Working the Night Shift Can Affect Sleep Patterns

Do you work the night shift? If so, it could be disrupting your sleep habits and patterns. But, don’t worry – help is available! For the purposes of this post, we’ll define shift work as anything performed outside the hours of 9:00 am and 6:00 pm.

The underlying problem with shift work is that our bodies are designed to sleep at night. Shift workers “sleeping at the wrong time” often have less hours of sleep at a lower quality. This can lead to serious health problems, accidents on the job, and traffic accidents. Sleepy drivers take higher risks and have slower reaction time. If you work the night shift, be aware of these judgment errors that often occur:
· Overestimated performance
· Slower reaction time
· Decreased peripheral vision
· Poor multitasking
· Decreased vigilance
· Decline in motor dexterity

Here are some hygiene tips to help you regulate your sleep:
· Nap before coming to work, or immediately after work prior to driving home.
· Expose yourself to bright light prior to starting work.
· Limit your exposure to light upon returning home in the morning.
· Continue this schedule on your nights “off” if possible.
· Develop a relaxing sleep ritual before bed.
· Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet environment.
· Protect your sleep time.
· Get adequate sleep prior to your shift.

If you still find you have problems staying awake/focusing during your shift and/or falling asleep when you get home, talk to your physician. Sleep disorders are treatable and controllable.

Neuro Tip: Over-the-Counter Headache Remedies May Actually Aggravate Your Headaches

If you find yourself constantly taking over-the-counter remedies to relieve headaches, you may want to reconsider. Not all headaches are alike, and not all can be controlled with these medications. Some can even cause you to have what are called “rebound” or recurring headaches. While television commercials and magazine ads continue to tout that these medications can relieve your pain, most only temporarily mask the symptoms. You should check with your physician before you take them. Many of these medications contain caffeine, which can cause your headache to worsen because of its stimulant side effects.

Here’s a quick lesson in headaches. They can be classified into categories and are often treated differently:
· Migraine
· Tension
· Cluster
· Hormone-related
· Rebound

Migraine headaches can be debilitating and often occur more often in women. They can be caused by stress, hormone fluctuation and changes in barometric pressure. Tension headaches can affect anyone, can occur often and regularly and may be caused by fatigue, stress and certain medical conditions. Cluster headaches occur in groups, so patients may suffer from multiple headaches in a day. Men are more susceptible to these headaches than women.

Hormone-related headaches are caused by fluctuation in the body’s hormones and are more common in women. Men, however, can suffer from these as well. These are often precipitated by women’s menstrual cycles, use of birth control pills, and pregnancy. Rebound headaches can occur from taking the wrong type of medication – often those purchased over-the-counter. Not only can these medications cause rebound headaches, they can cause other health problems down the road.

The lessen here is to understand which type of headache you have before you take medication. Headaches can be controlled but you need to seek appropriate treatment by a healthcare professional. Think of this comparison: You wouldn’t treat the stomach flu with over-the-counter sinus medication. Headaches are no exception. Different headaches require different treatments. Talk to your physician if you suffer from headaches.

Memory Loss

We had many people visit our booth at the Senior Fair in Indianapolis to get “mini memory assessments” conducted by our JWM Neurology physician and nurse practitioner.

Several people that stopped by were somewhat reluctant to find out “if they had memory issues or problems”. While we certainly understand the anxiety that accompanies this, we encourage people to proactively take charge of their health.

Just because you have a memory issue does not mean that you have Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a misconception that many people believe. Issues with memory can be due to a number of factors – many of which can be controlled. Here are just a few things that can cause temporary memory issues:

· Sleep disorders
· Taking various types of medications
· Alcohol consumption
· Migraine headaches
· Depression
· Parkinson’s disease
· Other health conditions/diseases

If you are having memory problems, you should contact your physician for a consultation. Have a family member accompany you to the appointment to function as your eyes and ears.

Having Trouble Sleeping?

If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. Some of the more common sleep problems include: sleep apnea (stops breathing during sleep), insomnia (inability to fall asleep), narcolepsy (falling asleep during waking hours), hypersomnia (causes excessive sleepiness) and Restless Legs Syndrome (causes a crawling or tingling pain while trying to fall asleep).

If you suffer from any of these problems, see your physician right away. These conditions are all controllable.

Here are some hygiene tips that may help you get a better night’s sleep.

· Maintain a regular sleep/wake schedule.
· Avoid caffeine, especially 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
· Avoid nicotine, especially near bedtime.
· Avoid alcohol before sleep.
· Exercise regularly; avoid vigorous exercise within 3 to 4 hours of sleep.
· Avoid heavy meals before bedtime.

Join Us At Indianapolis Senior Expo

JWM Neurology will have an educational exhibit at the Indianapolis Senior Expo on Thursday, October 4th. The Expo will take place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. For more information, visit www.seniorexpos.com and click on “Indianapolis”. It’s always a great place with lots of vendors and booths full of information for mature adults.

Meet JWM Neurology Sleep Disorder’s Specialist, Raymond Loffer, MD and Nurse Practitioner, Gina Davis. They will be on hand to answer your questions about sleep disorders and neurological diseases and conditions. We will also be handing out sleep disorder quizzes and memory quizzes.

Welcome to the JWM Neurology blog. The goal of our forum is to provide up-to-date news and information about neurology-related topics as well as tips to help patients manage their neurologic conditions.

Some of the items we’ll cover include:
• Stroke
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Headache
• Epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Sleep disorders
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Neck, back, and arm pain
• Tremor
• Brain and spinal cord injuries
• Brain tumors
• Nerve and muscle disorders
• JWM clinical research trials
• Neurology tests and how to prepare for them

We want our blog to be a valuable tool and thank you for viewing it. Feel free to visit us at http://www.jwmneuro.com/ for further information.