It’s been reported for years that night shift work increases health risks. Now, a new analysis of data from the largest and longest running study of women’s health adds to the evidence with findings that rotating night shift nursing increases mortality in women.
The Nurses’ Health Study launched in 1976 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and has followed the health of hundreds of thousands of U.S. nurses through biannual questionnaires for 39 years. The latest results, reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, show that nurses who worked rotating night shifts (defined as 3 or more nights per month) for five or more years experienced a moderate increase in risk of overall mortality as well as cardiovascular-specific mortality. And nurses who have worked the schedule for 15 years or more showed a higher risk of mortality due to lung cancer.
All shift workers face health risks
But night shift nurses aren’t the only workers at risk. All professionals involved in shift work, including physicians, face similar health problems. According to Dr. Eva Schernhammer, senior author of the study and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, an irregular sleep schedule “affects a variety of important things, including antioxidant activity, immune system, vessels can be impacted and blood pressure changes. So if this happens over many years, it leads to chronic disease alterations. This is another piece of evidence, what we’ve published, that supports that notion.”
But there is some good news. If you’re currently working nights, here are some steps you can take to stay healthy:
- Stick to a routine – Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day helps promote good sleep. Be as consistent as you can.
- Create a restful environment – Daylight can interfere with sleep, even when eyelids are closed. Invest in blackout shades and use strategies to block out daytime noises.
- Exercise after sleep – Not before. Exercising before sleep can promote wakefulness during your daytime sleeping hours.
- Plan your caffeine. Just as consuming caffeine in the evening can interfere with sleep patterns, caffeinating at the end of a night shift can likewise disrupt your post-shift rest. If you’re going to drink caffeine, do it during the early part of your shift.
- Avoid Alcohol – Although the sedative effect may help you fall asleep, it tends to wear off in 2-3 hours and will disrupt REM sleep which impacts how rested and functional you are on waking.
- Beware of certain medications – Excessive use of sleeping pills and sedatives can interfere with normal sleep patterns. And cold and allergy medications can be problematic too – pseudoephedrine can have a stimulating effect, while antihistamines can cause drowsiness.
Thinking about making a switch to the day shift? Browse thousands of nurse and nurse practitioner jobs across the country!
Posted By: Jeni Fa
Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 at 8:53PM
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