Work schedule differences in sleep problems of nursing home caregivers

Abstract Nursing home caregivers ( n =775; 604 women; mean age 33.6 years) were studied to examine how work schedules affect their sleep. The shift group ( n =536) worked under a rotating two-shift system ( n =365), a rotating three-shift system ( n =66), or other types of shifts ( n =78). The non-shift group included 222 caregivers. Participants completed a questionnaire about working conditions, sleep problems, health, lifestyle, and demographic factors. The two-shift caregivers reported the highest levels of difficulty initiating sleep (DIS, 37.6%), insomnia symptoms (43.0%), and poor quality of sleep (24.9%) among the groups. Adjusted odds ratios for these problems were significantly greater for the two-shift caregivers than for non-shift counterparts: DIS (odds ratio 2.86, 95% confidence interval 1.57–5.20), insomnia symptoms (2.33, 1.36–4.02), and poor sleep quality (2.15, 1.09–4.22). Our data suggest that working under a rotating two-shift system, which has a longer night shift, is associated with an elevated risk of sleep problems for nursing home caregivers.