Sleep Tips for Early Starts & Night Shifts
Construction often starts before dawn, and shutdowns, road work and plants run all night. Short or broken sleep slows reactions and judgment like alcohol does, and it’s a major cause of crashes on the drive home. Good sleep habits are a safety skill.
- Construction
- General Industry
How much sleep
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours. Losing even an hour or two a night for several days builds up “sleep debt” that a single long weekend sleep won’t fully fix.
Early starts
- Work back from your alarm: a 4:30 a.m. alarm means lights out around 9 p.m.
- Keep the same wake time on days off when you can.
- Dim lights and put screens away an hour before bed.
- Get daylight early in the day to set your body clock.
Night shifts
- Make your bedroom dark (blackout curtains or an eye mask), quiet (earplugs, a fan for white noise) and cool.
- Go to bed soon after getting home; wear sunglasses on the drive home to limit morning light.
- Keep an “anchor” block of sleep at the same time every day, even on days off.
- A short nap (20 to 30 minutes) before a night shift can help alertness.
- Ask family to protect your sleep time: phone on silent, a sign on the door.
Caffeine, food and alcohol
- Use caffeine early in the shift, not in the last few hours before sleep.
- Eat light meals during night shifts; heavy meals make you drowsy.
- Avoid alcohol as a sleep aid. It breaks up sleep later in the night.
- Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using sleep medicines; many cause next-day drowsiness. See Fitness for Duty.
Drowsy driving kills. Warning signs: yawning, heavy eyelids, drifting out of your lane, missing exits. Pull over and nap, carpool, or arrange a ride. Never push through. See Driving for Work.
See a doctor if
- You snore loudly, gasp at night or feel exhausted even after enough sleep (possible sleep apnea)
- You can’t fall or stay asleep most nights
- You nod off at work or while driving
Standards & references
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