(Photo by SF Buckaroo) The world feels smaller and faster than ever. We communicate in the blink of an eye and multi-task through every waking hour. Global business doesn't slow down, let alone stop, and that means more employees are working around the clock. In honor of National Night Shift Workers Day, we'd like to thank the hard-working folks who keep everything running during the graveyard shift. The police officers, security guards, truckers, and cabbies. The emergency services, cleaners, factory workers, and construction crews. The bleary-eyed clerks behind hotel, shop, and gas station counters, and the 24-hour diner waitresses who pour them all their 4 am lunch-break coffee. Shift work may have its perks -- quiet hours, better pay, time off during the "normal" business day -- and some night owls love the late shift. But it's also more dangerous and can wreak havoc on sleep patterns, diet, and general health. So how can early birds thank shift workers for our peaceful, secure sleep, our next-day delivery, and our 2am cravings for apple pie? Wait to mow the lawn tomorrow, hold those telemarketing calls, or cancel your accordion practice. After all, who wouldn't appreciate a better day's sleep? Suggested Sites... Livelyhood: Night Shift - a PBS program about the people who work the night shift and how they handle it. Night Shift Workers and Sleep - tips to help shift workers get restful sleep. Shiftworker.com - educating about sleep, nutrition, and safety issues for shift workers. Work Schedules: Shift Work and Long Work Hours - resources from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Directory categories: Shift Work, Night People, Circadian Rhythms, Late Night Bars and Restaurants, Workplace Issues

Archived under: Employment, Health, Night, Sleep, Work

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