Research

Hormonal

Timed exposure to bright light during night shifts and melatonin administration can facilitate circadian adaptation and improve sleep quality in shift workers.

To adapt to night shifts, expose yourself to bright light during your shift and in the early morning. After your shift, wear sunglasses to block morning light to help your body adjust. You can also take melatonin (1-2 mg) to help you sleep during the day. Avoid rapidly rotating schedules if possible.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
For adaptation to a series of night shifts, the following is recommended: light exposure in the night and early morning hours to facilitate a circadian phase delay... and shielding morning light exposure... Melatonin can also be used to promote sleep during the daytime, thereby improving sleep quality and duration in night shift workers.
Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam et al. · The Medical Journal of Australia · 2013

Why this rating

Supported by laboratory studies and clinical recommendations, though long-term safety of melatonin is noted as lacking.

Source

Sleep loss and circadian disruption in shift work: health burden and management

Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam et al. · The Medical Journal of Australia · 2013

DOI 10.5694/mja13.10561

narrative_reviewCited 208×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →