Why? Unusual sleep and eating habits disrupt digestive patterns, which also follow a circadian rhythm - the physiological ups and downs in every 24-hour day. "A lot of people I know gain 20 or 30 pounds when they start working nights, and when they go back to days, they lose it again," says Phillips. Some studies have found that shift workers suffer significantly more upset stomachs, ulcers, and bouts of constipation and indigestion than do day workers. Many shift workers suffer more than the average number of menstrual problems, colds and flu.ĭigestive problems and weight gain.
Without enough of it, your coordination will be thrown off you may become irritable, anxious and depressed your short-term memory may suffer and your immune system may get run down, which makes you more likely to get sick. Sleep is what restores your brain and organs to keep the machine running smoothly. Research has shown that day sleep is lighter and less restful than night sleep. Chronic sleep loss has been shown to contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes. Getting enough quality sleep is the most serious challenge that shift workers face. The main health hazards associated with working nights and rotating shifts are: They can't sleep, they're not digesting their food properly, and they get very sick," she says. "I've seen a lot of people come through the hospital working graveyard, and some of them just cannot adjust - it's physically impossible for them. If you don't adjust to a night shift in two or three months, stop torturing yourself and change shifts. "I can decide to go home and go to sleep, or I can go home and run errands or do other things and sleep later."īut, Phillips adds, the night shift isn't for everyone. "It gives me so much flexibility in my lifestyle," says Phillips. Trande Phillips, for example, a 50-year-old nurse from Oakland, California, has been working a graveyard shift for 17 years. People used to working these shifts say that those who take care of themselves and adopt a positive attitude will be most successful. Getting enough sleep can be even more difficult for them, since their bodies never get a chance to adjust to a single schedule.ĭespite the hardships associated with working odd hours, the fact is that these shifts are here to stay, and someone has to work them. In addition to the people who work night shifts, about 2.5 percent of the work force, or 2.4 million people work rotating shifts, meaning that they alternate between day, evening and night shifts. Routine activities like shopping, attending school conferences, and even eating present challenges to the millions of Americans who work nontraditional hours. Sleeping during the day seems "unnatural," she says, and she often ends up cheating herself out of sleep in order to spend normal family time with her husband and son. "I just never seem to get enough sleep," says Salazar-Biddle, who calls a "good day" getting six hours of shuteye. She began working the graveyard shift in exchange for a promotion and a pay raise. Take Jennifer Salazar-Biddle, a 35-year-old aircraft mechanic at United Airlines in San Francisco and mother of a 2-year-old. Night workers may feel they've turned their lives upside down to toil on a schedule that departs from social norms and works against the body's natural circadian rhythms. They may find a vampire schedule's more convenient, or they lack the seniority to pull a daytime shift. They make up 3.2 percent of the work force, and they toil at night because it's a dream job or they get a little extra pay. Police officers, hospital workers, truck drivers, and factory workers are among those working the "third" or "graveyard" shift that keeps the country moving along 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As most Americans crawl into bed for a good night's sleep, more than 2 million people are just punching the clock.
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