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.
Related:List of nursing organizations
Related:List of nursing organizations
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