Work-related Fatigue Reaches Beyond the Workplace

Fatigue has been defined as “the body’s response to sleep loss or to prolonged physical or mental exertion.”1 As such, with increasing periods of insufficient sleep or physical/mental exertion, the more fatigued we become. This fatigue can only be reduced with sufficient rest. However, for workers employed in nonstandard schedules, such as with shift work, early mornings and extended hours, opportunities for sufficient rest and recovery are limited2-4. Shortened or disrupted sleep is associated with fatigue and alters regions in the brain with short- and long-term effects on cognition. This can affect decision making, attention and concentration which can have