Shift work increases risk of heart diseases: study
| Apr 1, 2019, 11:42 IST
If you usually work in shifts, the following isn’t going to be good news for you. According to new research, working in shifts has a negative impact on one’s cardiovascular health.
The study originated in China. It observed more than 320,000 people that work in shifts. The study was able to conclude that shift workers are at a heightened risk for heart disease and the longer they work shifts, the risk would increase as well.
Shift work has been popular because it earns more profit, but it can also cause harm to the health of employees. Hence, Dr. Weihong Chen the lead author of the study advised that employers should reduce shift work as much as they can. Dr. Weihong Chen is a researcher in occupational and environmental health at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.
The study was designed to prove another theory, but data showed that shift workers were 13 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease than daytime workers.
The study also found that every year spent working on shifts added nearly 1% in the risk of coronary heart disease. The research team says that the disruption of the normal sleep-wake cycle, increased stress, and unhealthy lifestyles are to blame for the increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Bhusri reviewed the new finding and said: "physicians and patients should both take this occupational situation as an additional risk factor for heart disease, and initiate prevention and treatment early."
Chen further added that employers need to be more proactive in the involvement of their employees’ health and provide health promotions such as information on how to prevent and deal with ischemic heart disease."
Finally, she said, "companies could also consider providing health checks to detect early signs of heart problems."
The study originated in China. It observed more than 320,000 people that work in shifts. The study was able to conclude that shift workers are at a heightened risk for heart disease and the longer they work shifts, the risk would increase as well.
Shift work has been popular because it earns more profit, but it can also cause harm to the health of employees. Hence, Dr. Weihong Chen the lead author of the study advised that employers should reduce shift work as much as they can. Dr. Weihong Chen is a researcher in occupational and environmental health at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.
The study was designed to prove another theory, but data showed that shift workers were 13 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease than daytime workers.
The study also found that every year spent working on shifts added nearly 1% in the risk of coronary heart disease. The research team says that the disruption of the normal sleep-wake cycle, increased stress, and unhealthy lifestyles are to blame for the increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Bhusri reviewed the new finding and said: "physicians and patients should both take this occupational situation as an additional risk factor for heart disease, and initiate prevention and treatment early."
Chen further added that employers need to be more proactive in the involvement of their employees’ health and provide health promotions such as information on how to prevent and deal with ischemic heart disease."
Finally, she said, "companies could also consider providing health checks to detect early signs of heart problems."