– I had been on night duty. Went home in the morning to pick up my son to drive him to his grandparents. Hadn’t slept beforehand, but it wasn’t that unusual for me at the time either. 3 November 2010 started as an ordinary, cold and dark autumn morning for nurse Live Gusfre (42). The shift worker had finished the night shift at the hospital in Drammen. Now the youngest was to be picked up at home and driven to Lier – a 20-minute drive. Everything normal. All well and good. But then things went wrong. – At that time, children aged two and three were often sick. I worked a lot of evening and night shifts to make it work with the family at home, Live tells. The son was placed in the child seat. Live got behind the wheel, but can’t remember feeling particularly tired or out of sorts. Also: Not getting in the car was never an option. – I had only been at work and was going to deliver my son. That’s what you do to get your life going, when you’re a shift worker. Collision, airbag and blood On Joseph Kellers vei in Tranby in Lier, the speed limit is 40. The area is home to both a primary school and a kindergarten. Things happen there that shouldn’t happen. Live falls asleep behind the wheel. The car swerves into the opposite lane and collides with another car. – I wake up from the first bang when I’m driving in the car. I myself am sent on towards a pedestrian crossing where children are walking on their way to school. And then the airbag slams into my face when the car hits a sign. The drive stops there. Emergency nurse in an emergency situation At the time, Live worked in the emergency department. She was trained in that type of situation, and acted accordingly. Calm and restrained. – I realized that I had fallen asleep and that this was my fault. Then it was to survey, is anyone injured? The relief was great when she realized that there was no question of personal injuries. The son in the back seat escaped the whole thing with horror. – He was completely calm and did not scream. The driver of the other car was uninjured. Fortunately, no school children were walking exactly where the car came sailing onto the footpath. And Live was left with only a bleeding finger after the crash and the sudden encounter with the punching airbag. – Fortunately, it went very, very well. But it could have been much worse. Live is happy that it went as well as it did. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news – No excuse She received a hefty fine and lost her driving licence. – I simply felt very stupid. When I was questioned by the police the next day, they asked: “Why did you get into a car when you hadn’t slept?” She had no excuse. There was no good, explanatory answer. Then came the shock. For one week she just lay on the couch. – I didn’t have a vote. Was completely exhausted. Costing society billions Sleep researcher and psychologist specialist Håvard Kallestad says that those who have chronically poor sleep over time experience a greatly reduced quality of life. As much as 20 percent of the population struggles with sleep. And untreated sleep disorders cost Norwegian society between NOK 10 and 20 billion a year, according to senior researcher Børge Sivertsen at the Institute of Public Health. Researcher and psychologist specialist at St. Olav’s hospital and NTNU in Trondheim, Håvard Kallestad. Photo: NTNU The much-needed sleep As a former adviser to the nurses’ association, Live has held courses on working hours and rotation for managers and new shop stewards. Then she used to weave in her story to make shift workers aware of their responsibilities. – Because it is known that nurses struggle with sleep, especially after the evening shift and if they have to go back to the morning shift. Then it can quickly be only four or five hours, notes Live, who is now the county deputy leader of the nurses’ association. Sleep researcher about sleep Håvard Kallestad is a researcher and psychologist specialist at St. Olav’s hospital and NTNU in Trondheim. He leads a research group on sleep at NTNU’s Institute of Mental Health, and says this about the very basic need for sleep: – In the past, it was thought that you should “charge your batteries” when you sleep. But a lot happens when we sleep. Sleep is a long-term process, seven or eight hours, and it is important for our mental and physical health. – People who have chronically poor sleep over time experience a greatly reduced quality of life, and describe it as a filter between them and reality. – With little sleep, you get a much higher activation in areas of the brain that are related to emotions. Basically, it means that you have a reduced ability to regulate your emotions, perhaps especially the negative ones. – The recommended amount of sleep is individual. A few years ago there was a group of people trying to find out how much sleep is optimal. They arrived at seven o’clock. But this depends on age. The need for sleep is not the same throughout life. She believes that the employers largely understand the problem with three-part rotations, but that there is a big difference in their competence when it comes to creating good rotation arrangements. The nurses can arrange up to eight hours of rest, but after a hectic evening at work it can take time to calm down – and to get that much-needed sleep. – The solution is to avoid so-called “quick returns”, i.e. from the evening shift and then straight to the early shift the next day. A good rotation is an arrangement where you start the week with day shift, move to evening shift and then to night shift. Live Gusfre got his driving license back after a couple of months. Now she wants to make shift workers aware of the responsibilities they have. Photo: Henning Rønhovde / news The general advice for good sleep is to go to bed and get up at the same time. – But nurses on rotation are often deprived of the opportunity to do that. In the end, this with sleep is your own responsibility, but it is also the employer’s responsibility to plan a health-promoting rotation, concludes Live.
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Live fell asleep behind the wheel with the two-year-old in the back seat – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
