Women working night shifts face a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease, according to expert research from Queen's University.
Night shifts pose serious health risks for women. Canadian researcher Joan Tranmer from Queen's University analyzed 227 middle-aged hospital workers alternating between day and night shifts.
Elevated Risks
The findings show that many night shift workers suffer from precursors to cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure and overweight. Women over 45, especially those in menopause and working night shifts for more than six years, face a high risk of metabolic syndrome—a dangerous combination of high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, and irregular blood sugar.
Among women with fewer than six years of shift work, 8% have metabolic syndrome. This climbs to 18% after 6-15 years and reaches 74% after 15 years.
Biological Rhythm Disruption
Aging contributes, but night shifts exacerbate the issue. "The reasons shift work impacts risk factors remain unclear," Tranmer explains. "Disrupting the body's biological rhythm—affecting sleep, eating, and exercise patterns—is a probable factor."
Tranmer presented these results at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2011.
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