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Sleep habits

Sleeping in the daytime after a night shift: what official sources say

Many newcomers start with night or early jobs in hotels, restaurants, care homes, warehouses and cleaning. Sleeping in the daytime is hard, and that is normal: the UK Health and Safety Executive says night workers' day sleep is often lighter, shorter and more easily disturbed because of daytime noise and a natural reluctance to sleep in daylight. This page collects practical tips from official health sources only: the NHS, the US CDC's occupational-safety institute NIOSH and the UK HSE. One note: the NIOSH course is written for nurses, but its sleep advice is about shift work in general. We only repeat what these pages say, and we link each tip to its source.

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Eleven tips, each with its source

Checked on official pages on 26 Oct 2026. These are general tips, not a plan for one person.

Make the room very dark

NIOSH says that whether you sleep at night or in the daytime, your bedroom should be very dark. Use room-darkening shades or heavy lined curtains, and block light that gets in around the edges. Blinds can let in too much light. Stop light coming under the door, for example by turning off hall lights or using a draught stopper. If that is not enough, wear an eye mask for the whole sleep. NIOSH's night-shift advice is a room so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your eyes. The NHS also suggests fully closed curtains and an eye mask if light is still a problem.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: Create a good sleep environment · NIOSH/CDC: Sleep after night shift · NHS: Fall asleep faster and sleep better

Cover the noise

The NHS says a quiet room can help, and suggests earplugs if noise is a problem, and background sounds like rainfall, gentle music or white noise. NIOSH suggests earplugs or a machine such as a fan or white-noise machine to camouflage other noises, and putting your phone on do-not-disturb with emergency calls allowed for chosen contacts. HSE also notes that daytime noise is one reason day sleep is disturbed. Our player has steady brown noise, pink noise and a fan sound, linked below.

Sources: NHS: Fall asleep faster and sleep better · NIOSH/CDC: Block out noise, keep cool · HSE (UK): Fatigue

Keep it cool and comfortable

The NHS says you may find it easier to sleep in a room that is quiet, dark and cool, and suggests adjusting the temperature or opening a window if it is safe to do so. NIOSH says you may sleep better if the room is cool and you add covers to stay warm, and that people differ, so do what feels comfortable.

Sources: NHS: Fall asleep faster and sleep better · NIOSH/CDC: Block out noise, keep cool

Go to bed soon after you get home

NIOSH's advice for night workers is to go to bed when you arrive home, and to sleep as long as you can, because night workers tend to get less sleep, and poorer-quality sleep, than day workers. It says that if your body clock has not adjusted to daytime sleep, there is only a small window before it starts to keep you awake, and that the more you sleep before about 2 p.m., the better rested you will be. It suggests not using the early morning for chores and errands, because that is prime sleep time. If you will be hungry, it suggests a small meal first, such as cereal and milk.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: Sleep after night shift

Wind down, even for a few minutes

The NHS says a calm routine helps you prepare for sleep: reading, meditation, breathing exercises or calming music, and no phones, tablets or computers for an hour before bed. NIOSH adds keeping light low for 1 to 2 hours before bed, brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed, and avoiding heavy or spicy meals 2 to 3 hours before sleep. If you are still awake after about 20 minutes, the NHS says not to force it: get up, do something quiet, and go back when you feel sleepy.

Sources: NHS: Fall asleep faster and sleep better · NIOSH/CDC: Prepare for sleep

Time your caffeine

NIOSH says caffeine takes about 30 minutes to work and has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours, sometimes much longer, so a coffee near the end of a night shift can still cause restlessness or waking when you try to sleep. It says night workers who use caffeine could have it at the start of the shift and stop several hours before the shift ends. The NHS says caffeine makes you feel more awake and suggests a warm milky drink or herbal tea instead. NIOSH also says alcohol may help you fall asleep but causes waking later, and the NHS says to avoid alcohol and nicotine 1 to 2 hours before bed.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: Prepare for sleep · NIOSH/CDC: Caffeine · NHS: Fall asleep faster and sleep better

Sunglasses on the way home: only with a safe lift

NIOSH says some researchers recommend dark or blue-light-blocking sunglasses on the way home from a night shift, because morning light can start your body's daytime alerting and shorten your sleep. Other researchers worry that if you are already sleepy, dark glasses could increase drowsy driving. NIOSH's conclusion is the safest approach: use sunglasses after a night shift only if someone else drives you home. If you use them, put them on before you go outside and keep them on until you are in a dark room.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: Improve sleep by avoiding light · NIOSH/CDC: Light on night shift · NIOSH/CDC: Sunglasses and getting home

