Influence of Maternal Working Hours on Children’s Sleep: A Preliminary Study on Disparities Between Day and Night Shifts

Background: Shift work necessitates alterations in daily routines, which can be detrimental to workers’ health and may also influence the activity and rest patterns of their children. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance between activity and rest parameters of mothers and their children, according to the mothers’ work shift (day vs. night). Methods: Twelve mother–child dyads participated in this study, including six mothers working night shifts and six working day shifts. All mothers followed a 12/36 h rotating schedule (07:00–19:00 for day shifts; 19:00–07:00 for night shifts). Participants wore actigraphy devices for 10 consecutive days. Sleep and motor activity parameters were analyzed using the Bland–Altman method. Results: Analysis of the five least active hours (L5) revealed increased nocturnal activity among the night shift group. The period of the 10 most active hours (M10) suggested greater activity in the day shift group, with a smaller difference between mother and child in the day shift group. The relative amplitude (RA) in the night shift group was lower among mothers compared to the day group. Interdaily stability (IS) was lower, and intradaily variability (IV) was higher in the night shift group, suggesting more irregular activity patterns. Bedtime data showed greater variability in the night shift group, with night shift mothers typically going to bed later than their children—a pattern that was also observed for wake times. In the day shift group, total sleep time did not differ between mothers and children; however, in the night shift group, discrepancies increased proportionally with total sleep duration. Sleep efficiency was lower among mothers in both groups, but the difference between mother and child was more pronounced in the night shift group. Conclusions: Night shift work among mothers appears to negatively affect both their own and their children’s activity and sleep parameters when compared to those in the day shift group.