A new study examines the relationship between shift work patterns, sociodemographic factors, and sleep disorders. The study found that shift work, especially night shifts, significantly disrupts people's sleep, with about a third of participants reporting at least one sleep disorder. Research also shows that demographic factors such as gender, age and education level also influence sleep health.
New research shows that working night shifts can contribute to the development of sleep disorders, especially among younger people with less education.
Sleep is critical for daytime and neurocognitive function as well as physical and mental health. When people work shifts (21% of workers in the EU worked shifts in 2015), their circadian rhythms are often disrupted. Now, researchers in the Netherlands have investigated the relationship between different shift work patterns, sociodemographic factors and sleep disorders.
Dr. Marike Lancel, a researcher at the GGZ Drenthe Institute of Mental Health and senior author of the study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, said: "Our study shows that other shift types of work are associated with higher rates of sleep disorders compared with normal daytime shift work, particularly during shift work and normal night shift work." Notably, 51% of night shift workers suffer from at least one sleep disorder. "
Questioning sleep
There is much evidence that shift work reduces sleep quality. However, little is known about the impact of different types of shift work on the prevalence of various sleep disorders and how this impact varies by demographic characteristics. To fill these gaps, the researchers recruited more than 37,000 participants who provided demographic information and described their shift work patterns (regular morning, evening, night, or transition between shifts).
They also filled out a questionnaire that screened for six common sleep disorder categories: insomnia, hypersomnolence, parasitic insomnia, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders and circadian sleep-wake disorders.
Survey results show that frequent night shifts are the most disruptive situation to sleep. Half of night shift workers reported getting less than six hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, 51% reported having one sleep disorder, and 26% reported having two or more sleep disorders.
Of the entire study population, about one-third had at least one sleep disorder, and 12.6% had two or more sleep disorders.
Demographic factors and sleep health
The researchers also investigated whether demographic factors such as gender, age and highest education level affected sleep health. They also considered whether participants lived alone, with a partner and/or children, or with others such as friends or parents.
The results showed that men slept less than women, but sleep disorders were more common in women. Age also affects sleep health: Older participants tended to sleep shorter periods of time, but most sleep disorders and their complications were more prevalent in the youngest group of participants, ages 30 and younger.
Regarding educational attainment and likelihood of sleep disruption, researchers found a correlation between the two. Lancel noted: "The impact of shift work on sleep is most pronounced among young people with lower education levels. This group has shorter sleep duration and a significantly higher incidence of sleep disorders and their comorbidities."
Night Shift and Sleep Challenges
Researchers say it's possible that some night shift workers experience fewer sleep-related problems than others, but for the average night shift worker, this unscheduled work pattern increases the likelihood that they'll struggle with regular, healthy sleep. "Because night shift workers live in environments that are out of sync with those in which they work during the day, it is impossible to completely avoid all the negative consequences of night shift work," explains Lancel.
The researchers also noted certain limitations of their study. For example, people with sleep disorders may be more likely to participate in sleep-focused studies than people with healthy sleep patterns. Still, the authors say their findings could provide important information for employers in occupations that often require shift work. These findings could also be used to educate on how best to manage and reduce the consequences of working night shifts and sleeping during the day.
Reference G.J. Boersma, T. Mijnster, P. Vantyghem, G.A. Kerkhof and Marike Lancel Published in Frontiers in Psychiatry on October 17, 2023: "Shift work is associated with widespread sleep disturbances, especially when working at night."
DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1233640
Compiled source: ScitechDaily
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