Brilio.net - Working at night is an activity that is not good for your health. This work often changes sleep patterns and can disrupt heart rhythm. Quoting from heatlh.harvard.edu according to Eric Zhou, assistant professor in the Division of Medicine at Harvard Medical School said that shift work disorders usually occur in people who work night or early morning shifts.
According to the 2022 Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, night shift work is more risky for serious health problems. Additionally, this study also suggests that side effects may include metabolic syndrome.
Not only that, night shift workers have a more irregular eating schedule and eat more often at night. According to a journal published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine, exposure to light at night can worsen a person's health condition.
From the explanation above, it can be seen that working at night can worsen health. For this reason, you have to know how dangerous it is to work night shifts. This will be discussed in detail by brilio.net which has summarized 6 series of diseases that threaten health when working night shifts.
6 diseases that can lurk night shift workers
Night shift workers often face major challenges that not only affect their sleep patterns, but also their overall health. This condition can increase the risk of developing various serious diseases that could lurk them in the long term. The diseases that can lurk night shift workers are as follows:
1. Increases the risk of cancer
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Reporting from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified night work shifts as one of the factors that increases the risk of cancer in humans. Long-term night shift workers will experience disruption to their body's natural circadian rhythm. This circadian rhythm regulates a number of biological processes in the body, including sleep cycles, metabolism, and immune function.
One mechanism thought to contribute to an increased risk of cancer is impaired production of certain hormones, especially melatonin. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain during dark periods, and plays a role in regulating sleep cycles and has antioxidant properties that protect cells from DNA damage that can cause cancer. Night shift workers are often exposed to light at night and sleep during the day, which can interfere with melatonin production and affect immune system function.
2. Depression and mood disorders
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One of the main factors that causes the risk of depression and mood disorders is disruption of the circadian rhythm. The human body is naturally wired to sleep at night and wake up during the day, according to the natural light patterns it receives from the eyes. Night shift workers are often exposed to bright light at night and try to sleep during the day, which can disrupt the production of hormones such as melatonin that play an important role in regulating sleep cycles and mood.
3. Obesity
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The next risk is obesity. Obesity can occur because night shift workers are often exposed to bright light at night, which can interfere with the production of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin not only regulates sleep but also plays a role in metabolic regulation and weight management. In addition, irregular work schedules can cause irregular eating patterns, including the habit of eating late at night or unhealthy fast food.
4. Indigestion
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Indigestion can be a common problem for night shift workers due to irregular sleep patterns and changes in eating patterns. Night shift workers can experience problems such as constipation or diarrhea due to changes in eating patterns and body rhythms.
5. Diabetes and metabolic disorders
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Apart from digestive disorders, working night shifts can also have more severe impacts such as diabetes and metabolic disorders. Reporting from the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2014) found that night shift workers have a 42 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus than daily workers. Some of these things are risk factors for diabetes, heart attack and stroke. The risk of metabolic disorders is three times higher in people who work night shifts.
6. Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease can also occur when working at night long term. Not without reason, the human body is naturally regulated by circadian rhythms, which regulate biological processes such as sleep, metabolism and cardiovascular function. Night shift workers often experience this rhythm disturbance due to sleeping during the day and being awake at night.