We all know that sleep is important, but do we truly know just how important it is to maintain our internal circadian clock? The night shift may offer per hour, but the cost is detrimental as it affects both mental and physical health.
Our internal clock is based on a 24-hour cycle. This clock is essential for regulating our alertness and sleepiness and light exposure has a great impact on it. The suprachiasmatic nucleus in the thalamus is where the internal clock and the cellular oscillators are located. In the chapter titled, Circadian Desynchrony and Health, Dr. Summa and Dr. Turek investigate how an altered circadian-rhythm clock can affect human health. It was found that in shift workers, whose internal clocks are disrupted, there is a significant increase in health issues such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and more. Not only is it that the risk for these diseases increase, but it is found that severity and progression of them are exacerbated as well. In the study, one of the conclusions they came to was that it is better to have no internal clock than to have one that is disrupted due to the vast amount of health issues that can arise.
Another article, titled “Disturbances of Circadian System in Shift Work and Its Health Impacts” by Kosmadopoulos et. al. further highlights the health consequences of shift workers. They mention that shift workers, particularly nighttime, are exposed to bright lights which causes an imbalance to the circadian clock. Exposure to these lights disrupt the cortisol and melatonin secretions alongside both the central and peripheral clocks. Light exposure and the shift in sleep/wake cycle causes there to be a circadian misalignment. The misalignment causes a multitude of problems such as cognitive impairments, digestive issues, and more. It was found that female shift workers in particular had an increase in gynecological problems such as menstrual irregularities, fertility issues, and more. This is likely due to the fact that women on average tend to have a shorter circadian period in comparison to men; and when it is distributed for them, the impacts tend to be greater.
The mental health problems of shift work are quite exhaustive as well. Studies have shown that there is an increase in depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. A great deal of shift workers also have insomnia. Kosmadopoulos et. al. pointed out that many of the shift workers’ insomnia and other problems persisted for years despite them changing their shift to daytime. The research conducted mentioned that night shifts are so detrimental to our health that it should be labelled as carcinogenic.
After considering all the different health problems that can arise from working night shifts, you now decide whether the extra few bucks for picking up night shifts are worth it.
References:
Boivin, Diane B et al. “Disturbance of the Circadian System in Shift Work and Its Health Impact.” Journal of biological rhythms vol. 37,1 (2022): 3-28. doi:10.1177/07487304211064218
No comments:
Post a Comment