The Perfect Way to Look After Your Health If You Work Shifts
About 8.7 million people in the UK work night shifts, which disrupt the body's circadian clock that controls sleep, metabolism, hormones, and immune function. Shift work is linked to higher risks of heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, stroke, depression, anxiety, and some cancers; the World Health Organization classifies shift work as probably carcinogenic.
Night and other shift patterns disturb sleep-wake cycles, raise cortisol levels, and can impair cognition and memory. Shift workers face a higher risk of accidents, injuries, and Covid-related hospitalisation.
While shift work is essential in emergency services, hospitals, and care settings, it is harder to justify in sectors such as restaurants, supermarkets, 24-hour media, cleaning, and online warehouse work.
Mitigation strategies include more frequent health checks focused on type 2 diabetes and obesity, which employers should implement and workers should take seriously, especially regarding metabolic health. Roster design is important: minimizing night shifts, avoiding quick returns (e.g., evening followed by morning), and structuring transitions from day to evening to night shifts can reduce disruption. One study reported about a 30% drop in serious medical errors with circadian-friendly scheduling.
Workplace lighting also affects alertness; cooler, bluish light is used to signal daytime and improve wakefulness.
