![]() ![]() Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and stage 2 sleep have been shown to be reduced. The quantity of sleep may be reduced by up to 2 hours a day but there is also an effect on the quality of sleep. 7 This is most noticeable after the night shift. Perhaps the most authoritative review concludes that despite considerable variation between people, sleep loss is a major effect of shift work. There is general agreement in publications that the effects of long hours of work or shift work has a deleterious effect on sleep. Increased risk of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and prematurity. Possible increase in gastrointestinal disorders Increasing evidence of adverse cardiovascular effects Reduction in quality and quantity of sleepĪnxiety, depression, and increased neuroticism On the positive side, for those shift workers who like relatively solitary leisure pursuits or who abhor the crowds often find that shift scheduling provides them with greater opportunities to do what they want to do in their non-working time.īox 2: Summary of health effects of shift work Childcare, housework, shopping, and leaving a partner alone at night can all lead to marital strain and family dysfunction. Shift work can thus lead to social marginalisation.įamily and marital responsibilities can be severely disrupted by shift work or long hours. Saturday and Sunday work, for example, can preclude involvement in sporting events or religious activities. Workers who engage in shift work or who work long hours can experience considerable disruption of family and social activities as many of these rhythms of the general population are oriented around the day. The shortening of the sleep period caused by an early start at work has also been shown to be associated with an increase in errors and accidents in transport workers. A dip after lunch has also been described for lowered efficiency of performance and this is only partially dependent on the meal itself. This pattern of cause and effect has been reported for many groups of shift workers. The disruption of circadian rhythm, combined with sleep deficit and fatigue, can lead to workplace inefficiency, particularly in the early hours of the morning. In general, efficiency of performance seems to parallel the circadian variation in body temperature. Human error is often cited as an important factor in work accidents and this may depend to some extent on sleep related factors and circadian rhythm. Body temperature records are often used as a surrogate measure of disruption of circadian rhythm, but it is probably too simplistic to link this measure directly to performance. Under experimental conditions, it is possible to reverse this cycle but rotating shift workers usually only succeed in flattening the curves. Such free running cycles, which include body temperature, respiratory rate, urinary excretion, cell division, and hormone production, can be modulated by exogenous factors such as light-dark cycle, social climate, and of course, work schedules.įor example, under normal living conditions, body temperature peaks in the late afternoon with its lowest point occurring in the early hours of the morning. Mammals have a natural rhythmicity to many bodily functions and these circadian rhythms exist in humans, with many operating on a 25 hour cycle. One of the most important physiological problems associated with shift work and the night shift in particular, is that working, eating, and sleeping phases are changed. 1-4īiological and social aspects CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS Some recent reviews have also highlighted the current state of knowledge in this area. Nevertheless, some excellent studies have provided the basis for what follows in this article. Finally, some of the outcome measures in studies of shift work involve relatively “soft” measures such as fatigue, mood, and performance. Many of the studies published are cross sectional, as there are difficulties in selecting appropriate comparison populations for longitudinal studies. ![]() ![]() The most obvious is the fact that a large proportion of shift workers are a self selected population and those that remain shift workers for years are a survivor population. There are considerable methodological issues concerned with this subject. The quality of the papers does not always match the quantity. There are extensive publications on the health and social effects of shift work. E-commerce will lead to the need for 24 hour services for most retail and service organisations. Technical need for maintaining continuous process industriesĮconomic need for offsetting plant obsolescence.Īlthough the shift worker of 50 years ago was likely to be factory based, increasing demand for services, both business and pleasure, has extended to those employed in more traditionally “white collar” occupations. Society's needs for services and emergency cover ![]()
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