Light Treatment to Shift-working Nurses

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Shift-Work Sleep Disorder
• Interventions: Behavioral: Red light; Behavioral: Bright light

• Registration Number: NCT02978053
• Lead Sponsor: University of Bergen

Brief Summary

This project examines 1) the effects of appropriately timed bright light on adaptation (in terms of sleep and sleepiness) to three consecutive night shifts; and 2) the effects of such bright light on re-adaptation (in terms of sleep and sleepiness) to a day-oriented schedule after the night shift period.

Detailed Description

Shift workers frequently experience sleepiness during night shifts, which may have consequences for performance. Sleep duration is often shortened after a night shift. Properly timed bright light treatment is efficient in delaying the circadian rhythm and can enhance alertness, increase performance and prolong sleep after night shifts. There is a lack of studies on light treatment to rotating shift workers. This study is a randomized controlled crossover trial evaluating the effect of bright light treatment on sleep and sleepiness in rotating shift workers with three consecutive night shifts. The aim is to evaluate whether bright light treatment improves adaptation to three consecutive night shifts (reduces sleepiness during night shifts and improves sleep after night shifts), as well as whether such treatment affects re-adaptation to a day-oriented schedule after the night shift period.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2016-11
• Study First Submitted: 2016-11-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-11-25
• Study First Posted: 2016-11-30
• Primary Completion: 2019-06
• Study Completion: 2019-06
• Status Verified: 2019-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-10-01
• Last Update Posted: 2019-10-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 35

Inclusion Criteria

• A rotating shift work schedule involving three days without night shifts, followed by three consecutive night shifts, followed by three days without night shifts
• Problems with sleepiness during night shifts

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnancy

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Red light	Red light	400 lux
Bright light	Bright light	10 000 lux

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sleepiness during the night shifts	3 days	Self-reported using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sleep during the days after the night shift period	3 days	Self-reported using a sleep diary; objective data from actigraphs
Psychomotor vigilance during night shifts	3 days	Objective data from a 5 min computer based psychomotor vigilance test (PC-PVT) taken once during each night shift
Functioning on each shift, and shift period in total, compared to under normal conditions	6 days	Self-reported perception of effect of intervention
Sleep after the night shifts	3 days	Self-reported using a sleep diary; objective data from actigraphs
Sleepiness during the days after the night shift period	3 days	Self-reported using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Bergen; 🇳🇴 Bergen, Hordaland, Norway