'Working and sleeping during hours misaligned with natural light for extended periods of time is not likely to be healthy for you.' How do new studies on shift work boost our understanding? 'The research is consistent and powerful,' Zhou says. This research suggests adverse effects can include metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions that raises the risks for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke), accidents, and certain types of cancer. 'They're working against the universe's natural inclinations - not just their body's.' What's the connection between shift work and health?Ī 2022 research review in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine links shift work to higher risks for serious health problems, such as heart attack and diabetes. But for shift workers, their work hours and sleep hours are misaligned with the natural cues to be awake or asleep,' Zhou says. 'People who work 9-to-5 shifts are typically awake when the sun is up, which is aligned with their body's internal circadian clock. That's because shift work disrupts the body's normal alignment with the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle called the circadian rhythm. It is characterized by significant problems falling and staying asleep, or sleeping when desired. So-called shift work disorder mainly strikes people who work the overnight or early morning shift, or who rotate their shifts, says Eric Zhou, an assistant professor in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Mounting evidence, including several new studies, paints a worrisome picture of the potential health fallout of nontraditional shift work schedules that affect 15% to 30% of workers in the US and Europe, including factory and warehouse workers, police officers, nurses, and other first responders.

So what happens when shift work requires people to regularly stay awake through the night and sleep during the day - and how can they protect their health and well-being? What is shift work disorder? We can feel groggy when our sleep schedule is thrown off even just a little.

Graveyard shift time