Majoration de nuit interim a third of the country’s workers are on the job at night, including paramedics and police officers, hospital staff, food and hospitality workers, transportation and utility personnel and factory employees who make or distribute goods 24 hours a day. But while working the late night shift poses some health risks for individuals, it also comes at a price to public health as a whole.

Sleep deprivation causes the brain to increase activity in the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex, two regions that play a role in emotions and stress. The result is that people who aren’t getting enough sleep feel irritable, angry or sad more easily and have trouble thinking clearly. The effects of insufficient sleep can last for weeks or even months, and people who work nights have higher rates of depression than those with normal schedules.

Understanding Temporary Night Increases: What You Need to Know

The final stage of the sleep cycle is REM (or rapid eye movement) sleep. During this phase, EEG patterns and skeletal muscle movements are similar to those of an awake person. This is the time when dreaming and clitoral/penile tumescence occur. It is also the time when cortisol levels rise, a process called the HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal) axis response to stress.

Prevailing rate employees are entitled to a 7 1/2 percent night shift differential for all work hours worked during the evening portion of a rotating night shift, except for meal breaks of less than one hour. Employees may also be paid the night shift differential for periods of leave with pay (including vacation and sick days), while in official travel status, on court duty or on a jury summons.