Do You Suffer From SWD?

What is SWD?

SWD stands for Shift Work Disorder. This is a medical condition and can fully be treated by a doctor after successful diagnosis.

SWD is known to occur when the internal clock of the body is out of sync with the rest of your schedule. Your body will end up telling you to sleep when it is time to work and it will have trouble falling asleep when you actually have the time to sleep during the days. The disruption of the body’s natural rhythm generally has pitfalls like these. People suffering from SWD are known to generally struggle heavily when it comes to staying awake during their work hours. They’ll have major difficulties with sleeping when they have free time.

Why it becomes important to take medical help –

SWD is known to come with its own set of issues –

• People will have trouble focusing or concentrating.
• They will see a reduction in their work performance.
• It worsens stomach and heart disorders, if any.
• Will lead to the missing or skipping of a lot of social events.
• Induced with sleepiness, it will put people at a risk of accidents.
• There will be an increase in the levels of irritability.

Is this a commonly occurring disorder?

As surprising as it means, around 15 million Americans are known to perform non-standard shift work. Of these, around 15-25% suffers from Shift Work Disorder.

This would mean that every 1 in 4 people working a night shift is likely to fall prey to this disorder.

Who is the risk higher for?

SWD is known to affect both men and women. In spite of this, there may be certain other factors which end up causing for greater problems when it comes to coping with shift based work.

• History of sleep disorders
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• History of disorders of the stomach
• Above the age of 50

Avoid the Symptoms

If there is a change in your work timings, to avoid the pitfalls of Shift Work Disorder, you could try making these changes –

• Stick to your sleep and wake cycle even on weekends when you have a leave.
• Get a full 8 hours of sleep packed into each day.
• Avoid indulging in caffeinated drinks and foods before you hit the bed.
• Eliminate any kinds of noise and light from your sleep area.