If you supervise the distribution of your publication, on distribution day you may work some very early morning hours.  If you don't do this on a daily basis, it can take a significant toll on your body and can hinder your effectiveness.  Having one odd work day and then trying to get yourself back on a regular schedule is challenging. 

Everything I have heard and read about shift work and irregular sleep schedules suggests that it's better to have a regular sleep schedule.  For this reason, I suggest looking at ways to avoid having to put your body through this.  A solution to this end is having unmanned drop sites.  Have the paperwork and the publication dropped in a way that allows the drivers access without having to go through anyone else.  This may or may not include having the publication staged in such a way that each route is separate.  Listen to driver feedback.  Monitor their outlets to make sure there are no shortages due to the last driver's being shorted.

If this is not a solution that works for your situation, you may want to tweak your sleep schedule.

When I used to work a schedule that had me up very early for a day or two and then switching back to conventional work hours, I found that I was tired for days after resuming my regular schedule.  This occurred no matter how much I slept in the days following the odd hours. 

When I began working the odd hours, i.e. getting up at 1:00 AM for a day or two then resuming my usual up at 6:00 AM, my mistake was in trying to stay up all day on the early days.  If I were unable to stay up the whole day, I would take a nap late in the day.  For two days following the latter early rise day, I would be tired all day long.  This showed me that my sleep system was not working.  Ironically, my being so tired enable me to stumble on a solution that made me feel much more awake, alert and effective.

One early day, I was so tired that I was forced to nap in the late morning.  I woke up at about 3:00 PM and had a normal evening.  When 11:00 PM rolled around, I was ready for bed and had no problem going to sleep.  The next morning, I awoke refreshed as if I had not worked the early schedule at all.  From that point on, I took a three or four hour nap as early as possible and was able to resume a normal schedule with no ill effects.

I want to make it clear that I have no medical training and that I am making no claims about the health effects of my altered sleep pattern solution.  I am only saying that it helped me feel more like my usual, productive self.

Ray Boddie, Jr.