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== Take Rest Breaks ==
For shift workers who rotate among several different schedules, shifting sleep times can disrupt the body’s internal clock in a similar way to jet lag. Shift workers experiencing this type of jumbled rhythm experience greater fatigue than other employees who have a stable, consistent sleep pattern.

For this reason, it’s important for people working the night shift to take rest breaks throughout their workday. Rest breaks can include having a nutritious meal, drinking water and getting some light exercise.

Some professions, such as healthcare workers and commercial airline pilots, already encourage their employees to take planned naps during the night shift. These naps can reduce self-rated sleepiness and increase objective measures of alertness. Ideally, napping should be scheduled during the first half of a shift when the drive to sleep is low.