Is working permanent night shift bad for your health ?

DCFC79

Stigy wrote: »

It's probably worse if you have children I'd imagine. I don't have, so sleeping whenever I want was okay for me. With a few kids bouncing around, school runs and weekends, I have no doubt I'd have been more tired!

incredibly worse i would imagine, ive not got kids myself and i couldnt do nights long term

Mrs_Ryan

OH worked nights for 15 years and he had a nervous breakdown leaving him with a long term psychotic illness. He is now on permanent late shift with instructions he is never to attempt to return to night shift. I have to work occasional night shifts but it doesnt really bother me...

Dreamscometrue

I have been working solid nights for the last few months and I feel as though I've been placed in solitary confinement! The only time I get to see the sun is walking home in the morning, I usually wake around sunset due to the very late start. I'm finding that I can never get enough sleep and I'm actually starting to feel depressed which isn't like me at all. Anyway, I've updated my CV and I will have to pull a sickie if I get an interview. Any advise other than get out fast!

ohreally

As there are health risks linked with night work, your employer must offer you a free health assessment (normally a questionnaire) before you start working at night and on a regular basis after that. Generally this is done once a year, but your employers could offer a health assessment more frequently. You do not have to take the health check offered

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10028519

Shiftworkers die younger than day workers. Prolonged lack of sleep is thought to be the most likely cause...

Shiftworkers are 40% more likely to suffer heart disease than day workers

http://www.unison.org.uk/bargaining/doc_view.asp?did=619&pid=320

Some studies have also linked shift-working with bowel, prostate and womb cancers

Source - http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/cancercontroversies/shift-work/

scooby088

What about some scandinavian countries where it's permanently dark for majority of the year, i read somewhere the suicide rate was high, I may be starting a job on permanent nights in the next few weeks but i know i can sleep during the day but i hope that i am allowed to sleep as i know the OH will be here making a load of noise.

agrinnall

scooby088 wrote: »

What about some scandinavian countries where it's permanently dark for majority of the year

Which Scandanavian (or indeed any other) countries would these be then?

Permanent darkness occurs only north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle (and we can discount the Antarctic as there are no settlements other than research establishments within the circle). North of the Arctic circle are parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland and some islands. In a town such as Hammerfest in Norway, about 3 degrees north of the Arctic Circle, it is dark from mid November to mid January, so there is some sun for 10 months of the year and from mid May to mid July it is permanently light. See Hammerfest for more information.

In fact, everywhere in the world has approximately the same amount of daylight over a year (4380 hours), it's just that the distribution of light and dark varies throughout the year depending on the latitude.

Dreamscometrue

ohreally wrote: »

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/DG_10028519


http://www.unison.org.uk/bargaining/doc_view.asp?did=619&pid=320


Source - http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/healthyliving/cancercontroversies/shift-work/

That's cheered me up no end! I would say to anyone pondering permanent nights NOT to do it given the choice. It WILL mess up your social life and it's likely that friends and family will not fully understand.

Dreamscometrue

Good night! I'm still wide awake as I finish work & get home much later than the current time but I will try to read until I nod off.

prosaver

maybe you ask for a snooze at work like they did at british leyland?

ariba10

Had no great problems with working nights, but the family had mixed feelings.

The golden rule was. When I got up from bed, no one spoke to me until I spoke to them.

(Even the dog kept out of the way.)