Every week, another study tells us about the negative effects of working the night shift on health—cancer, diabetes, obesity. Inclusion criteria used was English language, full text available articles, and published dates between January 1, 2004 and December 31 2014. 2. It’s been reported for years that night shift work increases health risks. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. The risks of shift working and how to minimise the effects of night shift working by taking care of your health and environment. Poor mental health. The research, published in the journal Workplace Health & Safety, also showed that police officers who got fewer than six hours of sleep a day had more than a doubled risk of bad quality sleep, compared with those who got six or more hours of sleep a day. The impact of shift work on the psychological and physical health of nurses in a general hospital: A comparison between rotating night shifts and day shifts. While it is well-known that night shift working comes with its problems, for men's health there are some risks that they may not have considered, but that affect them more than they may know —even to the extent of risking their lives every working day. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has commissioned its own report on the health impact of night-shift work, including its effects on breast cancer risk. Further research is needed to explore how this finding may play a role in health risks observed in people who work at night. Long shifts, shift rotations, double shifts, and evening and night shifts pose short- and long-term health and safety risks for nurses, as well as danger to their patients. 5 health risks of shift work. We prospectively examined the relationship between working rotating night shifts and the risk of colorectal cancers among female participants in the Nurses' Health Study. Working the night shift can have a detrimental effect on a nurse both physically and mentally if he or she does not effectively monitor their health. Of course, it is known that poor sleep is linked to fatigue and mood problems. Nursing Assistant: night shift (full-time or part-time Med/Surg or Critical Care) ... follows chain of command to communicate any identified patient or staff safety risks. "Higher rates of obesity and ill-health have been found in shift workers than the general population," BBC News reports. 2016;9:203-11. In fact, with the right preparation and some new, healthy habits, night shift nurses can learn to enjoy their schedules while benefitting from great compensation, new experiences and a fresh approach to their nursing practice. Working the night shift is a necessity in many fields, including health care. on night shifts; after a succession of shifts; when shifts are long; when there are inadequate breaks. Understanding Rotating Shift Workers' Health Risks. Now, a new analysis of data from the largest and longest running study of women’s health adds to the evidence with findings that rotating night shift nursing increases mortality in women. Method: An electronic literature search for "Health Risks Nurse Night Shift" was conducted using the Pubmed, CINAHL and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition databases. US Nurses’ Health Study, in which 240,000 nurses were followed for 30 years, women who work for many years on the night shift have an elevated risk of breast, colon and endometrial cancer. This is one of the reasons why night workers who try to fall asleep at 8am find it very difficult and also find it difficult to remain asleep through the day. This leads to disruption of circadian rhythms and to sleep deficits that can affect work readiness and the health, safety, and well-being of nurses. dc.contributor.author: Hughes, Robie Victoria: en: dc.date.accessioned: 2016-03-21T16:44:44Z: en: dc.date.available: 2016-03-21T16:44:44Z: en: dc.date.issued: 2016-03-21 Around 5.7 million people in the United States regularly work the night shift or a rotating shift, according to a 2004 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 5.Most people work the night shift because it is a job requirement, but others choose it for personal preference or better pay. Rotating shifts were mentioned as a major concern for night shift nurses. Increased risks A person working night shift, which causes disruption to the circadian rhythm, is at greater risk of various disorders, accidents and misfortunes, including: f. Demonstrates proper body mechanics for all functions and use of patient lifts as needed. Night shift nurses might be the envy of some of their colleagues if they receive increased pay, but I can assure you that being a night shift nurse comes with a high cost: your health. But the only way to truly know if you’re a good fit for the night shift is to give it a try — and don’t base your decision on one shift of night work. The rhythms of certain metabolic pathways can become shifted by even a few days of being awake at night and asleep during the day. It probably goes without saying that the most serious effect that shift work has on nurses is sleep deprivation. This research