Nightshift
Introduction
The
world of today is characterized by a wide variety of changes, and the workplace
is one of the places that has seen great changers. Alteration of time schedules
in terms of the time people work is a factor of many organizations today.
Working at night in the form of night shifts has become very common today.
However, this is still a new aspect of employment, and there is little research
about its implications on the health of employees as well as the family dynamics.
The reason for increased diversity in the scheduling of work today is mainly
attributed to increased aspect of working part time whereby people seek
employment at nontraditional shifts with the aim of increased pay or a better
working schedule in addition to having another full-time job. Another factor
associated with the diversity is attributed to the need to have a flexible
schedule for many workers whereby they get the chance to make a choice on their
own working schedule which is best suited to their performance. Apart from the
above, there are also other forms of employment that necessitate alternate
forms of work schedule such as nursing and other medical profession. These are
professions that require health practitioners on a twenty-four-hour basis, and
therefore, employees have to operate on schedules that are nontraditional in
order to ensure full operation (TAUSIG, 2001).
Despite these forms of development and changes in work schedules, there is the
need to find out the implications that these nontraditional work schedules have
on the employees. This paper will try to find out the physical, psychological
implications that working at nontraditional hours have on them. It will also
explore social factors that include the effects on family and other forms of
changes in life.
One
of the biggest conclusions made is that working in night shifts and other
noonday shifts have negative implications on the health of an individual. These
negative implications are mostly associated with consequences that affect the
physical, social and psychological wellbeing of the individuals. These
implications are mostly attributed to factors of the hours spent in non-day
shifts and the lack of control over work schedule which has effects on family
relations of the individuals. Nightshift is most of the time considered
undesirable and therefore, cause harmful effects to workers because of their
physical, psychological and social changes that they bear on them. This is
usually contrary to the normal working schedules for which most people operate
in. Night shift and other non-day shifts have been associated with the
development of coronary diseases, whereby there is a high likelihood of
developing such diseases for people working in non-day shifts and other
rotating shifts. Apart from coronary heart problems Shift work has also been
associated with neurotic disorders as well as gastrointestinal problems (Shift work, 2017).
Shift
work has been greatly linked with problems associated with the circadian rhythm
of the heart. At night the circadian rhythm is at its lowest, and this is the
time where most shift works are most common. They then go to sleep early in the
morning, but the rhythm wakes them up and results in them having no sleep
because of the active rhythm which is during the day when most of these people
try to rest. Because of this rhythm, working at night is usually associated
with a lot of sleepiness and highly reduced performance because it is when the
rhythm is lowest. (Shift
work, 2017)
Circadian
rhythm
This
is a rhythm that is mostly associated with sleeping cycles and is very
important for resting. It is usually a homeostatic function of the body that
helps in the regulation of sleep and provides an opportunity for the body to
rest, it is a function that strikes a balance between sleep which is usually at
night and wakefulness which is during day time. The cycle allows people to be
active during the do to perform their daily functions and makes people sleep
and rest at night after a long day of work. This is usually the normal cycle of
the circadian rhythm. The rhythm acts as an internal clock that regulates the
timings for sleep and that of waking up for people (Shift work,
2017).
It
occurs in the form of dips and rises whereby when the rhythm dips people start
to fell sleepy, and this starts to happen later on in the day while at night
the rhythm begins to rise close to dawn when people are close to waking up in
the morning. There occur changes in the rhythm especially for teens with a form
of sleep delay that makes it difficult for them to sleep before 11 p.m. Because
of school schedules in the morning which are usually very early, most teens
find it very hard to wake up early in the morning, and this is because of a
delay in sleep phase within the circadian rhythm (Circadian rhythm, 2017).
Teens
usually have a dip in the rhythm at around 3 am which can extend up to 9 am
depending on the amount of sleep the teens have received. This internal clock
that exists naturally in our body is associated with the work of a group of
specialized cells known as the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus that occur in the
hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a part of the brain, and the Suprachiasmatic
Nucleus is a group of cells that are highly responses to changes in light and
darkness conditions associated with day and night. They are connected to the
eye by the optic nerve through which light travels into the eye through the
optic nerves and to the cell. Light and darkness conditions send signals to the
cells, and the cells initiate the clock mechanism of the body (Shift work, 2017).
The
cells are also responsible for signaling other parts of the body from which
hormones are produced and function to initiate the functions of sleep and wake
in the body. For example signals of light through the eye reach the
Suprachiasmatic nucleus and signals the body to produce hormones such as
cortisol, that helping regulating the body temperature specific for waking up.
