While you are sleeping, there is a group that is hard at work. It is estimated that a quarter of the population works the overnight shift. Unfortunately, they are a group that is highly at risk of suffering from insomnia. The reason is pretty simple: when you work at night, your body clock is disrupted. Humans were not designed to be up all night. We are supposed to be awake during the day, and asleep at night. This is why the brain produces melatonin at night, which is a sleep chemical. If you are constantly changing sleep schedules because you are a shift worker, this can lead to sleep that is poor in quality and often fragmented. It is a similar feeling to being "jet lagged."

So what is the solution? The easy answer would be to stop working overnights all together, but that is much easier said than done. Some people cannot change shifts at their current jobs, and they can't just quit. If you don't have a regular paycheck coming in, this can REALLY cause you to lose sleep!

If you have no choice but to work shifts, here are some things you can do to get more sleep:

* Stay in Shape. This will make your mind and body feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

* If you sleep during the day, eliminate all light and noise. And in the summer, make sure it is cool. Your body temperature is higher during the day, whether you are awake or asleep, so hot temperatures could make it tough to sleep.

* Try to see if you could work four 12 hour shifts instead of five 8 to 9 hour shifts. This would give you three days with a "normal" schedule.

Jeff Farley has more advice for dealing with insomnia if you are a shift worker in his book Stop Insomnia. Click here to check it out