We investigated the effect of adapted management of sleep on the duration and quality of sleep in shift workers working the night shift. Twenty-nine shift workers suffering from insomnia were included and treated with zopiclone (7.5mg/day) or placebo according to a random double-blind protocol. Patients completed a sleep diary and a wrist actigraph was used to evaluate episodes of rest/activity. A self-administered subjective sleep questionnaire was filled out just after awakening. Zopicone was found to increase the duration of sleep significantly (p<0.05) over the baseline duration after the first and second night on duty. Subjective estimation of sleep was better in patients taking zopiclone who exhibited a smaller number of shorter awakening episodes.
In conclusion: zopiclone improves the quality and duration of sleep in shift workers suffering from insomnia.