Recently, more and more jobs have been in positions with flexible hours, including night shifts. These workers share one common problem: poor sleep due to work, which arose as a result of disruption of circadian rhythms. Daytime sleepiness, trouble falling asleep, low mood, a tendency to depression, and digestive disorders are symptoms of circadian rhythm disturbances that significantly impair quality of life. Ideally, it would be best to give up working at night to improve sleep and maintain health. But if you can’t leave a shift night schedule, you can at least try to reduce its harmful effects. The following tips will help you.

Shift work is defined as schedules outside the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. day. Roughly 15 percent of full-time U.S. employees work on shifts outside this traditional schedule. For many, shift work is part of the job as service occupations like healthcare professionals and protective services  are needed 365 days a year 24 hours a day.

The Sleep Health Institute defines two types of shift work schedules: