Having a job with a shift system, meaning working sometimes during the day, sometimes at night, is particularly trying. This lifestyle does not establish habits, requires constant adjustments (especially if you have children) and could even create health problems for women, according to a recent study. published in British Medical Journal . Conducted by American, Austrian and Chinese scientists, the research was based on two long health studies which concerned American nurses and which began respectively in 1976 and 1989. Thus, the data collected on 143,410 professionals who regularly answered to medical questionnaires that affect lifestyle were analyzed. Importantly, these women did not have type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. However, all of them were subject to changing work schedules, between day, evening and night (they worked at least 3 nights a month), which can impact biological rhythms. Their lifestyle was also scrutinized, in particular tobacco consumption (current or past), overweight or obesity, the tendency to do less than 30 minutes of exercise per day and unbalanced diet .
Years of study (which spanned 22 to 24 years) found that 10,915 of them developed type 2 diabetes. After 5 years of working night shifts, nurses had 31% risks in addition to being affected by the disease. In addition, those who had an unhealthy lifestyle were 2.3 times more likely than others to be affected by diabetes. In summary, the researchers established that the risks of illness were increased by 17% by night work, 71% by the "unhealthy" lifestyle and that women affected by these two factors had an 11% additional risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is noted that the study only involved predominantly white women, so it is not necessarily representative of men and people from other ethnic groups. The community site Diabetes.co.uk , which helps sick people around the world, provides an explanation for these findings. “When circadian rhythms are disrupted by night shifts, short-term effects include insomnia, but long-term effects can include obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure “, it is specified. “If you have changing schedules, there are changes you can make to improve your health […]:plan balanced meals and snacks, exercise and get enough sleep ". Well noted… Good luck to all those who go to work when everyone is asleep!
