Shift Work Disorder only exist in 24/7 countries. Does America need to slow down so that people can rest or should America keep moving ahead, feeding people drugs?
What is Shift Work Disorder
Wikipedia says Shift Work Disorder, also known as Shift Work Sleep Disorder is,
a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by insomnia and excessive sleepiness affecting people whose work hours are scheduled during the typical sleep period. There are numerous shift work schedules, and they may be permanent, intermittent, or rotating; consequently, the manifestations of SWSD are quite variable.
A Disorder?
Well I guess it is a disorder but I have a difficult time calling it that. I have done shift work before and I knew what was going to happen to my body and mind because of it.
I became extremely tired but found it difficult to sleep the next day. Why, you may ask? I’m just guessing but I think it may have something to do with that bright yellow ball of fire in the sky.
What’s Happening Here?
I could be wrong but here are my two cents. NUVIGIL will work for just about anybody who needs to stay awake. People who work the late shift at 24 hour grocery stores will probably not get good sleep during the day.
A lack of sleep is a serious problem but I think there is a bigger problem here. America is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! This in my opinion is wrong.
What Should America Do?
I think America should put families ahead of Capitalism. Not only does Capitalism cause one to seek a chemical to stay awake but it tears apart families. This is because most of the time both parents have to get a job. When this happens it may be that neither child is really raised by a parent.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not totally against Capitalism but there are at least two thing I would change.
- All businesses would close by 10 pm. This would promote a full night’s sleep.
- All businesses would be closed on Sunday. This would allow for rest and recovery for the coming work week and family time.
This won’t happen because some people are too hungry for the all “mighty” dollar. Also, this would probably hurt Cephalon’s (makers of NUVIGIL) bottom line.
If you could change one or two things about Capitalism what would they be?
There should be nap rooms in every company.
Doesn’t Japan do this?
A short half hour nap works wonders.
I have also done shift work. I have done rotating shifts, worked overnight only to have to work the second shift the following day. I never used any stimulant except for an extra cup of coffee.
I prefer shopping after Midnight, when there are fewer people in the store and going around the store is easier.
So you prefer keeping those poor shift workers up. Shame
I don’t really see the need for 24/7 shopping, but some factories like steel mills have to operate continuously because the processes cannot be shut down. And then there are things like police and hospitals.
That was the case at the mine I worked at. Shutting down & starting back up the crushers & the mills was a rather lengthy process
Police officers are a great example of 24/7.
I agree about putting families before Capitalism. While countries like Nicaragua or Bolivia may be poorer economically, their family values are much stronger than ours.
Still, working days isn’t an option for everyone. My sister is a nurse and she has to do rotating shifts. If they didn’t have staff to do shift work, the hospitals here (in Canada) would be even more short staffed than they already are.
Good example with nurses. There are some jobs that need to be 24/7. These people are a type of hero (nurses, doctors, police officers, firemen, etc.)
I worked shift work on both rotating 8hr shifts & rotating 12hr shifts when I worked for a mining company. I could never get used to it & never seemed to be able to get much sleep during the day. After I left that job I promised myself NEVER to work shift work again. I used to be zombiefied on night shift & when you’re struggling to keep your eyes open & working around conveyors, rock crushers & other heavy machinery the drowsiness greatly increases the risk of a serious accident.
I worked 12/7′s once. I kept swerving in traffic on the hour trip home. Dangerous and unnecessary in my opinion.
I am quite functional with my 8 hours slept at night