Of all of the people who suffer from insomnia, shift workers are probably the most at risk. Sleep deprivation in shift workers is very common. In fact, I would have to say that from what I have seen, the majority of people who work overnights are sleep deprived.

I have worked the overnight shift for about eight years, so I know all about sleep deprivation. Fortunately, I have been able to make some important changes to my lifestyle, and I now get a good "day's" sleep (I sleep during the daylight hours). But this was not always the case. For a while, I used to get real tired at work, so I would take a short half hour nap to refresh myself. It worked, but my boss found out and got mad. He obviously had never worked the overnight shift, because he was not understanding at all. Well anyway, one day I was so tired that I put my head back for one second, and fell asleep. He fired me.

At that point, I was sort of relieved, because I was glad to be getting off the overnight shift. Little did I know that the only other job I could get also meant I had to work overnights, but since then I have adapted, and actually really enjoy working the graveyard shift. To battle sleep deprivation in shift workers, my biggest suggestion would be to try to sleep at least seven hours straight. I used to sleep in shifts, but I don't think I really got deep sleep by doing this.

The book Stop Insomnia has some great tips for battling sleep deprivation in shift workers, as well as everyone else who can't sleep night after night. Click here to check it out