Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

groovygirl — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 01:36:42 GMT

To make ends meet, I've been working doing massage therapy at a casino for the last two years. The first 6 months, I volunteered for the graveyard shift. It was only one night per week. The rest of the week, I attempted to do massage in people's homes during the day. Going back and forth schedule wise was grueling. I don't recommend it to anyone. My memories of that entire six months are of darkness, feeling sick every day, the environment of being around negative, angry addictive personalities, the extreme level of physical endurance doing chair massage on people who are still thinking, gambling, losing and not relaxed and the switching around made it very difficult for me to sleep. It also put a lot of undue physical stress on my body. I could physically feel that my body was not healing and repairing itself. I felt arthritic and had cramps. I know some say that if you work graveyard shifts you have to do it consistently. I also know that with youth, I used to be a night person and stay up until morning and go to work the next day no problem. If you are very healthy, I still wouldn't recommend depending on your health by testing it in this way. I know people depend on services for health, gas station attendents, shipping, etc. It's a great job in the short term. Everyone pays their dues. However, when and/or if your body needs to quit, don't be stubborn about it, just go. Your body will tell you. Mine sure did. Now, I work one day shift a week. I frequently pick up an extra shift on the swing until 11p or 3a. I have to say, reading this article makes me understand why I've been fatigued and less motivated to find other work options. This practice even biweekly is probably what's been running me down. These kind of jobs are great for young people. I'm getting out of massage all together if I can. 15 years with even a high degree of attention to proper body mechanics is still a long time for one to do physical manual labor type jobs. This is just further validation.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

goldeneagle — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:59:41 GMT

The problems we have with deciding who is right and who is wrong, comes down to this... Most people would like to have a nice job that is normal with their families and social circles, however, as the Skyguy has stated, there are some who work, not for the money, but for the service they do help keep our cities safer and protected. IT is not a money issue when you sacrifice your life to help the people. It is not greed to do work that you love and make the world a better place. In fact, I know the pay these caretakers of our communities make, and if they didn't love the job, they sure would not being doing it. Thanks to all the fire fighters, police, security and hospital workers that make the sacrifice so others can live better.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

GRAYWOLF — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:17:05 GMT

I don't doubt that rotating shifts are bad for your health. Constantly changing your rhythm keeps your body confused.

The key to this being, work steady shifts.

If I were to listen to my body I would go to bed around 2-3 AM and get up around 10. Currently I force myself to go to bed between 10 & 12 and get up at 6 so I can go to work and pay for a decent life for me and my family.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

csaws — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:27:30 GMT

Im with Skyguy. We too have sleep apnea on the rise at our Fire dept. probably due to the fact that our sleep is disrupted and we tend to eat more and faster than most people... never knowing when we'll get to eat or if we will have the time to finish eating. I wouldn't say fireman are depressed but due to the lack of sleep I would say our bodies think we are. I have tried numerous things to lose the weight I have gained during my ten years in the fire dept, which it is about 40 lbs. and have for sometime thought it maybe due to the lack of sleep.

As an FYI we work 24 on 48 off and have no choice in my hours.

I wouldn't trade it for the world though.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

yankeefan — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:09:29 GMT

No one has mentioned newspaper carriers! I am 73 years old and a newspaper carrier for over 15 years. I get up at 2:10 am and work from 3 to about 5:30-6:00. I then eat breakfast, and go back to bed for about 4 more hours. At night I go to bed at 10pm. I end up with 8 hours of sleep..just 4 and 4.

I am very healthy, do not take any drugs, eat organic foods (when possible) and the only time I feel blah is when I eat wheat and/or sugar.

I wish I could stop working but if my family is to eat and have a roof over their heads, I have to work. Recently, I took a vacation for 13 days and had no trouble making the transition ..to sleep all night and then go back to work.

I used to be a medical lab tech working in the aids lab and blood bank . I was more depressed doing that because I had to be at work before the sun came up , worked in a basement lab with no windows and came home after dark! in Minnesota yet!!

Sometimes now I do get depressed when the papers are late and I have to wait hours for them before delivering. Then people get all mad at me even though it's beyond my control.