Short naps

NIOSH says a 15 to 20 minute nap in the daytime can improve alertness, and that naps are a temporary aid, not a replacement for a regular long sleep. It says that waking after about an hour of sleep, when sleep is deep, can leave you groggy for a while, and that waking after about 20 minutes, or after about 90 minutes, tends to be easier. After a nap, wait until you feel alert before doing anything important. It also says a nap before a night shift can help alertness during the shift.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: Napping introduction · NIOSH/CDC: Nap duration · NIOSH/CDC: Sleep inertia · NIOSH/CDC: Napping before night shift

If you are too sleepy to drive home

NIOSH says that if you are very sleepy, do not drive. Ask someone to pick you up, take a taxi or public transport, share a car, or find somewhere to sleep near work. It lists warning signs: heavy eyelids, trouble remembering the last few miles, missing exits, drifting from your lane and trouble keeping your head up. It says opening the window, turning up the radio or pinching yourself are not supported by research, and that many drowsy-driving crashes happen in the last few miles, so a short distance is not a reason to carry on. If you must stop, pull over safely: NIOSH says even 15 to 20 minutes of sleep can help, and that caffeine takes about 30 minutes to work. It also says most drowsy-driving crashes and near misses occur between 4 and 6 a.m.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: Sunglasses and getting home · NIOSH/CDC: Drowsy driving · NIOSH/CDC: Warning signs · NIOSH/CDC: Preventing crashes · NIOSH/CDC: Preventing crashes (continued)

On days off, keep some sleep hours the same

The NHS says to keep your routine similar even on days when you are not working. NIOSH notes that going back to night sleep on every day off can feel like constant jet lag, and describes a compromise scientists have suggested: on work days sleep as soon as you get home (for example from 8 a.m.), and on days off stay up until about 3 to 4 a.m. and sleep until about noon or 1 p.m., so that some hours, such as 8 a.m. to noon, are always sleep time. It also warns against staying awake the whole day before your first night shift or after your last one.

Sources: NHS: Fall asleep faster and sleep better · NIOSH/CDC: Days off

Tell the people around you

NIOSH says day sleep is lighter than night sleep, so noises disturb it more, and suggests telling family, friends and, if it is safe to do so, close neighbours when you need to sleep. It suggests explaining that the daytime is your only sleep time, and asking others not to disturb you. Our page on quiet hours and noisy neighbours covers what official sources say about noise rules in eight countries.

Sources: NIOSH/CDC: What family can do · NIOSH/CDC: Tell people your schedule · NIOSH/CDC: Explain your sleep times

Steady sound for daytime sleep

Daytime has traffic, voices and doors. Sources above suggest earplugs or a steady sound such as a fan, white noise or rainfall to camouflage noise. On this site you can try brown noise, pink noise and a fan sound for free, with a timer, in your browser, with no account.

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Quiet hours and noisy neighbours

Not medical advice

This page is not medical advice. It only repeats what the linked official pages say. We give no advice on supplements or sleep medicines: NIOSH says to use the habits above fully first, and to see a health care provider if you are sleepy at work or while driving. The NHS says to see a GP if changing your sleeping habits has not helped, if you have had trouble sleeping for months, or if poor sleep affects your daily life. Talk to a doctor if sleep problems persist.

Questions

Why is it hard to sleep in the daytime?

HSE says night workers' day sleep is often lighter, shorter and more easily disturbed because of daytime noise and a natural reluctance to sleep in daylight. NIOSH adds that night workers tend to get less and poorer sleep than day workers, because they work against the body clock that is set by daylight.

Should I wear sunglasses on the way home from a night shift?

NIOSH says researchers disagree: some recommend dark or blue-light-blocking sunglasses to help you sleep, others worry they add to sleepiness while driving. Its safest approach is to use them after a night shift only if someone else drives you home.

How long should a nap be?

NIOSH says a 15 to 20 minute nap in the daytime can improve alertness, and that waking after about an hour of sleep can leave you groggy for a while. It says naps are a temporary aid, not a replacement for regular sleep.

When should I see a doctor?

The NHS says to see a GP if changing your sleeping habits has not helped, if you have had trouble sleeping for months, or if it affects your daily life. NIOSH says to see a health care provider if you are sleepy at work or while driving. This page is not medical advice.

Sources

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