Technicians or other health-care workers who focus on routine procedures can have the worst trouble fighting off drowsiness because they usually can't count on adrenaline to keep them awake, said Dr. Becker. It's not the surgeon that's the main problem. He's active and involved. They must fight off the body's natural desire to sleep between midnight and 6 a.m., and they usually sleep fewer hours than do people who have day jobs, Dr. Becker said. And that's a big problem for working mothers.
Some night workers have trouble ever falling asleep.
Many seek help at the Sleep Institute. Patients spend the night at the clinic, where sensors are stuck to their head, chest and legs before they retire to a room. Clinicians monitor the subjects using video and signals from the various sensors. The center's goal is for patients to get a full night of sleep. The center's workers have found that they are not immune to the problem they treat.