I notice that I am becoming moody and irritable in situations where I was not before.
Any suggestions or discussion would be appreciated.
