If you discover that you are unable to work for the number of hours you did previously, or if the price of shift working is finally starting to wear on your health, you could be suffering from either shift work or circadian rhythm sleep disorders. This condition may mean that you are increasingly sleepy through the day but unable to sleep while struggling to keep yourself from falling asleep on the job when working the night shift. Here are some things that you can do in order to treat the symptoms.

The most obvious remedy is to try to alter your work schedule to hours that are more sociable. By working at night, you are upsetting your body’s inner clock, called the circadian rhythm, which regulates itself with the rising and setting of the sun to recognize when it is time to wake and sleep respectively. Shift work pushes your body into an abnormal state of working when it should be asleep and sleeping when it would ordinarily be awake. This is the reason that you feel drowsy during the night and then are unable to fall asleep during the day although you are very tired. Therefore, if feasible, it is in your best interests to have a chat with your work supervisor to see if shift changes can be made.

Here are some sleep strategies for shift workers that you may like to try. If you must work your shift, it is a good idea to stay away from caffeinated drinks while you are working, and particularly right before you go to sleep. Caffeine dries out the respiratory tracts, and may work as a stimulus for a while, but will make you feel even more tired and lethargic after the buzz wears off. This could cause sleep apnea syndrome in many people, let alone excessive snoring. So, try to drink fruit crushes, or ask your physician about natural supplements you can take while you work.

Shift work sleep disorder may additionally mean that you are drowsy during the day, even if you use this time for relaxation before your work shift. If you have narcolepsy, which is thought to be caused by the brains inability to adjust to normal sleep wake cycles, you may notice that you are doing things without remembering, or having vivid dreams while you are not in sleep mode. Your body may also be in a slight state of paralysis when you are trying to awaken, which is an indicator that shift work sleep disorder might be your problem.

If your sleep problems are ongoing, you should pay a visit to your doctor, who might ask you to maintain a sleep journal, and to jot down any patterns that you notice or experience when you are feeling sleepy. You will also need to keep yourself on a normal sleep schedule, so that your body will develop a rhythm for resting. In some cases, medications like Ritalin might be prescribed. If you consider this might be your better choice, talk to your doctor about the recommended dosage for you, based upon the severity of your symptoms. Bear in mind that stimulants do have side effects, so if you find that your blood pressure goes up or you are more short-tempered, you might need to find some other alternatives for treating your shift work sleep disorder.