is being carried out at the University of Oxford Cancer Epidemiology Unit, and the report is due to be published in 2011. These are the key findings of a survey into health trends among shift workers; defined as any working pattern outside of the normal fixed eight-hour … Researchers examined the association between rotating night shift work and coronary heart disease over a period of 24 years. Your body has its own rules. Respondents agreed that complaints about fatigue and fatigue-related illnesses in night shift workers were ignored. Night shift workers had a risk between 1.58-fold to 1.99-fold when compared to daytime workers to develop diabetes. In another breakdown of sleep quality and shift timings, poor sleep had a prevalence as follows — 44 percent for those worked day shifts, 60 percent for those who worked afternoons, and 69 percent for those worked the night shifts. Shift workers are at higher risk of falling asleep while driving. The NSF reports shift workers face a higher risk of experiencing insomnia, daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, diabetes, menstrual irregularities, colds, and weight gain than day shift employees. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. The purpose of this research was to study night shift work and its health effects on nurses. Fatigue has been identified as a possible contributory factor in up to 20% of road collisions. Health risks . Since the beginning of industries requiring 24-hour work shifts, we have sensed that working night shift hours doesn't resonate well with our bodies. This could be during work time or on their journey home after a shift. 2010; 36(2): 150 – 162 Fangyi Gu MD, Total and Cause-Specific Mortality of U.S. Nurses Working Rotating Night Shifts , American Journal of Preventive Medicine , March 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2014.10.018 Mental . In many hospitals and long-term care facilities, newly hired nurses are asked to work the night shift. Shift work and fatigue Irregular hours of work and work patterns that include night and early morning shifts can lead to disruption of the internal body clock, sleeping difficulties and fatigue. They calculated that rotating night shift work account for about 17% of the combined higher risk of type 2 diabetes while an unhealthy lifestyle accounted for about 71%. The night shift still sounds intriguing, but you don’t want to jump into nocturnal hours if you’re going to spend your whole shift yawning and gulping coffee. The night Shift Manager will liaise with all section leaders on a weekly basis to ascertain if existing safe systems of work are adequate and being adhered to Night Shift Manager On-going RA5 L The night Shift Manager will liaise with the company’s Occupational Health Support Manager for professional advice on health matters Date of Assessment Guidance for Employers and Employees on Night and Shift Work The Health & Safety Authority 3. Although observational studies have associated night-shift work with an increased risk of breast cancer, the effect of night-shift work on the risk of other cancers is not known. The issue of night shift and nurses' health is a very broad one but also very serious. While a few true night owls prefer this schedule, working the night shift is challenging for most nurses. National data from 2010 showed that over half of night-shift or rotating-shift healthcare workers got six or fewer hours of sleep each day. Top 4 Health Risks for Night Shift Nurses July 2019 Following on from an article I recently shared about the high levels of sleep disturbances among nurses, learn more about the health risks associated with night shifts & how to prevent them. Best Health Updated: Dec. 13, 2011. ... for pregnant and nursing mothers. The researchers found the risk of type 2 diabetes was higher than simply adding the risks of an unhealthy lifestyle and irregular night shifts together. You might, for example, find yourself spending a chunk of your time off recovering from your time on. Until we know more, it is recommended that lighting in health care facilities should be … The National Sleep Foundation recommends a minimum of seven. The risk for evening shift workers was less (between 1.29-fold and 1.59-fold). Effects of Night and Shift Work 3.1 Introduction There is a considerable body of research evidence regarding the negative effects of night and shift work. A study of police officers found a strong link between working the night or evening shift, and getting fewer than six hours of sleep a day. The need to tend patients and provide immediate medical care for emergencies shows no regard for time. Results indicated that there is an increased risk of sleep deprivation, family stressors, and mood changes because of working the night shift. 2016;9:203-11. Arne Lowden, Eating and shift work – effects on habits, metabolism, and performance, Scand J Work Environ Health. Diurnal hormone rhythm behind health risks of night shifts. Night shift nursing doesn’t have to require gallons of coffee and zombie-like walks down the unit hallway. 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