Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS ... - NAEMT

<strong>Effects</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sleep</strong> <strong>Deprivation</strong> on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders
In general, the ability to adjust to night
work and work long hours diminishes
with aging (Reid & Dawson, 2001), and
some have proposed specific age limits
for night and/or shift work (Baker et al.,
2004). However, examination <strong>of</strong>
commercial driver crash risk as it relates
to age, found the opposite findings.
Older drivers were most likely to limit
their exposure to risky driving situations,
and age was not a predictor <strong>of</strong> job
performance (Knipling et al., 2004).
5.3 <strong>Sleep</strong> Habits and Lifestyles
Workers’ ability to tolerate long hours is
affected by their general health and how
they spend their non-working hours. Shift
work may be a risk factor for a number <strong>of</strong>
health harming effects (Section 1). To
counter those effects, maintaining a
healthy lifestyle and achieving the
Healthy People 2010 objectives is
especially important (Table 5.3, next
page). Those health behaviors are known
to result in an increased life expectancy
and improved quality <strong>of</strong> life (DHHS,
2005).
For shift workers, first among those lifestyle
issues is their sleep habits. In general, adverse effects <strong>of</strong> irregular shift schedules and long work
hours are minimized when people establish some regularity in their bedtime and waking schedule,
even on weekends, so that an anchor <strong>of</strong> fixed sleeping times is maintained.
As described in Section 1, all sleep hours are not equal, daytime sleeping is more difficult, and
those hours are not as restorative as nighttime sleeping. Shift workers who are up during the
night are encouraged to develop good sleep hygiene practices
to facilitate falling asleep during the day, after their work ends
early in the morning. A light meal should be eaten before bed
if the person is hungry. Breakfast foods such as toast, bagels or
cereal are recommended. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages
should not be consumed before going to bed. Because bright
sun light can heighten the normal tendency for daytime alertness
and make it more difficult to sleep, individuals intending to
sleep after arriving home <strong>of</strong>ten are advised to wear sun glasses
when traveling home.
Table 5.2. Early Bird or Night Owl Preference
Answer 1=never, 3=sometimes or 5=always,
and total your score.
_____ I have a good appetite 20 minutes after waking in the
morning.
_____ I would have a great workout from 7 to 8 AM
_____ I find it easy to get out <strong>of</strong> bed in the mornings.
_____ I wake up without an alarm clock on workdays.
_____ If I worked 4 AM to 6 AM, I would sleep before rather
than after.
_____ I am at my very best when I start my day.
_____ If I had to take an important test, I would prefer to take it
at: 8-10 AM (5 pts), 3-5 PM (3 pts), 7-9 PM (1 pt).
_____ If I could choose my schedule, my core working hours
would be: 5-10 AM (5 pts), 10 AM-3 PM (3 pts),
5-10 PM (1 pt).
_____ TOTAL (compare to the scale below)
35-40 Extreme Early Bird: Among the 10 percent who
naturally are early risers, are most productive during
the first half <strong>of</strong> your day and <strong>of</strong>ten fade beginning
mid afternoon.
27-34 Moderate Early Bird: Still set your alarm clock or sleep
in on days <strong>of</strong>f. Nights are not <strong>of</strong>f limits, but you don’t
<strong>of</strong>ten stay out late.
22-26 Hummingbird: Flexible and tend to be ready for action
both morning and night.
14-21 Moderate Owl: Prefer evenings. Your mood increases
throughout the day.
8-13 Definite Owl: You skip breakfast and arrive at work at
the last minute. At night you find yourself busy, perhaps
surfing the Internet, doing the laundry or socializing.
Healthy People 2010 is a
statement <strong>of</strong> U.S. health objectives
designed to identify the
most significant preventable
health threats and establish
national goals to reduce those
threats. It is available at
www.healthypeople.gov/.
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