The SOYMB blog has often reported studies that link working shifts with increased health problems. Yet more research adds to the evidence of shifts being detrimental to workers.
Shift work can disrupt the body’s internal clock in a similar way to jet lag, and has been linked before to an increased risk of health problems such as heart problems and even some cancers. However, scientists have now found a link between working shifts and a decline in brain function – especially among those whose shifts rotated between morning, afternoon and night. A study found that those who worked rotating shifts performed significantly worse in memory and cognitive speed tests than people who had worked regular hours. Researchers found that stopping shift work was linked with an improvement in cognitive function – suggesting that any ill effects are reversible – but said that it took five years out of shift work for this effect to be seen.
The level of cognitive decline seen in people who worked irregular shifts for 10 years was equivalent to six and a half years’ worth of natural, age-related cognitive decline, said researchers from the universities of Toulouse and Swansea.
“The cognitive impairment observed in the present study may have important safety consequences not only for the individuals concerned, but also for society as a whole given the increasing number of jobs in high-hazard situations that are performed at night,” they write. “It may also affect shift workers’ quality of life, with respect to daily life activities that are highly dependent on the availability of cognitive resources.”
Shift work can disrupt the body’s internal clock in a similar way to jet lag, and has been linked before to an increased risk of health problems such as heart problems and even some cancers. However, scientists have now found a link between working shifts and a decline in brain function – especially among those whose shifts rotated between morning, afternoon and night. A study found that those who worked rotating shifts performed significantly worse in memory and cognitive speed tests than people who had worked regular hours. Researchers found that stopping shift work was linked with an improvement in cognitive function – suggesting that any ill effects are reversible – but said that it took five years out of shift work for this effect to be seen.
The level of cognitive decline seen in people who worked irregular shifts for 10 years was equivalent to six and a half years’ worth of natural, age-related cognitive decline, said researchers from the universities of Toulouse and Swansea.
“The cognitive impairment observed in the present study may have important safety consequences not only for the individuals concerned, but also for society as a whole given the increasing number of jobs in high-hazard situations that are performed at night,” they write. “It may also affect shift workers’ quality of life, with respect to daily life activities that are highly dependent on the availability of cognitive resources.”
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