what would 16 years of working night shift and disturbed daytime sleeping do to my health?

Answer 1

The brain needs daylight just like plants.

Answer 2

Over the last twenty five years I have been working very early mornings to late evenings, with up to four night time shifts per week, and up to me finishing work three years ago, I was working up to eighteen hours a day, starting at 1.am. It was my experience that your body goes onto auto-pilot. I never used to think about the hours, just the job. However, now semi retired, I have put on weight, got very lazy, and yet my mind is always active, making it difficult to relax and sleep. When I do sleep, I tend to wake every hour or so, then fall back to sleep. I think my body clock has a flat battery that will not recharge.
I blame this on out of normal working hours. However, apart from the above, I am, touch wood, in fairly good health. I would suggest that any side effects to working nights will me mental rather than physical.

Answer 3

You ask the right man, I think.

I worked the appropriately dubbed GRAVEYARD shift from 1972 to 1981 in SO CAL at a Mickey Mouse establishment you might call it. I live dlike a zombie and was always

By the time I was done, my first marriage was gone, my mental hull had a sizeable tear in it, I was obese -metabolic syndrome- and my sex life was a "sorry-sorry" catalog.

Co-workers ?. Much the same story.

I dare advice you to TURN DOWN any and all job featuring such a prospect, EXCEPT maybe if done on occasion, and above all if you're NOT married. Once you tie the know, look elsewhere.

Took me ten years of meds to get over the effects.

Trust me.

Answer 4

My wife has been a Nurse working permanent nights for the last 14 years, following the birth of our children.
I keep on at her to stop and do something else for a short while, but she won't hear of it.

It is starting to affect her - she is always tired and run-down, comes home shattered, and beginning to get a little depressed.

She finds it hard to focus, is developing a very short temper.

The human mind needs decent, regular rest to perform to the best it can. I think the problems will be more mental/psychological than physical - the body is pretty robust and will take any amount of punishment if it's fed & watered properly - that's not to say that it won't take a physical toll as well, more in your head.

Answer 5

Just working night shift won't hurt you, but if you don't get
enough sleep, you may have trouble concentrating, have
lower immunity to colds and such, probably gain weight.
Try ear plugs, eye covers, tripple blinds on windows, eat something before going to sleep, so you will not wake up hungry in few hours, shut off the ringer on the phone.I have been working nights for over twenty years, and know some people that have been working nights for thirty years. But, if you can not
tolerate it, you have to stop before it will damage you!

Answer 6

Go on the day shift and join the other disturbed people and get a good night sleep!!

Answer 7

The short answer is, you would become very rundown, depressed and probably have a lot of sickdays....
Then there is your family/social life, that would come under strain too. That still affects your health as it affects your and others happiness.
It depends on how much sleep you can normally function on. Some people can have only 4 hours and feel fresh a daisy, but some people need 8 hours and more or they feel like death warmed up. Like me!

Answer 8

It isn't very healthy for your system, most doctors reccommend at least 8hrs sleep a night. It can also age you early as the body is denied the chance to catch up on rest anduse the period where you are asleep to heal itself.

Circadian rhythms are natural mental and physical changes that occur throughout the day. They are controlled by the body’s biological clock, which is affected by levels of light. Work schedules that conflict with the regulating cues, such as light, may result in sleepiness at work and sleep disorders such as insomnia.

Shift workers are more likely to suffer from physical and mental health problems. Accidents at work are more likely to occur at night, and to be of greater severity. For example, medical interns on the night shift have been found to be twice as likely to misinterpret tests as during the day. It may be possible to reduce sleepiness resulting from shift work by using bright lights, minimising shift changes and taking scheduled naps.

Answer 9

It may badly affect your system. You need to have eight hours of continuous ,undisturbed sleep without disturbing the pupils of the eyes. ALso it may disturb the digestive process slightly. After all , any machine that works continuously for a long tiem needs rest, so does the brain.

Answer 10

Human beings are meant to work during the day and rest or sleep at night. Your natural clock will get confused then you brain will be messed up. You may cause a lot of harm to yourself the environment and others. It is best to alternate your night duties with day duties.

Answer 11

it will definetly effect ur health.
when u start to work in day shifts, u get sleep , u won't be able to complete ur work.

It's better try to change the company which has night shifts, as ur r addicted to that. And even u will have a change in environment.