Efficacité d'interventions comportementales pour le sommeil des travailleurs de nuit. Exploration préliminaire

Shift work can cause health and sleep problems, including a shift work disorder (SWD). SWD is characterized by insomnia and/or excessive sleepiness. Until now, few studies have documented the treatment of insomnia symptoms in the SWD, while the efficacy of the behavioural therapy for insomnia disorder is well established. Therefore, the present study aims at exploring the efficacy and clinical utility of a behavioural treatment for SWD. The treatment includes psychoeducation, sleep restriction, stimulus control, and naps. Four participants aged 20 to 36 years and diagnosed with SWD received eight treatment sessions. A single case design called multiple baseline across subjects design was used. Exploratory results obtained in the present study show an improvement in the subjective perception of nocturnal and diurnal sleep. In addition, the treatment contributes to reduce excessive sleepiness, depressive symptoms, as well as the dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep. This study paves the way to new interventions targeting sleep difficulties in shift workers.