Tehran Shift Workers Use Light Exposure, Routines to Improve Sleep

More than 180,000 Tehran residents working night shifts at factories and medical centers report fragmented sleep that cuts average nightly rest to under five hours. Local health records from the past year show this pattern holds steady across multiple districts despite rising awareness campaigns.

The pressure intensified after several large employers expanded 24-hour production lines in early 2025 to meet export targets. Workers on these schedules now rotate between day, evening and night duties every two weeks, leaving little time for consistent circadian adjustment in a city where traffic and summer heat already shorten usable daylight hours.

Two municipal programs address the gap directly. The Tehran Municipality Wellness Office runs weekly sessions at its District 6 facility near Valiasr Street, teaching shift staff how to block morning light with blackout curtains purchased for roughly 850,000 rials each. A second initiative at the Niavaran Cultural Center offers group walks in nearby parks timed for post-shift wind-down periods, with attendance figures reaching 420 participants last quarter.

Light and meal timing adjustments

Tehran University of Medical Sciences released data in June 2026 showing that 37 percent of surveyed night-shift workers improved sleep duration by at least 90 minutes after adopting fixed meal windows and avoiding caffeine after 3 a.m. Participants who used bright-light boxes for 20 minutes upon waking reported fewer daytime drowsiness incidents during commutes along Hemmat Expressway.

Simple environmental tweaks produce measurable results. Workers near the Enghelab Square metro station have begun using affordable red-filter phone apps priced at 120,000 rials to dim screens two hours before bed. Others coordinate with family members to keep household noise low during daytime sleep blocks in densely packed apartments off Keshavarz Boulevard.

Next steps for employers and staff

Employers can request free audit checklists from the District 6 office starting next month. Individual workers are advised to track sleep for one full rotation using a basic notebook before seeking personalized guidance at local clinics. These steps build on existing routines rather than requiring major schedule changes.