Shift work and sleep: an AASM review brings together 118 studies, with no efficacy results in the abstract

A review to inform clinical recommendations

This review aims to provide the evidence needed for a clinical practice guideline on shift work sleep disorder. It examines interventions intended to reduce excessive sleepiness, sleep disturbances or insomnia, and to support circadian adaptation to work schedules.

The literature search identified 3,045 articles. Of these, 118 studies provided data suitable for statistical analyses. This number describes the body of studies analyzed, not the number of participants or the strength of the findings for each treatment.

Different experimental and workplace settings

The authors included controlled laboratory trials simulating shift work and field studies involving shift workers. Participants could have a diagnosis of shift work sleep disorder or no such diagnosis.

This diversity matters when interpreting the findings: a result obtained under simulated schedules does not answer exactly the same question as a result observed in workers with a diagnosed disorder. The abstract does not break down the results by setting.

What this publication tells us

The researchers report using the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence and, where possible, thresholds for judging the clinical relevance of the effects. They also report an assessment of the balance between benefits and harms.

However, the abstract specifies neither the treatments assessed, nor their effects, nor the levels of certainty reached. It is therefore insufficient to recommend a treatment, change care or develop a protocol.

What we can take away

This review synthesizes evidence to inform recommendations on shift work. Its abstract alone does not establish which treatments provide a clinically meaningful benefit.