5 Ways Let Nurses Know They Are Working The Night Shift

Do you feel sick to your stomach? Are you becoming obsessed with sleep? Does your body shut down even when you try to remain awake? Are you always dreaming of sleep?

The working 9 to 5 song may catch your attention, but if you are a nurse working late night, chances are you may change those lyrics to working 10 to 6. Shift workers are among the most sleep-deprived people who find it difficult to adjust their biological clocks to sleep, given their diverse sleep patterns. Working night shifts is associated with a lot of health hazards, one of which is the inability to get proper sleep.

While day workers get up, go to work and come back to sleep, this schedule is just not possible for nurses working the night shift. They cannot hit the bed when they get home because it is difficult to sleep through the day. However, splitting sleep can help with 4 hours before and after work, to promote a healthier sleep cycle.

If you are going in for a night shift for the first time, here are few things to be aware of.

Shift work hurts sleep

Research conducted on nurses and other shift workers have shown a strong link between geting fewer hours of sleep and working long hours at night. The research also helped show that nurses who work long hours and get less sleep have more than double the risk of acquiring various diseases such as heart attack and diabetes. The nurses working late night also have lower serotonin levels, which affects their sleep pattern.

Chances of obesity increases

Sleeping against the body’s biological clock or sleeping too little increases the chances of becoming obese. Night workers often find it difficult to sleep during the day; therefore, they face circadian rhythm disruption during the night and get insufficient sleep during the day. This can have repercussions on their health. Getting enough sleep is important for proper functioning of the body.

Increased chances of breast cancer

Female nurses working the night shift have an increased chance of suffering from breast cancer. The risk increases by 30 percent as compared to women who work during the day. This risk is observed in workers who have been on the night shift from the past 3 to 4 years, as well as in those who have been working only night shifts for a regular four to five weeks.

Negative metabolic changes observed

Nurses and night shift workers experience low levels of leptin, which is a hormone known to regulate weight and affect insulin and blood sugar levels. These changes alter the metabolic changes and in turn, increase the risk of a serious health condition such as heart disease and diabetes.

Risk of Work Injury Increases

Nurses working night shifts experience nearly double the chance of getting injured as compared to their counterparts working during the day. The disruption of a normal sleeping pattern can cause fatigue and drowsiness, which increases the chances of workplace injuries. It has also been proven that people working in rotation are more likely to experience workplace injuries, compared to nurses who work regular night hours.

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