Night Work Can Affect Health In Many Ways

There are many people who have their work day at night. Doctors and nurses, security guards and people who travel often belong to professions where you often have to work at night. However, many studies show that  night work can, among other things, affect health, quality of life and life expectancy.

But we can not just make these jobs disappear. Many of them are  basic services  that society needs. With that said, there are some who insist that we must limit the amount of time we spend working nights.

With the increasing number of establishments that are open 24 hours a day, the number of night services is also increasing. In addition to this, there are people who work with cleaning the streets or taking care of facilities that are used during the day, such as train and bus stations.

We also have healthcare: doctors, nurses and others who guarantee patients’ health. Employees do not perform these jobs only at night, but there are different morning, afternoon and night shifts. In Spain, for example, more than 2.3 million people work full-time or part-time at night.

When you do not sleep at night, you do not get the rest you are used to. This for biological reasons: our brain is programmed to rest at night. People who work at night rest 1-2 hours less than the rest of us. Only those under the age of 35 can sleep normally, almost as if they were not working night shifts.

But we are not just talking about the number of hours we sleep, but also the quality of sleep. Our body creates a hormone called melatonin at night. This hormone can adjust our biological rhythm, which signals to the body when it is day and when it is night.

Because of this  , our body undergoes hormonal changes when we do not sleep at night. These hormones are a reason why women experience changes in menstruation and PMS or are at higher risk for breast cancer. Another consequence of working at night is that you lose five years of your life for every 15 years you work at night.

In addition to these changes, night shift workers  also get annoyed more often. They are also at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, poor diet, digestive problems, sleep problems and chronic fatigue. It is even common to start disliking one’s social and family life.

Night work can affect health in many ways…

When you have to work at night  , it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure that your body functions as normally as possible.

• No one over 35 should work night shifts:  if you can, it is important not to work nights if you are over 35. This is the age limit for your body’s ability to easily recover from this type of work.

• Sleep before going to work,  preferably when it is dark. 90 minutes of sleep before you go to work, around 21:00 is best. Getting rest before going to work is how to take advantage of the fact that our brain produces melatonin at this time.
• Wear dark glasses when you go home from work. If you do, your body will think it’s dark outside. At home, you pull down the blinds to make your body forget that it’s day.
• Take melatonin:  if your body is not able to produce melatonin normally, it is important that we take it half an hour before we go to bed to simulate a natural sleep cycle.
• Isolate yourself from noise. We should do everything we can to avoid noise when we sleep. Hearing noise can disrupt our vital sleep.
• Ask for a health examination:  as a night worker, you should undergo tests to ensure that you are suitable for this type of job. If you work in healthcare, this can be a good way to end night shifts if your health fails.

Sleeping  is a necessity, just like eating and drinking. We must promote good sleep hygiene for all,  so that everyone can benefit and receive the right service from the people who work under these circumstances.