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Health Effects of Working Third Shift

Working the night shift can be dangerous to your health. The Health.com website says the National Academy of Sciences noted more than 8 million Americans performed shift work in 2009. This large group consists of people from occupations such as police officers, factory workers, truck drivers, radio deejays, radio and TV news reporters and 24-hour convenience store workers. Doctors and scientists believe that a link exists between this work and insomnia, high blood pressure, diabetes and a number of other illnesses.

  1. Melatonin

    • A chemical known as melatonin plays a key role in telling the cells of your body that it's time to go to sleep, according to a 2010 Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) study. This suggests that forcing your body to stay awake at night to perform your job can interfere with melatonin production, which drops because of night exposure to light.

      The study also notes that decreased levels of this chemical can lead to the release of gonadotropins in the pituitary gland and an excessive amount of estrogen from the ovaries, which the study has associated with the development of tumors.

    Pregnancy Complications

    • According to the OCRC, the 2010 study also showed that shift work can have a negative effect on pregnancy. It can lead to fetal growth retardation and low birth weight. The website advises that employers allow women who are with child to switch from third shift to daytime work.

    Obesity

    • The interruption in the circadian rhythm -- which, according to Health.com, is the natural sleep-wakefulness biological clock -- that shift work produces can lead to a drop in the hormone leptin, which is involved in weight regulation. Once this defense goes, the third shift worker is likely to experience a spike in his appetite and a decrease in his desire for physical activity. Obesity can result, which is likely to lead to other health problems.

    Heart Disease

    • The OCRC study shows a correlation between shift work and heart disease. It suggests that such a link exists because of the inherent psychological stress involving the brain's fight with the body to make it stay awake. The individual must expend an extra amount of effort to avoid making dangerous mistakes it otherwise would avoid during the day, when the brain is in a better position to make sounder, wiser decisions.

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