Shift work is harmful to sleep as it puts people out of sync with the natural circadian rhythm set by light.
Night shift means sleeping through the day which is less efficient due to the disturbances of light, noise and the comings and goings of other people.
Mixed rotating shifts make it harder to get into a routine as it’s always changing.
Shift workers need to work with environmental cues such as darkening the room, cooling the room, using white noise to diffuse external sounds and so on rather than working with their biological cues such as circadian rhythm, although ensuring they work with their sleep drive and going to bed when sleepy.
It’s important to have conversations with others in the house so they are considerate to the needs of the shift workers sleeping.
Keeping good habits can help such as not drinking caffeine throughout the night to stay alert. Not eating a heavy meal just before going to bed. Using relaxation techniques to wind down. Perhaps even using sunglasses on the way home in the daylight to block some of the light coming into the eyes so discouraging the wakefulness signal.
On a rotating shift it’s suggested to nap for up to 2 hours after coming off a nightshift and waking up by noon. Then keeping as normal a day as possible to go to bed at a ‘normal’ time.