The Night Shift & Depression

Disrupting the body's natural sleep habits may cause a host of health problems, including depression. In addition to irritability and tiredness, night shift workers also face the social isolation of working different schedules than most of their friends and family.

Body's Clock

• Humans are programmed to sleep at night. According to an article by Amanda K. Bruskin at the Rochester Institute of Technology, working at night interferes with the body's internal clock and natural circadian rhythms.

Permanent Night Shift

• Bruskin points out that permanent night shift workers partially adapt to their consistent schedule, resulting in fewer health problems than workers who have the night shift on a rotating basis.

Social Isolation

• Night shift workers may miss out on family events due to their inconvenient work schedules.

  U.S. News mentions that night shifts make it hard for workers to interact with family and friends due to scheduling issues. Relationships help prevent and relieve depression, while isolation--such as that of the night shift worker--increases the risk of depression.

Common Problems

• On Shiftease.com, night workers reported problems associated with night work, including insomnia, irritability, forgetfulness, exhaustion and frequent illness. These combine to create more serious problems, such as depression.

Serotonin Levels

• A 2007 study published in the "Sleep" journal reveals that working the night shift on rotation reduces serotonin levels compared to working the day shift, making rotating night shift workers more vulnerable to depression.