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A new clinical practice guideline from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine establishes evidence‑based recommendations for the management of shift work disorder in adults.

The guideline is published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine and is accompanied by a systematic review and meta‑analysis examining behavioral, pharmacologic and circadian‑based interventions for shift work disorder, with outcomes relevant to both patients and clinicians.

Previous AASM practice parameters addressed circadian rhythm sleep‑wake disorders broadly and provided recommendations for commonly used interventions. The new guideline builds on this earlier work by applying a systematic, evidence‑graded approach to evaluate the benefits and potential harms of treatments specifically for shift work disorder.

"There is no one‑size‑fits‑all solution for shift work disorder," said lead co-author Kenneth P. Wright Jr., who has a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience and psychology and is a professor of distinction in integrative physiology and director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder.

"Our recommendations reflect the reality that patients have different schedules, symptoms and constraints, and clinicians need flexible, evidence‑based strategies to help them function safely and sleep effectively."

Shift work disorder affects approximately 27% of adult shift workers and occurs when required work schedules overlap with an individual's usual sleep timing for at least three months. The disorder is characterized by excessive sleepiness, sleep disturbance/insomnia, or both, resulting from circadian misalignment and insufficient sleep.

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