The cells also inhibit production of hormones such as melatonin which are
associated with initiating sleep in the body. On the other hand, the vice versa
occurs whereby, dark conditions of the night stimulates the cells and lead to
the production of melatonin and at the same time inhibit the production of
cortisol. In teenagers, the delayed phase in sleep is usually in the timing for
production of cortisol in the body which is usually delayed until later in the
night and this is what causes delayed sleep (Circadian rhythm, 2017).
The
circadian rhythm is a very important rhythm in the body and is a body’s
evolutionary function that is responsive to light and darkness associated with
day and night. Disruption to this rhythm is attributed to many factors, and one
of the common factors is shift work. Working at night shift completely turns around
the sleeping cycle and completely works against the circadian rhythm. With
people working in night shift, when the rhythm is low is when they are most
active and when the rhythm is on the rise that is when they sleep. This is
usually confusing for the body because the function is altered by the differing
sleeping cycle. The body tries to force the brain to alter the pattern of
hormone release and is associated with poor performance and difficult thinking (Circadian rhythm, 2017).
The
alteration in the body functions caused by shift working especially for people
working night shift result to health implications especially in it occurs for a
long period of time. This is because, the hormones and other body functions
releases for the purpose of sleep and waking up do not function as they should
and are, therefore, released by the body for nothing. Another implication is
that working in night shift limits the body from having adequate rest because
when people try to sleep when the rhythm is on a rise which is during the day,
it initiates a wake mechanism that hinders them from sleeping and they stay
awake. They fail to have enough rest when they should. At night on the other
hand when they are supposed to be active, the cycle is usually on a dip, and
this initiates sleep. The lack of sleep during the day and the feeling of
sleepiness during the night escalate the problems, and it results in fatigue,
which is associated with poor productivity and performance (Circadian rhythm, 2017).
Cardiovascular
disorder
As
explained above, changes in circadian rhythm caused by alterations in sleeping
as a result of shift work have a lot of adverse effects on cardiovascular
system because of the alteration in hormonal balances in the body. Neurohormonal activation sin the body lead to
the development of hormones such as cortisol and catecholamine which affecting
the functioning of the heart by changing the heart rate, blood pressure, sugar
metabolism in the and other important functions that are crucial to the health
and general wellbeing of a person. The above are some of the direct effects of
shift works. However, there are other indirect consequences that later on
develop to risk factor of cardiovascular disorder, and they include sleep
disorder, poor eating habits, change in personality and other psychological
consequences of shift work, these are more indirect risk factors that can
result to development of cardiovascular disorder in people involved in shift
work especially associated with working at night.
The
relationship between cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, angina
pectoris as well as myocardial infarction has been defined by many research
which has found many complaints from shift workers in relation to these
diseases and especially as their age passes on. Age is a factor because of the
risk factors also increases and chances of developing these conditions become
too high. Another aspect is associated with the relationship between mortality
and shift workers whereby shift workers, especially for the night shift, have a
higher chance of dying especially because of arteriosclerotic heart conditions
than day workers (Costa, 1996).
Psycho-physical
wellbeing
The
truth of the matter is than man is a diurnal being with activities divided into
two parts of a day. During the day man is active and carries out all the
activities and during the night is the time for sleep and rest. This is a
rhythm function that reflects all the other factors of people’s life. Shift
work forces people to adjust they activity and rest cycle to meet the needs of
an active night and an inactive day.
However,
these adjustments are most of the time insufficient because they do not
completely invert and this is a factor that causes a continuous accumulation of
stress and because of the inability of the body to recover from the altered
rhythmic cycles of activeness and rest. These are aspects that greatly affect
people’s health and working capacity because the buildup of stress leads to the
development of what is mostly termed as shift lag which is a term borrowed by
the alteration in the circadian rhythmic cycle cause by air travel and known as
the jet lag syndrome. Shift lag syndrome occurs in the same manner and workers
have their performance greatly affected because of the alteration in their
sleep cycle (Shift
work, 2017).
The
cycle mostly affects sleep which is often reduced especially deep sleep which
is very important for recovering from fatigue. Other aspects of sleep are
associated with people who work in the early morning shift. This results to the
interruption of the early morning sleep which marks the end of sleep. It is
important because it is the paradoxic sleep that is greatly associated with the
psychological well-being of a person. The above interruption of crucial aspects
of sleep may lead to the development of sleep disorders as well as other
neurological problems that may lead to poor psychological well-being (Costa, 1996).
