Society is much faster in the 21st century, as prices increase and there are increasing family commitments, including caring for the elderly as well as children, whilst both parents are in work. Changes since the 1980’s have resulted in families being more scattered over the country as people move for work, meaning that elderly relatives are not always nearby. In order to manage commitments, people may choose to work shifts other than the regular 9-5pm, that was a feature in earlier years.
Shift work is categorised here in any work that falls outside the traditional 9-5pm, or ‘core hours’ (8am-4pm etc) of work.
Statistics show that 20% of the world’s workforce, complete shift work of one sort or another (27% in the UK in 2022). So, 1 in 5 people can be subject to issues affecting their health due to shift work.
The human body is designed to work with the sunrise and sunset, known as the Circadian rhythm or the body clock. The part of the body responsible for managing circadian rhythm is the pineal gland, which is a small gland found at the base of the brain, that produces a hormone known as melatonin, which regulates sleep/wake cycles in response to exposure to light. Sleep deprivation can impair the production of melatonin affecting memory, mood, reaction time and overall health. People who work night shifts have been shown to sometimes experience 2-4 hours of reduced sleep, compared to those workers who keep to daylight hours.
Health Issues
Sleep deprivation causes fatigue, low energy and excessive sleepiness, which can affect your ability to do things you love and simply complete day-to-day tasks. If you’re trying to manage to get through the day with fewer than seven hours of sleep, you’re likely to start literally stumbling. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues, including cognitive impairments, emotional disturbances, and an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
It is not only night shifts that can cause tiredness, but starting shifts at 6am or earlier, which means waking even earlier, can cause tiredness later in the day, which can affect concentration and be the source of work’s accidents.
It is estimated that over 300 million people worldwide have depression, a type of mood disorder marked by feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Around 75% of depressed people show symptoms of insomnia, and many people with depression also suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, which will not be helped by working shifts.
However, it is clear that these factors need to be considered in combination with other organizational factors, in particular workload and rest pauses. For example, a 12-h shift, that includes frequent rest pauses and a well-balanced workload, can be safer than an 8-hour shift with only one mid-shift break and a high physical and mental load.
Many surveys document that gastrointestinal troubles and diseases are more common in shift workers than in day workers. They can vary from alterations in bowel habits (mainly constipation), difficulties in digestion, flatulence, and heartburn, to more severe disorders such as gastric ulcers, and irritable bowel diseases.
How to combat the effects of shift work and improve sleep
- Sleep in your bedroom and avoid using it for other activities such as watching television, eating and working.
- Use heavy curtains, blackout blinds or eye shades to darken the bedroom.
- Disconnect the phone or use an answer machine and turn the ringer down.
- Ask your family not to disturb you and to keep the noise down when you are sleeping.
- Discuss your work pattern with close neighbours and ask them to try and avoid noisy activities during your sleep time.
- If it is too noisy to sleep consider using earplugs, white noise or background music to mask external noises
- Adjust the bedroom temperature to a comfortable level, cool conditions improve sleep.
- Regular light meals/snacks are less likely to affect alertness or cause drowsiness than a single heavy meal.
- Choose foods that are easy to digest such as pasta, rice, bread, salad, fruit, vegetables and milk products.
- Avoid fatty, spicy and/or heavy meals as these are more difficult to digest. They can make you feel drowsy when you need to be alert. They may also disturb sleep when you need to rest.
- Avoid sugary foods, such as chocolate – they provide a short-term energy boost followed by a dip in energy levels.
- Fruit and vegetables are good snacks as their sugar is converted into energy relatively slowly and they also provide vitamins, minerals and fibre.
- Drink plenty of fluid as dehydration can reduce both mental and physical performance but avoid drinking too much fluid before sleeping as this may overload the bladder
- Avoid the use of alcohol to help you fall asleep.
If you are experiencing issues at work due to your shifts, discuss it with your manager, don’t keep it to yourself.
