A recent article adds more weight to the conclusion that men and women who are engaged in shift work (work the does not follow the typical 9am to 5 pm schedule) are prone to more severe strokes. A conclusion was reached suggesting that these damaging strokes were caused by the disruption of an individual’s circadian rhythm. Working the night shift and sleeping through the day can be severely detrimental to one’s health.
The research
Medical News Today reports that researchers exposed rats to the light and dark conditions of someone who worked a 9-to-5 type schedule for two weeks, and then broke the group into two and exposed one group to the changes in light and dark conditions as experienced by shift workers, while the other group continued experiencing the original conditions. When strokes were induced those rats that experienced changes in light and dark conditions experienced a more severe stroke. The findings also suggest that male shift workers would experience a worse stroke outcome. This is not the only health implication for shift workers. Studies have provided research that shift work can increase cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack.
Many people do not have a choice in their work hours, but there are lifestyle activities that can decrease the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases including exercising, eating healthy, and smoking cessation.
