he human body is subject to desynchronization, a detrimental phenomenon, as normal "phase relationship is essential for maintenance of a healthy organism" (Glazner, 1991, p. 417).
Research has also determined that humans can adapt to night shift work, but that trouble occurs when humans are subjected to rotating shift work (Glazner, 1991, p. 417). As individuals age, they "seem to be less able to adjust to shift work" (Glazner, 1991, p. 417). Research has determined also that, because "biological clocks cannot be reset as easily as mechanical clocks, a person's adjustment to a new sleep/wake schedule takes at least one to two weeks" (Fiedor and Keys, 1987, p. 1167). For some individuals, the adjustment period is four to six weeks, and still others cannot make such an adjustment (Fiedor and Keys, 1987, p. 1167). Nurses working rotating shifts, thus, are never able to make the required adjustment. Research has also determined that once individuals become synchronized to the environment by social clues, awareness of clock time, and light dark cycle
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