Night shifts linked to serious health risks

The 3-11pm night shift bears more stress and fatigue on the body as compared to the usual morning shift, according to Dr. Henry V. Galuba Jr, Specialist, Internal Medicine, Zulekha Hospital, Dubai.

Disruption of dinner schedule is a constant danger. Sometimes you end up not having dinner at all due to workload. Furthermore, as you reach home you face difficulty dozing off to sleep despite being fatigued. “Initially I thought it’s just being new to the system and not being acclimatised to the new shift. However, a few days back I came across the study associating night shifts with strokes, heart attacks, and angina,” explained the doctor citing his experience.

“After reading the study, I knew from that point in time that what I felt during night work was actually taking a toll on one’s body.”

The study was published in the British Medical Journal where a total of two million subjects were studied in 34 different trials.

The results concluded that 25 per cent of the population is at risk, and that proportion of the population has 41 per cent increased risk of having strokes, angina and heart attack.

Night shift workers tend to eat inappropriate foods.

The odd working hours disrupt normal secretion of hormones. Lack of proper rest or sleep after the work can take a heavy toll on the body.

The study does not discourage people from night shifts but seeks to creates awareness on identifying risk factors such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.

The role of constant blood checks and visits to the doctor are vital to avert the onset of these serious diseases.

People with identified risk factors should take all medications before being involved in the work. They should also make sure to get enough sleep to rejuvenate their systems.

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