They
also lead to increased anxiety, fatigue, depression and other psychological
problems that end up with the need for drugs in order to stabilize and have a
healthy life. It is a problem that develops into a vicious cycle that adds
other problems such as gastrointestinal diseases, as well as cardiovascular
diseases (Shift work, 2017).
Poor
eating habits digestive disorders
Poor eating habits are associated with changes
in sleep cycle develop and affect the general well-being of shift workers.
Shift work often alters the timing for eating and develop as a result of the
development of the routine of not having a proper meal.
This
is usually a factor of lack of access to quality food associated with eating
while at work during night shifts rather than the normal eating habit
associated with a full course meal at home with family. Shift working
especially at night is associated with unhealthy eating especially in relation
to fast foods and unhealthy foods. Most people in night shifts do not have
adequate time to have good meals and rely on small canteens for a small meal
with little nutritional value, and they mostly take them while in a hurry.
The
changes in eating habits also alter the way people eat during the day, and this
is in relation to the time of sleep most of the time, they miss crucial times
for eating healthy meals, and the cycle continues and develops into an eating
disorder. The changes in eating habits may also develop into digestive problems
that may lead to disorders. They may include changes in appetite, constipation,
bowel movements that are irregular, heart burns and abdominal pains. They may
also develop chronic conditions such as ulcers, and gastritis (Costa, 1996).
Other
negative implications of shift work are associated with accidents and errors at
work attributed to power performance and lack of concentration because of
working at night. This is a factor that greatly affects the efficiency in
performance at the workplace, and these workers are very prone to accidents and
errors by the reduction in physiological and physical activity especially at
night (TAUSIG, 2001).
Risks
to women
Shift
work has had a lot of influence on the well-being of women. This is mainly
associated with hormonal imbalances that alter their periodic hormonal cycles
which influence their reproductive functions. In addition to physiological
problems, women have a harder time in terms of pressure associated with
balancing between work which is mostly shift work and domestic duties because
of their great roles at home.
For
instance, women who are married, have children and work at night have a shorter
sleeping time because of high rates of interruptions during their day sleep (TAUSIG, 2001). They are associated with
cumulative fatigue, depression and poor health as compared to men and other
women who not married and have no children. These changes in sleep cycle coupled
with changes in physiological factors add other complications that alter their
menstrual cycle and their overall fertility. They have also been associated
with problems with delivery, abortions. Low birth weight and preterm delivery (Costa, 1996).
According
to research, a great number workers in the United States associated with shift
form of work have been linked to the use of tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and
heavy drinking. They are also associated with the use of indigestion medicine,
and a lot of job stress and depression in both men and women. Night workers
have been associated with a great prevalence of digestive disorders, sleeping
problem and a disrupted social life. Despite these findings, shift work
continues to be an important aspect of many organization whereby operations
occur around the clock. These organization, therefore, have to take good
considerations of the risks associated with workers doing their job at night
because it is a factor that affects the general performance of employees in
organizations.
They
are factors that are affecting the health and wellbeing of employees and re
reducing the quality of their lives by deteriorating their physical health,
psychological well-being, and their social life. The psychological problems that
affect most of these shift workers trickle down to their family and friends by
affecting relationships. Most of these people lack the skills of a good social
life and therefore, have a hard time relating to others. Most of the time they
turn to sleeping pills and tranquilizers for a normal sleeping habit but
sometimes ends up in addiction, and it becomes a vicious circle with no end.
They
may lead to broken families and other health problems that may lead to death.
Organizations that have a round the clock operation have to ensure that they
have flexible schedules for their employees where they have a little bit of
choice on the timing of their work. This is expected to improve their
performance and reduce health implications of work pressures associated with
shift working.
Works Cited
Circadian rhythm. (2017). Retrieved from NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION:
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/what-circadian-rhythm
Costa, G. (1996). The impact of shift and night work on
health. Applied Ergonomics , 9-16.
M Estryn-Behar, M. K. (1990). Stress at work and mental
health status among female hospital workers. British Journal of Industrial
Medicine, 20-28.
NANCY P. GORDON, P. D. (1986). The Prevalence and Health
Impact of Shiftwork. AJPH .
Shift work.
(2017). Retrieved from
http://www.sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/shift-work
TAUSIG, R. F. (2001). Family and Health Outcomes of Shift
Work and Schedule Control. AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST, 1179-1198.
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