Night shift workers are the unsung heroes that maintain the essential functions of our society, from saving our lives to powering our industries, ensuring that the world keeps turning, even after the sun sets. However, it comes at a cost – disrupted sleep, constant fatigue, lack of quality time with friends and family, and negative impacts on overall well-being. Not having a good quality of sleep also hurts the integrity and efficiency of critical operations that rely on the vigilance of night shift workers.
At Lumos, we are set to support and improve the lives of those who have tirelessly served our society. With fundings from the Department of Defense, we developed the Lumos Mask and conducted a counterbalanced, double-blinded, within-subject, placebo-controlled study to investigate the efficacy of the Lumos Mask in night shifts.
Study design: counterbalanced, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, within-subject comparison
The exploratory study involved a total of 15 night shift workers aged 18-65, each underwent five distinct rounds during the research:
- No Device Round: This was the control phase, where participants experienced their regular night shifts without any sleep-enhancing devices.
- Sham Program Round: this was the placebo-controlled phase,where participants used the Lumos Mask with a sham program, mimicking the use of active light programs but without actual light stimulation.
- Active Light Program Round(s): this was the treatment phase, where the participants used the LumosMask with active light programs designed to help with night shifts.
Because participants may miss some of the nights when they are supposed to use the mask with active light programs, we also compare the data between participant testing rounds in which they used the mask with active light programs more often, with those they did not use the mask or did not use the mask with active light programs.
Data analysis
- The impact of night shifts: Comparing sleep and performance during night shift rotation with participants' own baseline during dayshift period.
- The impact of Lumos: Exploring if Lumos use mitigated the impact of night shifts.
- Measures: sleep and performance
Study Findings
Trend #1: Higher alertness and less fatigue during night shifts
We used Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), which is a reliable method widely used in sleep research to assess reaction time and gauge an individual’s alertness and cognitive responsiveness. It is like a quick game that helps us measure how quickly someone can react to something. Imagine a simple task, like pressing a button as soon as a light blinks. PVT records how fast a person can do this, which tells us how alert and responsive they are.
We compared the reaction times in participants as an indicator of how fatigue they were. We observed consistently increased reaction time during night shifts for participants when compared to their normal, day shift performance baseline. This indicates the impact of night shifts. However, consistent Lumos use was able to mitigate these negative impact of night shifts. During testing rounds in which participants used Lumos with active light program, they showed shorter reaction times and less fatigue compared to when they did not use the mask or only received the placebo program.
Similarly, we also observed participants reported less difficulty staying awake in their post-shift commute during testing rounds when they used Lumos active program consistently compared to testing rounds when they didn't use Lumos or only received placebo programs.
Trend #2: Better physical, cognitive, and emotional performances
We asked the participants to rate their physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning at each night shift. We compared the self-rated scores in participants during testing rounds when they used Lumos consistently compared to testing rounds when they didn't use Lumos. Improved self-reported physical energy, cognitive function and emotional functions were observed among testing rounds when participants used the Lumos Mask with active light programs, compared to those when participants did not use the mask or had placebo light programs.
Trend #3: Better rest during night shift with Lumos
Night shift workers often experience poor sleep during the day after finishing an overnight shift. In the shift sleep, we observed that participants took shorter time to fall asleep in testing rounds with Lumos use. We also observed longer REM sleep in participants in testing rounds that they used Lumos consistently. More importantly, instead of waking up early, most participants in their testing rounds with Lumos active programs stayed asleep for longer compared to when they didn't use Lumos. They also rated sleep as higher quality during the testing rounds when they used Lumos consistently.
Conclusion
The study examining the effects of the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask with active light programs on night shift workers suggests promising improvements in sleep quality and performance during night shifts. This innovative solution brings hope for enhancing the well-being and safety of night shift workers across diverse industries.
As our research continues and we apply these findings in real-world scenarios, we anticipate the potential for a brighter future for those who tirelessly work through the night to keep our world functioning smoothly.
Finally, if you work in an organization with people frequently work night shifts, please don't hesitate to reach out!