Expert advice on work nights good sleep health and sleep health. Get professional recommendations from LA Mattress Store for better rest and recovery.
About 22 million Americans work night or rotating shifts. And nearly all of them deal with the same problem: the world is designed for daytime living, but their bodies need to sleep when everyone else is awake.
The health consequences of chronically disrupted sleep are real — but so are the strategies that help. This guide is for anyone trying to protect their sleep and wellbeing while working a non-traditional schedule.
Your circadian rhythm — your body's internal 24-hour clock — is tied to light and darkness. When your schedule runs against that natural cycle, the downstream effects go beyond feeling tired.
Shift workers face a higher incidence of:
The encouraging part: research suggests that with consistent, deliberate habits, many of these effects can be reduced or reversed over time. The body is adaptable — it just needs help.
Sleeping during the day is harder than it sounds. Light, noise, and social expectations all work against you. Here's how to counter each one.
Light is the primary signal your brain uses to stay awake. Blackout curtains are non-negotiable for daytime sleep — even small light leaks around window frames will suppress melatonin production. Use a sleep mask as a backup.
The world doesn't quiet down at 9 a.m. White noise or a fan helps mask the variable sounds (lawn mowers, delivery trucks, kids playing outside) that cause sleep disruptions. Continuous, steady noise is much easier to sleep through than random, unpredictable sounds.
Your body naturally lowers its core temperature as part of the sleep process. A cooler room — generally 65–68°F — supports this. During summer or in warm climates like LA, this may mean keeping AC running during your sleep window.
If you're a shift worker already battling poor sleep, a mattress that causes pressure points, runs hot, or doesn't match your sleep position adds another obstacle you don't need. Your mattress should be the one variable working for you. If yours is more than 7–8 years old or you wake up sore, it's worth reassessing. Browse our mattress collection or visit a showroom to test options in person.
Don't leave sleep to chance. Before each week starts, look at your shift schedule and block out your sleep windows the way you'd block out a work meeting. Consistency — sleeping and waking at the same times each day — is one of the most effective tools for regulating your circadian rhythm.
Household noise and interruptions are a major cause of poor daytime sleep. A brief weekly check-in with your roommates or family about your sleep schedule can reduce unintentional disruptions significantly. Post your sleep hours somewhere visible if that helps.
The blue-spectrum light from phones, tablets, and computers tells your brain it's daytime. Put devices away at least 45 minutes before sleep. If you need to wind down after a night shift, opt for dim, warm lighting and avoid screens.
Alcohol may feel like it helps you fall asleep, but it fragments sleep quality significantly. Once your body metabolizes it (which happens a few hours in), it acts as a stimulant — causing waking, light sleep stages, and less restorative rest overall. Avoid alcohol in the hours before sleep.
A 20–30 minute nap during your waking hours can reduce fatigue without causing sleep inertia (that groggy, disoriented feeling from sleeping too long). Don't nap longer than 30 minutes unless you can complete a full 90-minute sleep cycle — partial cycles can leave you feeling worse.
Light management is one of the most powerful and underused tools for shift workers.
Shift workers are more vulnerable to weight gain and digestive issues, partly because irregular schedules disrupt hunger hormones and make fast food the path of least resistance at 3 a.m.
A few practical habits that help:
If you have any influence over your schedule, these principles make a real difference:
The same as everyone else — 7–9 hours for most adults. The challenge is getting quality, uninterrupted sleep during daytime hours when your environment and body clock are working against you.
Chronic shift work is associated with increased health risks, but many effects are reversible when sleep habits improve. The key is minimizing disruption and prioritizing sleep quality consistently over time.
For most shift workers, maintaining a consistent schedule — even on days off — is better for your health than trying to flip back to a daytime schedule every weekend. That said, some people successfully split the difference with partial adjustments. What matters most is consistency.
Any quality mattress that suits your sleep position and temperature preferences. The goal is eliminating sleep disruption from physical discomfort — pressure points, overheating, or poor support are problems you can control. Visit our LA showrooms to try different options and get guidance from our sleep experts.
Yes — regular exercise is one of the more effective natural sleep aids. Timing matters: finishing vigorous exercise at least 2–3 hours before your sleep window prevents the alerting effects of exercise from interfering with sleep onset.
Shift workers can't always control their schedules — but they can control their sleep environment. If you're already doing everything right (dark room, consistent schedule, no alcohol before bed) and still waking up feeling unrested, your mattress might be the missing piece.
Stop by any of our 5 LA area showrooms for a no-pressure consultation, or explore our full mattress lineup online. We offer 120 nights to try it at home — so there's no risk in getting it right.
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