Shift Work Sleep Disorder Is this topic for you? This topic is
for people who have trouble sleeping because they work a night
shift or rotating shifts. If you have trouble sleeping because
of other reasons, see the topic Insomnia. What is shift work
sleep disorder? Shift work sleep disorder is trouble sleeping
because you work nights or rotating shifts. You also may have
this problem if you have trouble staying awake or alert when you
are supposed to work your shift. You may not be able to sleep
during the day, and you may not feel rested with the sleep you
do get. Shift work sleep disorder involves a problem with your
body's 24-hour internal clock, or circadian rhythm. Light and
dark help your body know when to be active and when to rest.
Light is a cue to be awake, while dark tells your body to sleep.
When you work at night and sleep during the day, your body's
internal clock needs to reset to let you sleep during the day.
Sometimes that's hard to do. This sleep disorder usually is a
problem for people who