Is Working Night Shift Killing Me??
Okay- all cards on the table: there really aren’t that many studies done to etch this theory in stone and call it law, BUT the evidence that IS out there doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies. I’ll link the studies and give a summary and let you decide for yourselves, but here are the facts:
In 1988 a study conducted and later published by the National Institute of Health found that in a cohort study of 74, 862 registered U.S. female nurses, who had 5 or more years working night shift had an increased mortality.
Fast Forward 22 Years (2010)
14,181 deaths had been documented.
-The most prevalent cause of death were cardiovascular health and cancer.
Disclaimer
BMI, comorbidities, and overall health choices (such as smoking) did play a role as expected, but the main issue in night shift work lied in ones circadian rhythm.
Circadian Rhythm
This is your biological clock. It controls things like:
sleep patterns
hormones
appetite/digestion
body temp
A complete cycle takes 24 hours. It’s controlled by your brain.
There’s a lot that can alter your circadian rhythm, but one sure fire way to throw it off coarse is to work when your body wants to sleep. Like in the study, long exposure to night life can cause:
Cancer-
Cardiovascular Disease
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Mental Health Disorders (that’s an obvious one HA)
**Why??- Because disrupting your biological clock interferes with cellular function. Cells repair themselves when you’re sleeping. If you’re not getting CONSISTENT, REGULAR sleep, cell damage occurs, your body’s defenses are down, hormones are altered, stress is elevated, and disease creeps their way in.
~Sucks to Suck but I Can’t Do Anything About it!~
The pay is too good
This is the only shift that works for childcare
I feel like my soul is dying when I have to get up at 0530 in the morning
I don’t want to deal with bureaucratic crap during day shift.
oh yea… I don’t want to switch to days. I like the vampire life.
*Okay… if you have all of the excuses with the exception of #5 and maybe you are feeling like you just can’t do anything about it.Here's a push You're Wrong
There’s always something you can do. The question is, how bad do you want it? How determined are you to make a change? My guess is you’ve only #cough cough# complained about it #cough cough# It’s okay. I’m guilty too.
If You’re Determined to Stay a Vampire
1. Eat better! CONSISTENTLY! This will help ward off GI and metabolic issues later on down the road.
2. Talk to family every day! -Suck it up! It's good for you!
3. PRIORITIZE your sleep! Stop staying up for 24+ hours. If not for yourself then for your patients! Their SAFETY depends on it!
