Night Shift And Cancer

Nurses General Nursing

Published

"The researchers studied 78,586 women taking part in a long-running program called the Nurses' Health Study. The nurses who worked night shifts at least three times a month for 15 years or more had a 35 percent greater risk of colon or rectal cancer. "

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/06/04/cancer.nightshifts.reut/index.html

I'm still voting on it being the person......not the shift.

Specializes in OB Labor & Delivery/PP/Nursery/Hospice.

I WISH I didn't have to work nights. That is the only thing available right now, and believe me, I mean in ANY department. It is hard to get a day shift position. I live in a small town and the turnover rate is not very good. Which, in a way is good for the patients, bad for anyone wanting to move shifts and/or positions.

I HAVE to eat at night or my blood sugar plummets and I feel sick. Of course, I eat the wrong things right now. But I am working on that aspect as we speak!

Originally posted by babs_rn

...I lost two whole years of my life in my memory because of night shift. Those years are gone. I don't remember them at all.

I ditto that BIG time...I barely remember my 2nd (of 3) marriages and have NO recall of my daughter being in the 7th grade...makes me wonder what her little brothers were doing.

I have worked nights for 1-2 year stretches off & on in 13+ years of nursing...because sometimes it was the only work to be had. I am not a night shift person (my body LOVES swing shift) and I start getting sick after just a few months...pale, sickly, bloated and tired. I was working nights when I also developed fibro (well controlled as a s/e of being in a pain mgmt program for my back).

Anymore all it takes is 1 week of nights, no matter how well prepared I am for them to throw my body into imobilizing pain. Weird thing is: I take my meds at the exact same times, get just as much sleep and eat the same meals at almost the same time.

I don't know if working nights takes 7 years off your life...I just know it made me wish I were dead.

Nights small ED nice to work with nurses who respect and appreciate us. My cancer will come from my marlboror's and I wiil not blame it on my job.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Originally posted by New CCU RN

I'm still voting on it being the person......not the shift.

Too many studies have shown night shift workers have more health problems. Whether it be a hormonal thing, a circadian rhythm thing or bad habits who knows. That said, I think if a night shift worker sleeps uninterrupted, exercises, eats right, etc. there won't be any ill effects from working nights.

Too many night workers I've seen a nappers, don't sleep uninterrupted a good 8 or whatever hours their body needs.

I'm voting on a combination of poor habits coupled with the stress of working nights on the body.

I've done nights preferably for the past 10 years in trauma. Though the staffing is lighter, there are no big-wigs breathing down your neck as you work either. Plenty of counter-space too, the days are filled with medical students, residents, etc., it's amazing how we night people get the job done with all of these "important" types not around! The health problems and weight issues are key though, and you never do feel totally rested being you really only get 3 nights of sleep, that fourth day after 3 nights on is lost! For those of us with kids, at least our bodies are physically there in the daytime, although the interrupted sleep can't be healthy either. During the short stints when I've done day shifts to see how the other half lives, I noticed that day shift ER workers seem to complain about their health and being tired more than the night shift!! Whatever floats your boat. Patty

We work 2 weeks nights and then 2 weeks of days. 12 hour shifts.

I know the time I work nights, I feel lousy, don't sleep well. When I take vacation time I ALWAYS try to schedule it on nights.

I have read study after study that link breast cancer with night shifts. THe one study I recall looked at shift workers who worked YEARS of nights....which greatly increased risk.

Living well, eating well and excerise can help but night shifts over the long term........ cause alot of problems, least of which is cancer.

I plan on making my jump to days, when I am finished my degree... two years from now. The problem is, I love critical care and a day job means leaving the critical care setting.... In the meantime, I try to take vacation when I am on nights, eat right and GO TO THE GYM. It is manditory we take GOOD CARE OF OURSELVES!

Originally posted by 3rdShiftGuy

Too many studies have shown night shift workers have more health problems. Whether it be a hormonal thing, a circadian rhythm thing or bad habits who knows. That said, I think if a night shift worker sleeps uninterrupted, exercises, eats right, etc. there won't be any ill effects from working nights.

Too many night workers I've seen a nappers, don't sleep uninterrupted a good 8 or whatever hours their body needs.

I'm voting on a combination of poor habits coupled with the stress of working nights on the body.

I agree - l am still after 3 and half years of giving up nights suffering from poor sleeping habits - I frequently have some type of medication to get me to sleep - or back to sleep - I am curently trying a herbal tea - (not camoimile) - however until my general health is sorted out l will probably continue with the medication most of the time.

I fully admit to my bad habits - but it is a bit like the chicken and egg - which creates which

bad habits - due to nursing hours - poor health due to bad habits - due to nursing - Guess l could give up nursing - its only been 35 years - the way life is going l wont be able to retire until yet - should be able to work at least another 25 - By then there wont be enough people around to help support us in our old age!!!

Wouldn't you love to go up to a hospital administrator and tell them you need a $20,000 a year raise to compensate for the adverse affects of shift work on your health. The studies don't lie after all and it is only fair. I would love to here the answer to that! :devil:

Sorry- hear- typo.

Originally posted by Sandra m.

I agree - l am still after 3 and half years of giving up nights suffering from poor sleeping habits - I frequently have some type of medication to get me to sleep - or back to sleep - I am curently trying a herbal tea - (not camoimile) - however until my general health is sorted out l will probably continue with the medication most of the time.

hi Sandra,

i've tried a lot of things over the years . . . currently using several hearbal remedies myself . . . but the thing which has produced the most measurable benefits in terms of balancing ~ health ~ physical ~ mental ~ emotional ~ spiritual ~ is a chinese practice known as Qigong (or chi gung or chi kung, various spellings)

i was lucky enough to find a chinese qigong master teaching in a city nearby . . . if you are interested and can't find someone locally i know master Chunyi Lin has produced a number of home study materials

master Lin is a very sincere, genuine human being and has an impressive track record of healing people who have been sent home to die by the medical system

i believe the mayo clinic is doing some kind of study on master Lin and the healing power of qigong

his mission is to share this knowledge with as many people as possible and his goal is "a healer in ever family and a world without pain"

(among many other things, i use qigong to help me with working nights and sleeping)

to good health!

scroll down past the course dates for individual materials:

http://www.anokaramsey.edu/cr-cect/schedules/qigong.html

or, to read more . . . (complete home study course offered):

http://www.potentools.com/body/qigong/

I've worked nights for about four years. I recently tok leave and had a baby, and I don't think I can go back to nights. While actually working the nights, I thought I was doing all right. Now that I'm back to sleeping nights I can see that I was a total zombie with no social life, and well on my way to being a hermit. I'm only 32, but have had many and varied health problems while working nights, including a very difficult pregnancy. Darn! The night shift gals are the best in the building, and I'll really miss being able to complete my assignments with no 'suit' intereference.

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