What will happen if a person working in night shifts for a very long time?

Question

(I have been working in the night shifts for the last 8 month)

Answer 1

Shift work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder that occurs due to the work schedule that takes place during the normal sleep period. You have to work in night schedules when your body wants to sleep. You have to sleep when your body expects to be awake. Your sleep and wake times are much different than your internal body clock.

This internal clock controls circadian rhythms in your body. Circadian means to occur in a cycle of 24 hours. These circadian rhythms make you alert or feel sleepy at regular time periods every day.

There are several types of shift work schedules. These include the following:

Early-morning shifts
Rotating shifts
Night shifts


The shift workers have one to four hours of less sleep than average. You have trouble sleeping due to the different shift work schedules. The quality of sleep is also poor. You do not feel refreshed when you wake up from sleep. Due to the poor sleep, your performance is affected. It can also make you less attentive.

This condition continues as long as you keep a shift work schedule. If you start to sleep in the normal time again, your problems tend to go away. But for some people, the sleep problems may continue based on the severity of the problem.

If you have evening shift, you may have hard time falling asleep. If you work night shifts, you will be tired on the job. If you have early morning shifts, you may have trouble falling asleep or waking up.

Shift work - health problems:
Research findings are beginning to show that shift work can be dangerous to your health. Your brain contains circadian clock, which monitors the amount of light you can see moment by moment. When the light starts to wane in the evening, your clock notices and prompts the melatonin, which gives the body, the signal to fall asleep. Melatonin remains low during the day and remains high at night.

The other chemicals such as noradrenaline and acetylcholine during the day increase in the body and keep you awake. This system keeps you synchronized through the day-night cycle.

Heart disease:
Shift work may play a role in heart disease. Some research studies have shown that cholesterol levels and blood pressure levels increase among shift workers than among day workers. Both contribute to heart disease.

Digestive problems
Shift work can cause problems with digestion including ulcers, stomach and bowel problems, and a decrease in appetite.

Other health problems
Shift work can make some health conditions worse such as epilepsy, diabetes, asthma and depression.

Sleep problems
Shift work affects your sleep and the amount of sleep required to you. You may feel tired and may not feel refreshed due to lack of sleep.

Social and family problems
Shift work causes problems in your family and outside also. Participation in social activities and family life is difficult since these activities are often present when you are at work. Lack of contact with family and friends can result in feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Safety concerns
Due to the different shifts, you may feel sleepy at the work place. You may not do your work properly. Due to the sleepiness, you may have motor accidents or work related accidents.

Solutions to shift work Organizations:
The organizations can follow some of the techniques to reduce shift work problems. There is no perfect shift schedule but schedules can be improved in the following ways:

limit the number of night shifts worked in a row for each worker
for morning shifts, early start can be avoided.
quick shift changes can be avoided.
permanent night shifts must be avoided for each worker.
the long work shifts and overtime can be reduced
rest breaks must be included enough in between the work.
schedules must be kept regular and workers should be informed about the schedules well ahead of time.
give as many weekends off as possible with at least two days off in a row
Organizations can also help by providing a work environment for shift workers with

good lighting at work place
clean rest and meal areas
proper ventilation at work place
Organizations should meet the individuals often to provide the needs of workers. They can provide

flexible time for child care needs or long travel time to work
alternative work for workers who cannot work shift work
education for workers to help them cope with shift work
time off for special family or community events
If you have a medical problem like diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, or mental health problems you should ask your doctor’s advice before becoming a shift worker.
If you are a shift worker, you can improve your sleep by a regular bedtime. Make sure to

have time to relax
make your bedroom dark so that the light cannot disturb you
lower the bedroom temperature
avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking and sleeping pills
lower the bedroom temperature
make the bedroom dark
eliminate noise as it can disrupt your sleep
Eat high protein meals before work. Avoid high protein, high fat and greasy foods for five hours before bedtime.

If a safety committee is present at your work place, make recommendations to them to reduce the effects of shift work and improve shift schedules for you and your coworkers.

Answer 2

You get your days and nights mixed up and you can't ever be a morning person again. It has something to do with when your brain released cortisol and once you get it turned around you feel like crap if you try to live normal human hours. I worked nights with a lot of people who felt the same thing. I've been off nights for 4 years-changed companies and there was no night shift- and I have an awful time. I can't get to sleep until 3 or 4 am and then can't get up in the morning. I do as I have to but I feel terrible until about three in the afternoon and then I'm ready to rock and roll all night again and I'm on that same cycle. I'm working from home now so I can keep my crazy schedule but I miss a lot.

Answer 3

Could you get a dog or a cat maybe, the extra company after the kids go to bed might help you. Or even get a house alarm that if someone tried to open doors or windows the alarm sounds, you can still walk around in the night time. My hubby works night shift every two weeks and I am at home with my two kids (3yo and 9mo) and it doesn't bother me too much, but I have two big dogs. Every now and then I get the spooks and feel scared about being at home alone, but I have to protect my kids if something happened so I push the bad thought away and try not to think about them too much. I do know it isn't easy especially if you aren't sleeping well. But a bit of thought and you can put your fears to rest.

Answer 4

You will not go nuts, loose your vision or grow curly toenails. After a period of night shifts, I joined a bowling league that started at midnight, I worked 4 to 11:30. I made more $ because of the night shift differential and wasn't going out at night with my old rowdy buds and blowing a bunch of cash. The hardest part is the rest of the world doesn't think anyone should sleep during the day. Except my new vampire friends.

Answer 5

Nothing. You will adjust. My husband works the night shift and has done so for about 15 years. It works out somehow. We just don't sleep at the same time. Doesn't mess up our love life either (in the event you really wanted to know). You work around it. Also, he can always go to the kids' games because he doesn't work afternoons or evenings. Sure, there's bad sides to it but you make it work when it's important to you. Also, night shift pays better.

Answer 6

Your circadian rhythm might be off...we human creatures are normally awake in the daylight and asleep at night. Night shift workers have it turned around the other way. If this works for you and you can get the proper amount of sleep during your daytime off hours, you should be fine. Many cannot...I cannot! I am an RN and after working nights for years, I had to stop...didn't work well with my body's rhythms.

Answer 7

Your body gets used to it. Millions of people are working on night shifts,

Answer 8

My mom has been working the night shift for years and her body is so use to not getting a good nights sleep she takes sleeping pills as if it was candy on the weekends

Answer 9

Your days and nights will be mixed up.

My husband worked nights for 4 years. It worked fine until they switched him to days. It took about a week for him to get used to a new sleep schedule.

Answer 10

my mom is a nurse and she has worked the night shift for the last 21 years. she is on the weirdest schedule that i have ever heard of.

she works for 7 days, wednesday night to the next wednesday morning. she works for 12 hours a day (7 at night to 7 in the morning) - she calls it 7 on 7 off 7 to 7. then she is off for the next 7 days.

it usually takes her a day to recover and get back on a daytime routine and then on tuesday night, she'll stay up all night and sleep all day and then go to work on wednesday night and work all week. she works off on the next wednesday morning and tries to stay up all day and sleep all night and then the next day, thursday, she is kinda back on her daytime schedule.

Answer 11

He may get fits, seizures, insomnia, laziness, loss of energy unless and until he regularly does yogasans and pranayam or in the alternative meditates for an hour every day through the process of self-realization.