Circadian announces sleep apnea partnership, more

I came across my friends at Circadian a couple of times this week. This week I saw an item on Wall Street Journal's Marketplace -- "CIRCADIAN Partners With Sleep Pointe, Adding Comprehensive Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening, Treatment and Compliance Services to Their Leading Fatigue Risk Management Solution for Transportation and Other 24/7 Industries." I have close family experience with sleep apnea and know too well it's costs. Managers of shiftwork operations will do well to be aware of obstructive sleep apnea and may want to screen employees periodically as a way both to promote shiftworker health as well as safety and productivity on the job.

The other place I encountered Circadian was on the Embedded.com website (for software developers) --

"Programmers are people, too: Experts tell us interesting facts about our work lives that we may know but deny: programmers have human limitations."

The article caught my eye because it cites Circadian's Shiftwork Practices 2005 survey. This is an annual survey conducted by Circadian that I created. It's the only extensive survey of shiftwork operations and provides insights into a wide range of shiftwork management practices. You can find more information about it at www.Circadian.com.

NOTE: Just to be clear, your faithful blogger, Executive Director of the National Shiftwork Information Center, was the Managing Director at Circadian Information in the late 1990s. I have NO ongoing ties to Circadian, and in fact stepped away from the shiftwork world for 5 years before founding the National Shiftwork Information Center.

Sleep disorders warrant attention from shiftworkers

The British newspaper, The Independent, published an article, "Sleep disorders: Don't take it lying down Millions suffer from sleep disorders – and many never seek help. But the cures are out there," that can be a good first read to help shiftworkers (or anyone else for that matter) identify sleep disorders -- whether insomnia, sleep apnea, or something else -- and tips for minimizing their effects. It's worth taking a look.

Snoring? It could be sleep apnea -- shiftworkers should particularly take note.

Sleep is a subject near and dear to most shiftworkers' hearts. So anything that reduces the number of hours, or the quality of, your sleep is important. Perhaps the most under-treated of all sleep disorders is sleep apnea -- a condition where your airway collapses causing you to stop breathing in your sleep. This in turn causes you to wake up, even if you're not aware that you're waking up. So you can wake up after spending 7 or 8 hours in bed but not feel particularly well rested. Risk factors include snoring, large neck size, and smoking.

Shiftworkers who snore heavily, or who are told they stopped breathing in the middle of their sleep, should consult their doctor or a sleep clinic. Sleep apnea has a number of treatment options that are highly effective. Get the sleep you need. Get checked.

An article in The Canadian Press discusses the topic of sleep apnea -- Snoring Could Mean Sleep Apnea.