Night work SEH: minimize harmful health effects among caregivers on emergency care caused by night shifts.

Working at night during hours disturbs the day-night rhythm of the body. The
normal pattern is broken and the day-night cycle changes, with exposure to
light, nutrition and activity taking place at a different time than normal. The
biological clock indicates in the night shift that it is time to sleep and the
caregivers are usually long awake before the start of the service, they become
sleepy and less alert during the night. By working in shifts, due to the
disruption of the biological clock, many problems arise. Sleep disorders but
also serious health risks such as heart disease and diabetes.

The aim of the study is to test whether the implementation of a package of
specific measures during the night shifts at the emergency room, alertness and
performance during the night, sleep and physical complaints in general change.
In addition, we investigate whether the package of measures has an affect
after 6 months implementation the long-term health effects .(testing markers of
diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease)

This is a single center intervention study with a before and after design at
the care providers who do night shift at the emergency room in the Jeroen Bosch
Hospital.

The intervention consists of a number of measures, namely light therapy in the
night and in the morning, food and powernap. These measures are applied for a
period of 6 months.

The burden for the participants consists of completing a short questionnaire
regarding subjective sleepiness (1 minute) in each night shift and before
intervention and after 6 months a questionnaire concerning sleep quality and
quality of life and health complaints (2 x 60 minutes). Likewise, blood is
taken before and after 6 months to mark health complaints.
Possible risks. Participants may have a nut and / or fruit allergy that has not
previously been revealed. There are apossible pain complaints and / or bruising
after blood tests