A night-shift nurse struggles with sleep. Which practice may help improve sleep?

A night-shift nurse struggles with sleep. Which practice may help improve sleep?

• A. Eat a main meal consisting of high protein and low fat toward the end of the night shift.
• B. Wear dark sunglasses before leaving work after her night shift.
• C. Perform aerobic exercise for 30 minutes after working the night shift.
• D. Advocate for a minimum of 12 hours off between rotating from night to day shift.

Answer: (B)

Light exposure shapes our sleep-wake cycle. After a night shift, daylight signals that it’s morning and tends to suppress melatonin, making daytime sleep harder. Wearing dark sunglasses before leaving work reduces the amount of bright morning light reaching the eyes, helping preserve melatonin levels long enough to fall asleep when she gets home. This simple habit supports the body’s natural rhythm and makes daytime sleep more feasible for night-shift workers. Other options address meal timing, post-shift exercise, or shift scheduling, which can influence sleep but don’t directly counteract the morning light that disrupts daytime sleep in the same immediate, practical way.

Light exposure shapes our sleep-wake cycle. After a night shift, daylight signals that it’s morning and tends to suppress melatonin, making daytime sleep harder. Wearing dark sunglasses before leaving work reduces the amount of bright morning light reaching the eyes, helping preserve melatonin levels long enough to fall asleep when she gets home. This simple habit supports the body’s natural rhythm and makes daytime sleep more feasible for night-shift workers.

Other options address meal timing, post-shift exercise, or shift scheduling, which can influence sleep but don’t directly counteract the morning light that disrupts daytime sleep in the same immediate, practical way.