Maybe I'm just a "night owl" at heart...and now I live in Florida :-D

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

Elton — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:34:30 GMT

I don't like my cat waking me up in the middle of the night. :(

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

charleydan — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:54:26 GMT

Why should we judge owners or workers. Workers take these jobs because, yes sometimes, greed of money. Most of the time just to pay bills. Owners often fit the same bill most of the time. Owners just trying to make it convient for their customers. If most of us would not buy anything after 6 pm or before 7 am would cure 90% of it. So blame yourself for others health.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

charleydan — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:38:33 GMT

Well, my sleep habits are the worst. It is a trade off as a truck driver. I truly believe my greatest problem is as the article mentioned. Getting enough sleep. I try to always get at least 4 hrs at night if not all. That is the real issue. Ahh, life. I guess take take a drug to restore the serontonin. Compromise life for a living. Living compromises life.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

monique_82420 — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:20:26 GMT

I am in the same boat as MumMaree. I haven't slept through the night since I was pregnant with #1 which has been just over 4 years now. I have been breastfeeding for 3 1/2 yrs & when the first started sleeping through the night I was late into my pregnancy & up peeing all night. Waking up all night is not the same to me as working the night shift. Your body adjusts to getting less sleep, when you work the night shift you have to sleep during the day. I actually find I work better on less sleep now, I suppose that will change as I get older.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

ocfever01 — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:35:01 GMT

Some people have to work shifts, true it goes against out bodies natural rhythms.Two supplements that work well for sleep/seratonin are 5-HTP (an amino acid), which converts to serotonin, which then converts to melatonin in the brain. A shift worker could use tryptophan (also an amino acid) at bed time to aid with sleep, and if they do not have asthma melatonin may be used.

A shift worker should have a darkened room, heavy shades.

Eating before bed should consist of protein and fat, no sugar or starches, to maintain blood sugar levels.

5-HTP works great for SAD too.

An interesting sidebar, Tryptophan, before the days of SSRI's, was used for depression.This information comes from The Mood Cure by Julia Ross.

She addresses shift working and the use of amnino acids for depression, weight management and lethargy.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

narrator — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:27:08 GMT

My Thanks and congrats to 'virgingerm' ( for not forgetting actors ) and 'labat'.... After many years in the theatre, my "I don't do Morning" routine is firmly fixed ! .... and truly, the city life is so blissfully quiet and unintrusive in the wee hours before bed at 4 to 5 AM. And I still need my 8 or 9 hours, and for the most part, get it. Maybe the brain delivery system of seratonin adjusts itself after years ?

Goodness knows we don't know much about the brain yet !

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

Alobar — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:24:59 GMT

I have been a late night person by choice for over 40 years. I have never had a problem getting a full 8-9 hours sleep each day. When I hit 45, I began using sublingual melatonin and I sleep solid with minimal time between going to bed and sleep.

When I lived up North, I suffered from seasonal depression. Now I take cod liver oil and use full spectum lighting in my apartment and depression is no longer a problem for me.

Since I was diagnosed diabetic I have to break sleep at least once a night. By taking a smaller booster dose of melatonin when I wake up to use the toilet, I get right back to sleep.

I work outside in New Orleans. No way I am going to work by day outside in the summer heat down here. So I work nights.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

pookey — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 07:43:43 GMT

Yeah yeah. It's fine to talk about getting enough sleep. But the fact is, that some of us cant get that sleep for a variety of reasons. I have tried everything to help me sleep, every modality, and even light/laser rays and acupuncture every week for a year and continuing. It isnt that simple.

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

NatChetko — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 06:36:14 GMT

I am currently working the night shift as I type this and while I do get tired occasionally, I wouldn't give it up for the world. My shift begins around 6pm and ends around 2am, but I regularly get to bed between 3-4.30am because of my commute. Sounds tough but I have been doing this for almost 10 years and raising two kids. It helps that I have a stay at home husband who lets me sleep in and gets the kids off to school and that I have a job where I can take a catnap on my couch if I need to. All that aside, one of the biggest reasons I like the night shift is that I can regularly exercise everyday (running approximately 3.5miles) with my husband. I can also take care of household chores etc, volunteer in the classrom and have a "life." (During the summer I can even take the kids to the beach before heading into work in the afternoon). What's left over at the end of the day I give to my occupation as a movie trailer editor. If I've had a rough week, I am fortunate enough to be able to sleep long hours in the weekend. The odd occasions when I've had to come in to do a day shift, I've been exhausted when I've gotten home (usually late around 8-9pm) and just want to go straight to bed. My entire day has been working. Ironically, I can make a lot more money working in the day, but I would pay by giving up all my time. I probably need to check my seratonin levels, but it'll take a lot to convince me to go to days in my current job any time soon!!

re: Work on a Rotating Shift? Then You Probably Have Lower Levels of Serotonin

EAMWrites — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:44:11 GMT

I have had problems with my serotonin levels for years, but I didn't really believe it until recently. Suffered from migraines, late nites, stress, etc. Had one doc prescribe prozac for the migraines...which worked but marriage suffered...fast forward many years and two boys later, i was wracked with multiple migraines each week, poor sleep, and lots of anger. Once I stopped breastfeeding I started taking 5HTP (building block for serotonin). I haven't had a migraine in a month. The anxiety I had about sleep is gone and my sleep patterns are more normal. Guess I really did have serotonin problems... good luck to you all.