SLEEP GUIDELINES
HEALTHY SLEEP PRACTICES
FOR SHIFT WORKERS
As a SHIFT WORKER, it can be difficult to get enough good quality sleep, which can impact health,
wellbeing, job performance, and safety. The following guidelines are designed to provide shift workers
with advice on healthy sleep practices, which can improve sleep during rostered periods of work.
THESE GUIDELINES are based on scientific evidence and offer strategies that will work for most people.
However, it is important to remember that everyone is different. Please use them as a guide, and incorporate them based on your shift schedule, lifestyle, commitments etc.
If you have any concerns or queries about your sleep or managing the effects of shift work, it’s important to seek advice from a health professional.
Your general practitioner/primary care provider is a good place to start, while sleep physicians and sleep psychologists can help with tailored treatments.
NB: These guidelines are intended to be used as a general tool to improve shift worker sleep. For optimal use, shift workers should seek expert advice (e.g., general practitioner, sleep physician) in employing these guidelines, particularly to understand how time-dependent elements (e.g., medication use, light exposure) may require tailoring.