Shift Work

Shift work is an employment practice designed to make use of, or provide service across, all 24 hours of the clock each day of the week (often abbreviated as 24/7). The practice typically sees the day divided into shifts, set periods of time during which different groups of workers perform their duties. The term "shift work" includes both long-term night shifts and work schedules in which employees change or rotate shifts.

In medicine and epidemiology, shift work is considered a risk factor for some health problems in some individuals, as disruption to circadian rhythms may increase the probability of developing cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, diabetes, and obesity, among other conditions.

Shift work can also contribute to strain in marital, family, and personal relationships.

Shift work increases the risk for the development of many disorders. Shift work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by insomnia, excessive sleepiness, or both. Shift work is considered essential for the diagnosis. The risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 is increased in shift workers, especially men. People working rotating shifts are more vulnerable than others.

Women whose work involves night shifts have a 48% increased risk of developing breast cancer. This may be due to alterations in circadian rhythm: melatonin, a known tumor suppressor, is generally produced at night and late shifts may disrupt its production. The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer listed "shiftwork that involves circadian disruption" as a probable carcinogen. Shift work may also increase the risk of other types of cancer.

Shift work also increases the risk of developing cluster headaches,heart attacks,fatigue, stress, sexual dysfunction,depression,dementia, obesity,metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, and reproductive disorders.

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