NOC Shift & Your Health

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 29, 2017

Hi, everyone! I'm a NOC shift CNA. I have been doing research on what shift I'd like to do when I finish nursing school, and I think I'd like to keep working overnights, but I have read that it's bad for your health long-term (Ex. Cardiac issues, weight gain, etc). Are these issues caused by sleep disturbances effecting your health, or is it about how you take care of yourself? I don't think it's the shift itself because my body naturally stays up late so this shift actually works better for me and I get less sleep disturbances. How do you keep healthy?

Night shift supposedly causes obesity, diabetes, breast cancer . . . .

If you work night shift for forty years, you may wind up with obesity, diabetes, breast cancer -- of course working for forty years means you're forty years older, and getting older tends to lead to many of these same issues.

I think it matters more how you take care of yourself rather than which shift you work. The problem with working night shift for many people is that they don't take care of themselves. I've seen nurses who work night shift so they don't have to pay for child care . . . which means they don't sleep. Hubby gets the kids at night when they're asleep, and the nurse who has worked all night is awake all day, catching cat naps here and there. Other nurses see a day off rather than a sleep day. I've worked with nurses who clean house, shop, lunch with friends, etc. instead of sleeping. There are nurses who snack all night on chips and candy rather than eating a healthy meal, and there are nurses who never eat.

I tend to get more exercise when I work night shift -- it's easier to drag yourself out of bed for a brisk walk at 4pm when it's daylight than it is at 4am when it's not. Also, the neighborhood pool is open for swimming, I can row or swim across the creek (weather permitting) and there are "normal people" at the 24 hour gym rather than the scary creeps I always seem to encounter at 4am.

Blackout curtains or shades help with sleeping, a large fan for white noise and an understanding with housemates about your need for sleep. (Although with my large fan on high, I didn't hear a thing when my then-boyfriend moved into my house one day -- to my very great surprise when I woke up -- or when he subsequently moved OUT.)

mrsboots87 · Oct 30, 2017

A relatively recent study that was conducted over decades is actually showing that there is basically no health effect difference between day and night shift. What matters is your consistency with your sleep/wake pattern. If you are switching yourself areound to be awake early on your days off, then stay up all night, then it leads to health problems. But if you stay in a pretty much night schedule on your days off, then there isn't really a difference. And I mean still staying up late and sleeping in late on days off to keep your sleep/wake schedule in tact. That's the part that is hard for a lot of NOC shifters.

MunoRN, RN · Oct 30, 2017

A relatively recent study that was conducted over decades is actually showing that there is basically no health effect difference between day and night shift. What matters is your consistency with your sleep/wake pattern. If you are switching yourself areound to be awake early on your days off, then stay up all night, then it leads to health problems. But if you stay in a pretty much night schedule on your days off, then there isn't really a difference. And I mean still staying up late and sleeping in late on days off to keep your sleep/wake schedule in tact. That's the part that is hard for a lot of NOC shifters.

I'd be curious what study you're referring to since the research on the health effects of working night shift is fairly robust and shows clear effects. We not only know that there are differences in health risks, but we know at least one of the sources of these differences which is alterations to melatonin and cortisol levels. What's the name of the study?

dexilna, ADN · Oct 30, 2017

I've been working nights for a few months now and I give major props to anyone who prefers nights. I love my co-workers and the flow of the shift, but I am not built for this and am eager for my switch to days when possible. That said, I read an article recently that stated the link b/w night shift and health is possibly linked to the suppression of melatonin in the body, and supplementation is a possible intervention. I agree that the prevailing research definitely links night shift to long term health concerns. I'll link the article in case anyone is interested.

Night shifts may hinder body's ability to repair DNA damage: Suppression of sleep hormone melatonin likely factor, findings suggest -- ScienceDaily