Shift Work Type Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder

Shift work can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, which may negatively affect sleep, musculoskeletal health, and quality of life. Heavy industry workers who perform rotating or night shifts may be particularly vulnerable to these health problems. This cross-sectional observational study will evaluate circadian rhythm characteristics, musculoskeletal pain, sleep quality, and quality of life among heavy industry shift workers. Participants will complete validated questionnaires assessing chronotype, musculoskeletal symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life. The study will examine the associations between chronotype and these health outcomes and compare the results across different chronotype groups. The findings may contribute to a better understanding of the health effects of shift work and support the development of occupational health strategies for shift workers

Emergency Medicine (EM) requires 24/7 staff coverage resulting in healthcare workers' circadian rhythm disruptions that impair clinical and cognitive performance, physical recovery, and contribute to burnout. Multiple well-being surveys continue to highlight EM's challenges with sleep impairment due to the nature of the specialty. Despite evidence that lifestyle strategies effectively optimize performance and recovery, EM residents have variable lifestyle choices to prepare for overnight shifts. This prospective randomized controlled trial will examine whether a pre-shift personalized fatigue-mitigation lifestyle coaching (PFMLC) for EM residents on overnight shifts minimizes the effects of circadian rhythm disruptions on performance and recovery compared to those who receive one-time passive information on lifestyle practices. All participants will receive lifestyle strategy materials on fatigue mitigation to improve performance. Residents' self-reported and biometric data will inform PFMLC in the active arm. Performance and recovery from night shifts will be assessed by changes in sleep, heart rate variability, readiness/recovery, alertness, cognitive performance, and mental health using Fitbit and validated measures.

The aim of this study is to pilot test a comprehensive, personalized, media-augmented telehealth intervention ("SWISH") designed to improve sleep health among shift workers.