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Effect of Workplace Sleep Health Assessment on Sleep Disorders Detection among Shift Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Sleep disorders are an important occupational and public health concern among shift workers in Nigeria because irregular work schedules, night shifts, rotating shifts, extended working hours, and disruption of normal sleep-wake patterns may negatively affect sleep quality and duration. Shift workers may experience insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, sleep deprivation, and other sleep-related problems that can affect concentration, mood, productivity, safety, and overall health. Undetected sleep disorders may increase the risk of workplace errors, accidents, absenteeism, impaired performance, and chronic health problems. Workplace sleep health assessment provides an opportunity to identify workers experiencing sleep difficulties through structured sleep-health questionnaires, assessment of work schedules, evaluation of sleep patterns, screening for excessive daytime sleepiness, and referral for further clinical assessment where necessary. Early detection may facilitate sleep-health education, appropriate scheduling interventions, behavioural recommendations, clinical evaluation, and specialist referral. However, limited occupational health services, low awareness of sleep disorders, concerns about workplace stigma, shortage of trained personnel, inadequate assessment tools, and weak referral and follow-up systems may limit the effectiveness of workplace sleep health assessment in Nigeria. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of workplace sleep health assessment on sleep disorders detection among shift workers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on Occupational Health Theory, the Health Belief Model, and the Health Systems Framework. Occupational Health Theory emphasizes the prevention, identification, monitoring, and management of workplace-related health risks and the promotion of workers' health, safety, and well-being. The Health Belief Model explains how shift workers' perceptions of susceptibility to sleep disorders, perceived severity, perceived benefits of sleep health assessment, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence participation in workplace sleep-health assessment. The Health Systems Framework emphasizes service delivery, health workforce, health information, medical products and technologies, financing, and accessibility as essential components of effective workplace sleep health assessment, referral, and management programmes. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how workplace sleep health assessment may influence sleep disorders detection among shift workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative cross-sectional analytical or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise adult shift workers aged 18 years and above employed in selected organizations across Nigeria, including healthcare facilities, manufacturing companies, security organizations, transportation services, telecommunications companies, hospitality establishments, and other industries requiring shift-based work. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, organizations, workplaces, departments, and eligible shift workers. Workplace sleep health assessment will be measured using indicators such as availability of sleep health assessment programmes, assessment coverage, frequency of assessments, use of validated sleep questionnaires, assessment of sleep duration and quality, evaluation of shift schedules, assessment of excessive daytime sleepiness, evaluation of fatigue, availability of trained occupational health personnel, sleep-health education, workplace scheduling review, and referral arrangements. Sleep disorders detection will be assessed using indicators such as symptoms suggestive of insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, circadian rhythm sleep-wake problems, sleep-related breathing symptoms, persistent sleep disturbances, abnormal sleep assessment scores, newly identified suspected sleep disorders, severity of sleep-related symptoms, referrals for comprehensive clinical or sleep assessment, confirmed sleep disorders where appropriate, and linkage to appropriate healthcare services. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, validated sleep assessment tools, workplace health records, occupational health registers, shift schedules, referral registers, and relevant organizational documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, shift-work patterns, sleep health assessment coverage, sleep-related findings, and patterns of sleep disorder detection. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the effect of workplace sleep health assessment on sleep disorders detection. Where appropriate, sleep disorder detection rates before and after implementation of workplace sleep health assessment programmes may be compared to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that workplace sleep health assessment has a significant positive effect on sleep disorders detection among shift workers in Nigeria. Shift workers who participate in workplace sleep health assessment are expected to have a higher likelihood of having previously unrecognized sleep problems identified than workers without access to such assessments. Routine assessment may facilitate early recognition of insomnia symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness, circadian rhythm disturbances, persistent sleep difficulties, and other sleep-related problems associated with shift work. Early detection may provide opportunities for sleep-health education, fatigue management, appropriate work-schedule adjustments, behavioural interventions, clinical assessment, and specialist referral where necessary. Workplace-based assessment may also reduce barriers associated with accessing healthcare outside working hours and reach workers who may otherwise consider sleep problems a normal consequence of shift work. Improved awareness may encourage workers to report persistent sleep difficulties and adopt healthier sleep practices. Conversely, inadequate assessment coverage, shortage of trained occupational health personnel, limited screening tools, concerns about confidentiality, fear of employment consequences, low worker participation, and weak referral and follow-up systems may reduce the effectiveness of workplace sleep health assessment. The study therefore expects accessible, confidential, and well-organized workplace sleep health assessment to contribute significantly to improved detection and early management of sleep disorders among shift workers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on workplace sleep health assessment, sleep disorders detection, shift workers' health, occupational health, sleep health, fatigue management, workplace safety, employee well-being, preventive healthcare, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, employers, occupational health practitioners, sleep medicine specialists, healthcare providers, human resource managers, workplace safety officers, labour organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving sleep health among shift workers. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for expanding workplace sleep health assessment programmes, improving workers' awareness of healthy sleep practices, strengthening fatigue-risk management, improving occupational health personnel capacity, promoting appropriate shift scheduling, protecting confidentiality during sleep assessments, strengthening referral and follow-up systems, and integrating sleep health assessment into comprehensive occupational health and workplace wellness programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Workplace sleep health assessment, sleep disorders detection, shift workers, sleep health, occupational health, shift work, fatigue management, workplace safety, employee well-being, preventive healthcare, Nigeria, public health.