Daytime sleepiness among nursing staff A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS)

Background. Due to working hours outside the normal daytime working hours, nursing staff may experience disturbances of the internal clock. Additional family responsibilities may make it difficult for female caregivers to normalize their circadian rhythm disturbance as they do not have enough time for sleep and relaxation at home.Research question. The aim of this explorative study was to investigate whether nursing personnel have a higher risk of daytime sleepiness than other occupational groups who do not work in shifts. In addition, it was analyzed to what extent gender plays a role in relation to daytime sleepiness with respect to shift work.Material and methods. From the 10,000 strong baseline sample of the Hamburg City Health Study (HCHS), all respondents were selected who were employed in nursing. On the basis of age, gender and chronotype, actively employed persons were drawn from the HCHS data set in a matching ratio of 1:3, who came from industries with predominantly no shift work (controls). Daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth sleepiness scale questionnaire (ESS).Results. There were 4646 people in active employment in the total HCHS sample. Among these were 134 people who reported working in care. Using the matching ratio of 1:3, a data set of 536 persons was generated. In total, excessive daytime sleepiness was observed for 19% of the total sample, affecting 25% of nursing staff and 17% of workers in other sectors. Female nurses had a statistically significant increased risk of excessive daytime sleepiness compared to men from other occupational sectors (odds ratio, OR 3.5, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.32-9.23).Discussion. Based on the results of the population-based study, it appears that nursing staff are more often affected by daytime sleepiness compared to industries without shift work. The extent to which women who work in nursing have an even higher risk of daytime sleepiness should be investigated more precisely in further studies using additional characteristics.

Automated summary

Due to irregular working hours and additional family responsibilities, nursing staff may experience disturbances in their internal clock and have a higher risk of daytime sleepiness compared to other occupational groups who do not work in shifts. Female nurses are particularly at risk and have a statistically significant increased risk of excessive daytime sleepiness compared to men from other occupational sectors.