Offshore Fleet Workers and the Circadian Adaptation of Core Body Temperature, Blood Pressure and Heart Rate to 12-h Shifts: A Field Study

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the circadian adaptation of tcr (core body temperature), BP (blood pressure), HR (heart rate) and subjective sleep quality after 7 days of working 12-h night shifts in offshore fleet workers. Methods. Night workers (N = 7) (18:00–6:00) and day workers (N = 7) (6:00–18:00) were recruited from a Norwegian offshore company operating in the North Sea. We measured tcr, BP and HR on days 1 and 7. Results. An increase of 0.6 oC (p = .03) was observed within the group of night workers from day 1 to day 7. Between the night and day workers there was a significant difference of 0.6 oC from day 1 to day 7 (p = .01). Sleep latency and sleep length also showed significant differences between the groups (p = .01 and p = .04). There was an interaction effect in tiredness during the shift (p = .02). Conclusion. The significant increase in tcr indicates an adaptation in the night workers to the new working schedule, and the extended working hours and sleep deprivation are hypothesized to be the main cause of the increased tcr. Light exposure, altered pattern of food availability and physical activity are likely to have contributed as well. Subjective sleep quality showed inconclusive results.