Using pharmacological aids to improve waking function and sleep while working at night

Non-refreshing or insufficient sleep, and impaired alertness on the job, are two nearly universal consequences of night work. The effects of drugs upon the sleep and alertness of night workers has only recently been studied and much work remains to be done. To date, it is clear that sleep during the day can be improved with sedative-hypnotic compounds, particularly the benzodiazepines. Despite improvement in sleep, alertness at night is improved only mildly, if at all, with short-acting sleeping agents and can be further impaired with long-acting drugs. The limited research examining alertness and performance during night shift hours after administration of CNS stimulants suggests significant benefits. The judicious use of CNS stimulants in this way needs further exploration. Precise pharmacological manipulation of the endogenous sleep/wake rhythm is primarily theoretical at this time but should be pursued.