Health hazards caused by working in night shift

New Delhi, Oct 18: Today's business world is evolving faster than ever before. To remain competitive it has become a necessity for a lot companies to operate continuously and provide services 24 hours a day. As a result, the shift work (especially graveyard shifts) has become a reality of life and a lot of people are likely to do it at some given point in time. Professions including doctors, police officers, paramedics, journalists, firefighters, typically work non-traditional hours, which prevents them from getting enough sleep. Although working the night shift often means good bucks, it also poses serious health risks that could also compromise your performance. Here are we giving some health hazards that you may receive as a result of overnight work.ExhaustionThe human brain is programmed to work during the day and sleep at night. Thus, when the sleeping pattern is altered or disturbed, one really feels tired. The adjustments undertaken by the body may result in you feeling stress. Our bodies are constantly operating in cycle. Sleeping, waking, digestion, body temperature and blood pressure run on a 24-hour cycle and determine when our body is ready to eat, sleep and active. These are also called circadian rhythms. For the night shift workers, these rthyms become opposite. Sleep DisturbancesSleep disorders are common among youngsters who work late at night. The medical fraternity has categorised them broadly into respiratory sleep disorders like hypersomnia, sleep apnoea, hypoventillation syndrome, and neurological sleep disorder such as central nervous system sleep disorders. Doctors also advise not to pop sleeping pills or ignore the problem, as it may even further accentuate it. A thorough diagnosis for studying sleep patterns in a sleep lab should be conducted. Doctors call it a urban lifestyle disease as youngsters even at the age of 27-28 are likely to witness with sleep disorders.Social and relational problemsPeople who are involved in the night shifts or those who have to work long hours may experience considerable disruption of family and social activities as they often miss out on important relationship-building opportunities. In the long term, it can pose serious risks to relationships such as marriage. For instance, Saturday and Sunday work, can preclude involvement in sporting events or religious activities. In addition, childcare, housework, and shopping, do tend to suffer as a result of shift scheduling. Cardiovascular disordersA study published on the British Medical Journal website bmj.com, warns that night shift work can dramatically increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It said people working in night shifts have higher levels of unhealthy behaviours such as eating junk food, sleeping badly and not exercising, which are linked to heart problems. Shift work was associated with a 23 per cent increased risk of heart attack, 24 per cent rise in coronary events and five per cent extra strokes. Moreover, there has been growing evidence that night shift working might boost cancer risk because of the disruption to the body clock and hormone production. A previous research found a link between night shifts and increased risk of breast cancer in women. Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: “There are plenty of reasons why sleep deprivation is a problem. Easy internet access, a growing number of TV channels, financial worries and longer working hours all distract us from going to bed. But it's important more of us make sleep a priority and get our restorative six-to-eight hours a night.”Depression and mood disorders Some studies suggest that shift workers (especially night shift) workers are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression and other mood disorders. People do take a psychological toll due to social isolation. A study in 2007 found that when compared to day workers, night workers had significantly lower levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that plays a key role in mood.