24/7 Health

Rogers, Naomi L; Grunstein, Ronald R

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06782.x

Topics

Accidents, such as the Exxon Valdez grounding, show how long work hours and fatigue can affect health and performance — pharmacological, behavioural, technological and legal countermeasures are available

Thanks to Edison and other 19th century inventors, we now live in a 24/7 society. Electric lighting keeps factories, supermarkets and airports operating around the clock. Planes fly across multiple time zones. Trucks are driven all night. Health care delivery is a 24-hour business. The price we pay is that lack of sleep and circadian disruption are contributing to work, parenting, social and family pressures, sleep and other medical disorders, and voluntary sleep curtailment.

Sleep & Circadian Research Group, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW.

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