What Is Sleep Inversion?

Sleep inversion is the reversal of normal sleep habits. If you have changed from diurnal (awake during the day) to nocturnal (awake at night), this is sleep inversion.

Causes

• Sleep inversion is a reality of shift work. If you work a graveyard shift, you are forced to be awake during the night when you would normally be asleep. As the sun rises at the end of your shift, you need to make up for lost sleep, so you sleep during the day. If sleep inversion is involuntary and not related to your work schedule, see a doctor to rule out conditions such as Niemann-Pick disease.

Health Issues

• Sleep inversion can cause disturbances with your gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and metabolic health. It is also believed to be a risk factor for breast cancer. This is thought to be in part because of reduced melatonin levels due to constant exposure to night time lighting.

Handling Sleep Inversion

• Many graveyard shift workers come home first thing in the morning and go straight to bed. They sleep all day and wake up as the sun is setting, so that their off-work awake time occurs in the evening. If you work a graveyard shift and want to counter the negative effects of lack of daylight, try staying awake for several hours in the morning light and scheduling your sleep for later in the day so that you awaken shortly before you have to leave for your night shift, much like a day shift worker would.