What is Shift Work
Someone who is a shift worker doesn't work typical hours and days. This means either working non-typical hours (8ish-5ish), working rotation work (changing shifts), or working many days on followed by many days off. Especially in Alaska, summer time means a large number of seasonal shift-work jobs.
Shift workers include:
- Pilots
- Construction workers
- Police workers
- Doctors and nurses
- Firefighters
- Taxi/Lyft/Uber drivers
- Customer service
- Retail
Shift work can be beneficial for several reasons: higher pay for less desirable shifts, flexibility with scheduling, and longer periods without work. However, shift work can also make it more challenging for these individuals to have normal sleep schedules. Please continue reading to learn more about what shift work sleep disorder is, and how to overcome it as a shift worker.