ble. For instance, if you work for several days and then take a few days off, try to keep your sleeping hours the same, even when you aren't working.

- If it becomes necessary to change shifts, try to move your shift forward; changing the start of your workday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is easier on your body than backing it up from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.

- To sleep better during the day, avoid sunlight for at least an hour prior to bedtime.

- Keep your bedroom as cool and as dark as possible, an

Many industries and businesses today are forced to operate day and night to stay competitive. For consumers and business owners, this 24-hour world is a boon. But if you are among those who must work at night, it can be a nightmare, affecting everything from your mood and social life to your health. The main problem with night work is the interruption of the body's internal clock, known as the natural circadian rhythm. This complex timing system orchestrates a variety of physiological events, including blood pressure, secretion of stomach acids, and even the degree to which you experience pain. Normally, this rhythm is kept on track by cues from your environment - daylight, social contacts, mealtime, and sleep time. When those cues veer from the norm, as they do if you work nights and sleep days, your body clock may not change to match your new schedule. If it doesn't, your body will long for sleep when you need to be awake and resist sleep when you turn in. Meanwhile, your risk of accidents and health problems will soar.

In the short term, working the night shift makes you feel fatigued and less alert - much the way you would if you were to have a bad night's sleep every single day for weeks. You may have problems making decisions and communicating your thoughts and you are more likely to have accidents, particularly while driving.

Long-term consequences, however, can be more serious. These include gastrointestinal problems (chronic heartburn and indigestion), weight gain, high blood pressure, and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. Emotional problems also occur more frequently. Women working night shifts, for example, have increased menstrual difficulties and problems with infertility. Pregnant women, on the other hand, are at greater risk of high blood pressure.

Fortunately, there are ways to counter the effects of working the night shift:

- If you can't avoid night shifts, reduce the risks by changing your daily schedule as little as possible. For instance, if you work for several days and then take a few days off, try to keep your sleeping hours the same, even when you aren't working.

- If it becomes necessary to change shifts, try to move your shift forward; changing the start of your workday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is easier on your body than backing it up from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.

- To sleep better during the day, avoid sunlight for at least an hour prior to bedtime.

- Keep your bedroom as cool and as dark as possible, and

ng blood pressure, secretion of stomach acids, and even the degree to which you experience pain. Normally, this rhythm is kept on track by cues from your environment - daylight, social contacts, mealtime, and sleep time. When those cues veer from the norm, as they do if you work nights and sleep days, your body clock may not change to match your new schedule. If it doesn't, your body will long for sleep when you need to be awake and resist sleep when you turn in. Meanwhile, your risk of accidents and health problems will soar.

In the short term, working the night shift makes you feel fatigued and less alert - much the way you would if you were to have a bad night's sleep every single day for weeks. You may have problems making decisions and communicating your thoughts and you are more likely to have accidents, particularly while driving.

Long-term consequences, however, can be more serious. These include gastrointestinal problems (chronic heartburn and indigestion), weight gain, high blood pressure, and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. Emotional problems also occur more frequently. Women working night shifts, for example, have increased menstrual difficulties and problems with infertility. Pregnant women, on the other hand, are at greater risk of high blood pressure.

Fortunately, there are ways to counter the effects of working the night shift:

- If you can't avoid night shifts, reduce the risks by changing your daily schedule as little as possible. For instance, if you work for several days and then take a few days off, try to keep your sleeping hours the same, even when you aren't working.

- If it becomes necessary to change shifts, try to move your shift forward; changing the start of your workday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is easier on your body than backing it up from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.

- To sleep better during the day, avoid sunlight for at least an hour prior to bedtime.

- Keep your bedroom as cool and as dark as possible, an

health problems will soar.

In the short term, working the night shift makes you feel fatigued and less alert - much the way you would if you were to have a bad night's sleep every single day for weeks. You may have problems making decisions and communicating your thoughts and you are more likely to have accidents, particularly while driving.

Long-term consequences, however, can be more serious. These include gastrointestinal problems (chronic heartburn and indigestion), weight gain, high blood pressure, and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. Emotional problems also occur more frequently. Women working night shifts, for example, have increased menstrual difficulties and problems with infertility. Pregnant women, on the other hand, are at greater risk of high blood pressure.

Fortunately, there are ways to counter the effects of working the night shift:

- If you can't avoid night shifts, reduce the risks by changing your daily schedule as little as possible. For instance, if you work for several days and then take a few days off, try to keep your sleeping hours the same, even when you aren't working.

- If it becomes necessary to change shifts, try to move your shift forward; changing the start of your workday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is easier on your body than backing it up from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.

- To sleep better during the day, avoid sunlight for at least an hour prior to bedtime.

- Keep your bedroom as cool and as dark as possible, an

ood pressure, and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. Emotional problems also occur more frequently. Women working night shifts, for example, have increased menstrual difficulties and problems with infertility. Pregnant women, on the other hand, are at greater risk of high blood pressure.

Fortunately, there are ways to counter the effects of working the night shift:

- If you can't avoid night shifts, reduce the risks by changing your daily schedule as little as possible. For instance, if you work for several days and then take a few days off, try to keep your sleeping hours the same, even when you aren't working.

- If it becomes necessary to change shifts, try to move your shift forward; changing the start of your workday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is easier on your body than backing it up from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.

- To sleep better during the day, avoid sunlight for at least an hour prior to bedtime.

- Keep your bedroom as cool and as dark as possible, an

ble. For instance, if you work for several days and then take a few days off, try to keep your sleeping hours the same, even when you aren't working.

- If it becomes necessary to change shifts, try to move your shift forward; changing the start of your workday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is easier on your body than backing it up from 3 p.m. to 7 a.m.

- To sleep better during the day, avoid sunlight for at least an hour prior to bedtime.

- Keep your bedroom as cool and as dark as possible, and use earplugs, a sleep mask, and a white-noise machine to lessen distractions.

- While working at night, adjust your lifestyle so that your schedule runs work-sleep-leisure, rather than the work-leisure-sleep schedule of day workers.

- Avoid cigarettes and excessive caffeine, and resist using sleeping pills or alcohol to induce drowsiness or stimulant drugs to stay awake.

- Be sure to get plenty of exercise, preferably during a break, in your night shift. If that isn't possible, exercise before your night shift.

- Avoid doing any type of strenuous exercise just before you need to go to sleep.

Finally, to adjust more easily to night work, try taking a three-hour nap prior to starting your shift and going to bed directly after the shift. Then gradually shorten the nap and lengthen your sleep time.