Summary
In connection with experimental shift work 20 volunteers were examined while working on different rapidly or slowly rotating shift systems. Sleep was analysed over a total of 112 days.
Sleep was disturbed by childrens' noise or traffic noise. Sleep duration and sleep quality were particularly badly affected by noise with a high information value (childrens' noise).
The ultradian rhythmicity of sleep did not appear to be disrupted by the change from day to night work.
There were no significant differences between morning sleep and afternoon sleep after night work.
In the laboratory experiments with fixed sleep durations, no separate effects on sleep quality could be established for different shift systems.
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Knauth, P., Rutenfranz, J., Schulz, H. et al. Experimental shift work studies of permanent night, and rapidly rotating, shift systems. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 46, 111–125 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378190
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378190