DEAR DR. ROACH: I just retired from working the graveyard shift for 40 years.
I am hoping you can share some information on how to safely learn to sleep at night once again. — E.H.
ANSWER: Changing your body’s circadian rhythm isn’t always easy, and after such a long time, it will take longer for you.
But it shouldn’t be as difficult as you might fear.
When people fly to the other part of the world, they need to get accustomed to a new sleep schedule, and it usually doesn’t take more than a week or two for them to get accustomed. For you, it will be difficult learning to be up during the day, which is more of a behavioral issue than a circadianrhythm issue.
The first advice I give is to push your internal time clock forward, not backward. Try to stay up two hours or so later each day until you get to a bedtime that works with your family (if appropriate) and goals.
Your body has an easier time moving forward than backward.
Bright light can be your friend or your enemy. You want bright light when you wake up, not right before bed. Computers, phones and tablets all put out light that signals your brain to wake up, so don’t use these before bed. Making sure that your bedroom is dark when you want to sleep is something you probably have already done, but it’s still worth mentioning.
Caffeine is very helpful to a lot of people, so if you partake, do so when you awaken, not before bedtime. Some people metabolize caffeine slowly, so if you do, don’t have any caffeine for at least 8 hours before planning to go to sleep.