23 Research studies also suggest that nurses working the night shift have more patient care errors. 12, 20, 21, 22 Sleep-related errors have been identified for night shift workers, and research has found that night-shift napping decreased sleepiness and improved performance. This disruption to nurses’ circadian rhythms impacts performance, and nurses working at night have more work-related injuries and a significantly increased risk of drowsy driving incidents after working a night shift. 14, 15, 16, 17 Working the night shift also has an effect on workers’ mental well-being, can cause mood changes, and result in work-to-family conflict. Recent studies have found that nurses who work at night have increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and reported more depression than day shift nurses. 9, 12, 13, 14 In addition, nurses are at increased health risks when working at night. 11 Drowsiness, fatigue, sleep deprivation, and poor sleep quality have been identified by those who work at night. 10 Registered nurses and LPNs are required to work at night because patients in acute care, subacute, and long-term care settings require constant vigilance.Įvidence suggests that working at night disrupts nurses’ circadian rhythms and has consequences on their physical and mental health, with ramifications on job performance and satisfaction. 8, 9 Of nearly 5.8 million registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in the United States, the exact percentage of how many nurses work the night shift is unknown. 7 In the United States, night shift for nursing occurs most commonly between 7 p.m. 6 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics defines night shift as between 9 p.m. The UK government defines night work as a shift of at least three hours between 11 p.m. 2 More recently, researchers have examined the differences between a typical day shift and night shift in hospitals, and found less nursing and ancillary staff, more on-call personnel, newer staff, fewer services available, and less supervision on the night shift. 1 It continues to be the most challenging shift to work, and night shift staff are often invisible and undervalued. Despite its importance, night shift nursing is one sector of nursing that has been largely unaffected by innovations in nursing practices in the previous two decades.

Night shift nurses and depression