Night shifts can raise risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than 40%

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | PUBLISHED: 18:07 EST, 26 July 2012 | UPDATED: 18:07 EST, 26 July 2012 | Jenny Hope

[Olog-hai]

Shift work can dramatically increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, warn researchers.

A study of two million people found shift workers are almost 25 percent more likely to suffer.

Night shift workers run the highest risk of 41 percent, says a study published on the British Medical Journal website bmj.com.

People working shifts also have higher levels of unhealthy behaviors such as eating junk food, sleeping badly and not exercising, which are linked to heart problems.

But researchers said they took this into account—and the excess risks remained. …

Shift work has long been known to disrupt the body clock and be linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, but the overall impact on cardiovascular health has been unclear. …

[peteyd]

See the above post about Bloomberg.That’s one reason!

[richmwill]

This honestly surprises me. Up until last year, I had a job where my shift was 5pm-1am. Absolutely loved it, best shift I’ve ever had. Maybe because I’ve always been a bit of a “night owl”.

[crz]

I like the night shift. Aint nobody around to mess with ya.

I stay more calm and get a hell of a lot more done in my profession that way.

[BipolarBob]

And the rotating shift is even worse.

[MCF]

Working evening shift to 11:30 pm wasn’t bad. Midnight shift to 7:30 am was brutal on me.

[bravo whiskey]

i agree i think the rotating shift is the culprit though i think some folks are more suited to different shifts than others. i could probably do a 4-12 if it was a quiet self motivating situation like graphics fot traing manuals. 0-8 would kill me.

[Mom MD]

try 5P-7A and then rotate back to 12 hour day shifts. I’m too old for this. Thanks to Obama care I will be out soon though.

[JimSEA]

I worked rotating shifts for many years and never really got used to them. Mostly I worked a seven day rotation. For a short time I worked a five day rotation. The company was a 24/7 operation and didn’t want the pain of trying to negotiate and implement shift preference. I agreed with that. Most seniority preference schemes are very inefficient.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I worked rotating shifts for years and they do take a toll on your health.

I’ve had several working companions die early of heart problems.

Worst shift I worked, non rotating 12 hours. Midnight to noon. One day off in 7.

Then an 8 hour rotating shift, 11pm-7am, 3pm-11-pm, then 7AM-3PM. 10n days on, 4 days off.

Not bad shift, 8 hour rotating shift 11PM-7AM, 7AM-3PM,3PM-11PM.
Again 10 days on, 4 days off.

Note the the difference between those two above.

Worst constant shift, 12 hour rotating. 4 midnights, 2 days off, three days, two days off, 3 midnights, two days off, 4 days, with two weeks off between. You find yourself constantly falling asleep on duty during the last day shift as your mind is programed to work midnights.

I am now retired and it took me 6 months to catch up on 31 years of lost sleep.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***I like the night shift. Aint nobody around to mess with ya.***

I worked an evening shift for a couple of years and liked it. Only problem was you miss out on a lot your kids are doing and if your wife works days you don’t get to see her.
If the company needs to cut back, the night shift is the first to get Pink slips.

[fortheDeclaration]

I have always worked the midnight shift (when possible).

But it takes a level of discipline since you must make sure you get the needed sleep.

It is also difficult with a family since they are on another time schedule.

The worst is rotating shfts, you never get your body used to the changes.

[eyedigress]

Tell that to the FAA. My Father had the most F-ed up schedule in the world. 25 years as an ATC. Dead at 47.

[Little Bill]

Did twelves for 20 years loved it, rotating. Week off every month, stack the vacation on either end even better.

[BluH2o]

Early on in my career as a supervisor at a major trucking firm terminal operation I worked the evening shift. Basically 3PM till 1AM ... as a supervisor it was expected (required) of me to be there at least an hour before to set up my shift. At the back end of the shift there was, at the very least, an hour of paper work. As a young bachelor this basically destroyed my social life ... Monday thru Friday out of action. Then I moved on to the midnight shift ... 11PM to 8AM ... once again an hour early to set up my shift ... at the other end I sometimes didn't leave the terminal until 10AM because the senior management insisted on AM meetings.
The best part of this shift was the fact it was Sunday midnight 'till Friday AM ... which meant I had Friday evenings to carouse. Great night to meet the ladies ...
Bottom line, after two years of shift work I was transferred to sales ... basically 8 to 5. Guess what ... a client became my wife ... married now 35 years.

[cherry]

one of our night nurses.....worked that shift for over 30 yrs....just dropped dead at home one night recently...age 55......

[fortheDeclaration]

Sorry for your loss.

A rotating schedule seems to be some kind of punishment, instead of getting people who actually want to work the midnight shift, they make everyone work it.