How does working at night affect health?

Human beings are biologically prepared to live during the day and rest at night. We are diurnal animals. The added wear and tear Work at night, either continuously or by rotating shifts, ends up taking its toll and can favor the appearance of different alterations, both physical and mental.

How it affects working at night

calculates that a person who work a night shift You will suffer a premature aging of five years for every 15 years you work at night, although the effects of this alteration are likely not to be appreciated until 5-10 years after Work at night. In general terms, people are more alert and perform better between 8:00 and 6:00 p.m. After these hours, especially if you exceed eight hours of work, you are more likely to make mistakes, have accidents and be less productive at work. The work schedule not only affects the quantity and quality of sleep, but also has repercussions on diet. To maintain good health it is necessary to carry one with a supply of essential nutrients for the proper functioning of the body. Likewise, it is necessary that the food intake is divided into several meals, preferably hot. People who work at night frequently eat cold, fast foods that do not provide adequate nutrients. Upon waking in the middle of the day, they may not have the appetite for a hot meal and may not be able to eat it during their night shift. These dietary alterations can lead to the onset of serious diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure or increased cholesterol levels.

What happens at night

At night, when the body is tired and prepares to sleep, it secretes, which is a hormone that helps us relax and fall asleep. After rest, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol, a hormone that keeps us awake, active, alert and with the mind awake. The secretion of these hormones follows what is called the circadian rhythm, which regulates the production of hormones at different doses according to the needs of the sleep-wake cycle. To theWork at night the body produces relaxing hormones during working hours and stimulating hormones during the day, when trying to sleep, which can seriously affect both the ability to work and concentration as well as the quality and quantity of sleep. It is true that many of the people who work nights, especially those who always work nights, adapt to some extent to these changes, but never in the same way.

Shift changes, worse than working nights

Likewise, the constant changes of shifts are worse for health, because in this way the body and hormonal production never adapt to the needs of wakefulness and sleep different from the usual ones, which makes the health of the person suffer plus.

Among people who work the night shift, mood alterations are also more frequent than in the general population, not only because of the physical and hormonal alterations that the night shift causes, but also the difficulty in socializing that this schedule entails, since when most people are free to socialize these people have to go to Work at night.

It is very common for relationships to suffer, especially if the night shift is not shared, as well as the relationship with the children. In the same way, some daytime activities during the children's weekend are limited or curtailed by the need for rest of those who work the night shift.

It is also common for the person to Work at night You end up suffering from professional burnout so that you feel exhausted both physically and mentally, with excessive tiredness, a fickle mood, an increase in anxiety levels, feel more irascible and may develop depression . Fatigue does not improve despite rest, there is a decreased ability to concentrate, muscle and joint pain, headaches, non-restorative sleep and general malaise occur. Many of these people, at times, must use medication to stabilize their mood and achieve sleep.

How to keep these schedules as best as possible

Despite everything, in our society there are professions that need to be practiced partly at night (health professionals, firefighters, security forces, pilots and drivers of night services, etc.). Thus, if you have to work at night, you can take a series of measures to avoid the impact of this alteration of the natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness from being excessive:

• Take care of eating habits, ensuring a balanced and adequate supply of nutrients and ensuring that three intakes a day are given, preferably hot foods and not pre-cooked or cold foods.
• Establish minimum hours of between six and eight hours of rest after the work shift, following the same routines that would be carried out before going to bed at night.
• Adapt the room where you sleep to ensure rest, avoiding the entry of light, excess heat or outside noises.
• Get moderate and age-appropriate exercise before going to work to increase energy levels during night work hours.
• Take care of family and social relationships despite schedule and shift changes so that these spheres are not affected by the night shift.
• Stimulants such as tea or coffee can be taken, but only until the middle of the night, so that later their effect does not prevent you from falling asleep after the work shift is over.
• Never take hypnotic drugs to fall asleep unless prescribed by the doctor and, if possible, only occasionally or for short periods of time, until the body adapts to the change in the wake-sleep cycle.

If you have to work at night and you notice that your body suffers a lot, do not take it lightly and contact your regular doctor.

• It is estimated that a person who works a night shift will experience a premature aging of five years for every 15 who works nights.
• But the constant changes of shifts are worse for health, because in this way the body and hormonal production never get to adapt to the needs of wakefulness and sleep different from the usual ones.
• Taking care of your diet, exercising, establishing minimum hours of rest ... are some key guidelines to cope as well as possible with night or shift jobs.