Heart Disease Risk Linked To Shift Work!

Shift work sleep disorder occurs due to a work schedule that takes place during normal sleeping period.

This work schedule makes you to work in the sleeping period when your body actually wants to sleep.

When your body is expected to be awake, you have to try to sleep. There are many health risks associated with shift workers.

Shift work and increased risk of cardiovascular disease:

According to a recent study, shift work is associated with specific heart problems. People who work in a mix of day and night shifts are at increased risk of heart disease than others.

Shift work affects your body’s circadian rhythm and functions of the body such as hormone secretion, blood pressure and heart rate.

People who work in rotating shifts have the increased risk of heart disease due to the factors such as obesity, high blood pressure [High Blood Pressure in Children], cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption.

Sixty percent people who are working in rotating shifts have diseases related to heart and blood vessels and they are twice likely to die from heart attacks.

The effect of shift work will be even stronger if the person has other risk factors for heart disease. A person in rotating shifts with high blood pressure is 3.5 times more likely to die from heart attack than people who work in daytime with high blood pressure.

Individuals who are having fixed time schedules are at no greater risk of heart failures. People working in night shifts smoke, more than those who work in day shifts.

The study conducted tests on healthy workers. Workers’ hormonal and metabolic responses to meals are measured on a normal working day during day time, during night time before going to the shift work and during day time after returning from night shift work to day shift. Their blood and urine levels are also checked.

The results found are after the meal; blood levels of glucose, triacylglycerol (TAG) and insulin are higher than in normal day time hours in night shift workers. TAG is a fat, which stores energy.

Glucose and insulin levels returned to pre-shift levels 2 days after returning to day time working, but the levels of TAG are still in raised condition.

When levels of tricaylglycerol are high, fat deposits can be easily formed inside arteries leading to cardiovascular disease. Increased consumption of fast foods and high fatty foods increase cholesterol levels in your blood stream, leading to heart disease.

Other than cardiovascular problems, shift workers have sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems, fatigue and high blood pressure. Shift work can speed up the occurrence of ulcers. Shift workers are likely to increase body weight due to abnormal eating habits and lack of physical activity.

The gastrointestinal complaints include diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, eessive flatulence, and heart burn [Heart Burn and Sleep Apnea]. Due to sleep disorders, there is an increased risk of accidents.

Therefore, it is important to have minimal night shifts, abolition of rotating shifts, adequate break time for meals and lengthy rest between shifts.