There appears to be a link between working nightshifts and sleep problems, especially among workers in their 30s and 40s, according to a study published in the April edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the official journal of ACOEM (American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine).

As younger workers with sleep problems are more likely to leave their jobs, the sleep problems do not appear to worsen with time, the study reports. This study was led by Philip Tucker, Ph.D., of Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, U.K.

Using a large database employment database, the investigators studied the relationship between shiftwork and sleep problems in workers of different ages and over various lengths of time. As seen in previous studies, shiftworkers had a higher rate of sleep problems compared to dayworkers. Shiftwork was specifically related to waking up too early rather than other types of sleep problems.

The effects were most apparent in the early to middle years of working life-workers in their 30s and 40s. Former shiftworkers had more sleep problems than those who had never done shiftwork. However, more years of shiftwork did not lead to greater sleep problems. Instead, workers who gave up shiftwork seemed to be a “self-selected” group who tended to have more problems with shiftwork.

The study bears out the findings and conclusions unveiled in previous studies regarding a link between shiftwork and sleep problems, while lending new insights into the course of those problems over time. Sleep problems seem to be a “reversible consequence” of shiftwork-although it may take awhile after giving up shiftwork before sleep returns to normal.

The Effects of Age and Shiftwork on Perceived Sleep Problems: Results From the VISAT-Combined Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Study
Tucker, Philip PhD; Folkard, Simon DSc; Ansiau, David PhD; Marquié, Jean-Claude PhD
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
April 2010 – Volume 52 – Issue 4 – pp 392-398
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181d8d9e4
Link to article

Written by Christian Nordqvist