Share:
Investigating night work is bad for the heart
Night work can have a negative impact on your health under certain circumstances. Experts have warned against this for a long time. According to various studies, for example, the risk of breast cancer is increased by regular night shifts, as does the risk of diabetes and obesity. Now, a new investigation has shown that nocturnal work can also be bad for the heart. Because after ten years of night shift, the risk for the development of coronary heart disease is significantly increased, reports the international research team to Celine Vetter of Harvard University in Boston in the journal "JAMA".
Connection with heart problems has long been known
For years, studies have proven time and again that regular night work can lead to health problems. For example, US researchers have been able to show that overweight and type II diabetes are favored by shift work. Likewise, studies have long suggested a connection between night shifts and cardiovascular disease. "We have been running studies on this topic for years. It has been shown that at night and shift work especially disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular problems in these employees increasingly occur, "according to the news agency" APA "in 1987, the then Board of the Institute of Environmental Hygiene of the University Vienna, Manfred Haider.
Constant change between day and night shift can have serious consequences. (Image: Tanja / fotolia.com) Researchers are examining about 240,000 nurses
Now, a recent observational study under the direction of Eva Schernhammer from the Department of Epidemiology of the MedUni Vienna has provided important new insights into this topic. According to a recent statement from the university, the researchers used the extensive American cohort study to study about 240,000 US nurses who had been irregularly assigned for day and night shifts for at least five years. It has been shown that women who work at night for more than 10 years have a 15 to 18 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who only work in the day. However, the risk is also significantly increased from five years of nocturnal work. The researchers realized that this was also true for women who were healthy before entering the night shift rhythm and had no pre-existing conditions. At the same time, however, they were able to prove that the increased risk of coronary heart disease gradually decreased when women only worked or retired during the day.
Employers should offer preventive health checks
According to the experts, therefore, a general rethinking of the night shift plans is recommended, as well as employers should offer preventive, in-house health checks. In addition, it may be useful to note when hiring to which "chrono types" the new employee belongs. "About ten to fifteen percent of people are evening types, and twenty percent or more are morning people. The rest are mixed types, "says Eva Schernhammer, according to the announcement from the university. A quick change between day and night work could thus lead to a "mini-jet lag" and sleep disorders in sensitive people. (No)