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Do you work that terrible graveyard shifts? I feel sorry for anyone who does because that is an adverse lifestyle where you don’t get to do things that most people do. Not only will it affect a relationship with someone who works normal 9 to 5 shifts, but also have negative impacts on health. There are already studies that show links between disrupting biological clock and sleep disorder, obesity and cardiovascular risk.
Even that, there are still tens of millions of people working night shifts because that is what their profession requires. Professions like police, emergency electrician and on-call plumber have day and night shifts. These employees clock in for the evening and start their day around 5 pm. Personally, the wages for some professions are probably not worth the health risks that irregular shifts potentially bring.
This post should be of your interest if you are deciding if you should take a night shift job offer. You can make up your mind after continuing reading below about 5 dangerous effects of night shifts.
1. Sleeping Problems
Most shift workers have sleeping problems, and around 10% have a sleeping disorder. They usually have trouble sleeping, getting enough sleep and feeling sleepy at work. For night shift workers, it is a very common thing that they either not get sufficient sleep or sleep excessively. Sleeping is an extremely important part of our daily activities, and it is when our body heals and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Think twice before you are going to take overnight shifts.
2. Low Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for many aspects of health and linked to the ability to reduce the risk for mortality. Vitamin D is also known as “the sunshine vitamin”. Night shift workers usually get a low level of Vitamin D in their bodies due to the lack of exposure to sunshine.
3. Weight Gain
Sleep deficiency and sleep at odd hours can increase the chance of gaining weight and obesity. Another reason is that night shift workers usually like to eat a big meal in the middle of the night. It is shown that shift workers are more likely to weigh more than normal day shift workers.
4. Increased Risk of Breast Cancer
According to a study in the International Journal of Cancer, night shift female workers have an increased risk of breast cancer by 30% than the normal day shift female workers. French researchers also found that women who work 2-3 night shifts a week have a higher chance of getting breast cancer.
5. Raised Risk of Heart Attack
According to a review of research published in the British Medical Journal, it is more likely for people who work night shifts have a heart attack.
Even though there are many dangerous health effects for night shift workers, there are indeed ways to reduce or minimize the negative effects.
You can improve your sleep habits by sleeping and waking at the same time each day. It is also recommended to eat well during night shifts and not eat a big meal during the night, instead, you should eat a meal before the shift and eat another meal in the morning when you finish your shift. Another thing you can do to reverse the low level of vitamin D is to eat more food that contains rich vitamin D.
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