Dr. Mercola September 26 2001 735 views
People who are routinely up all night working the late shift may be harming their hearts.
Investigators found that shift workers -- those working in an alternating work schedule including nights -- are more likely to develop a condition called premature ventricular complexes (PVC), which is associated with extra heart beats and an increased risk of death due to heart disease.
Previous studies have found that shift workers have higher rates of heart disease compared with those who work in the daytime even after other risk factors -- such as smoking, diet and weight -- are taken into consideration.
The study found that nearly half the shift workers experienced an increase in PVCs, while just more than one quarter of day-shift workers saw an increase.
Increased irregularities in the heartbeats of shift workers might explain, at least partly, the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in these workers.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine September 2001;58:678-681
No mystery here. If you or someone you love is working night shifts, it would be wise to have them shift to the day shift if at all possible.
When you violate the normal light rhythms, you disturb many biological systems that have been established over thousands of years. Electric lights have only been brightening our environment for less than 100 years.
They are clearly facilitating an early demise for all that let them do that.
If you want to learn more about this subject please review the book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival.
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