World Sleep Day (WSD2026)
This year, World Sleep Day (WSD2026) was a memorable occasion to promote healthy sleep through a joint effort of health professionals from multiple sectors around the world.
The webinar titled “Sleep, Shift Work and Health: What Is Needed for the Balance?” brought together occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals and scientists from America to Oceania. Experts shared research and insights from their ongoing work to improve workers’ sleep and health.
This event was co-organized by the ICOH Scientific Committee on Shiftwork and Working Time (SCSWWT), the Working Time Society (WTS), and the ICOH National Secretary of Perú.
Dr. Kimberly Honn (WTS President) and Dr. Kyriaki Papantoniou (current SCSWWT Secretary) welcomed participants and provided a brief overview of both organizations. This marked an important step toward strengthening collaboration between the two groups and engaging professionals from all regions.
Dr. Philip Cheng (Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Health) presented on Precision Circadian Medicine for Night Shift Workers, highlighting that personalized circadian medicine approaches are more effective and that consumer wearable technology may help scale these personalized interventions.
Dr. Imelda Wong, PhD (Chair of the SCSWWT) presented findings from a Cochrane review on how modifying shift work schedules can improve sleep and reduce sleepiness among shift workers. She discussed practical implications such as forward and fast rotations, maximum shift limits, and standard versus compressed schedules, as well as recommendations for researchers to use standardized measurements and protocols to improve evidence synthesis across studies.
Dr. Rachael Muck (Sleep and Performance Research Center & Department of Translational Medicine and Physiology, Washington State University) shared results from her recent research on interindividual differences in sleep, performance, and pharmacological interventions in shift workers.
While much work remains to find the right balance between sleep, shift work, and health, commemorating WSD2026 was truly inspiring. The speakers not only shared their research and experience but also their passion and commitment to improving workers’ sleep, health, and quality of life.
Sleep well, live better.
You can watch the webinar recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ2xmJ1VSJ0