Work schedule characteristics and sleepiness – a meta-analysis
Overall, this meta-analysis shows that sleepiness is most pronounced during night shifts, particularly the first in a block. These findings emphasize the importance of circadian and homeostatic factors in shift work. Therefore, shift schedules should be designed to mitigate these heightened risks, for example by allowing sufficient recovery time before and during the first night shift.
Authors
- Frank Brenscheidt
- Sina Fischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8368-3262)
- Laura Vieten (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4701-582X)
- Anna Arlinghaus
- Marc Sobisch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3565-148X)
- Johannes Gärtner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9511-1632)
Institutions
- Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health
- Published
- 2026-01-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4273
- Primary Topic
- Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin