Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Shift work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder that causes difficulty adjusting sleep and wake times to nontraditional work schedules such as overnight, early morning, or rotating shifts.
Key points
- The condition shows up as two core problems: difficulty falling or staying asleep, and excessive sleepiness at unwanted times such as during a night shift.
- Among shift workers, 10 to 40 percent develop shift work sleep disorder.
- There is no cure, but the condition is generally managed with schedule changes, bright light therapy, and in some cases medication.
Medicines listed for Shift Work Sleep Disorder
The listed products contain Armodafinil and Modafinil, both supplied as tablets. These are wakefulness-promoting agents that address the excessive sleepiness component of shift work disorder rather than acting as traditional stimulants. Armodafinil is the longer-acting enantiomer of modafinil, so the two differ mainly in how long their alertness effect lasts.

