Sleep is essential for all of us and a good sleep cycle is key part of health. Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes as well as a shortened life expectancy. A poor sleep pattern is very common in shift-workers like healthcare professionals.

Joining me this week to talk about how crucial sleep is to our physical and mental health and how shift-work can impact junior doctors as well as some sound advice for healthcare professionals who undertake night shifts is Dr Mike Farquhar, a consultant in children’s sleep medicine at London's Evelina Children's Hospital. His work in educating healthcare professionals on the importance of sleep and the impact of fatigue in healthcare has led to the introduction of the “HALT: Take A Break” Campaign and he was awarded the Association Award by the AAGBI for his contribution to the #FightFatigue campaign. 

Useful links:

GSTT Medical Education webpage:
https://www.guysandstthomaseducation.com/projectsleep-looking-after-your-wellbeing/

AAGBI resources on fatigue
https://anaesthetists.org/Fatigue

BMA fatigue and facilities charter
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/working-hours/fatigue-and-facilities-charter

If you think you have problems sleeping check out sleepio, a great online resource:
Sleepio - https://www.sleepio.com/

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