Working Nights

Seeking a Real Quick Route to Better Health? Eat More Red!

Shift workers are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes as they themselves report getting less exercise and being prone to eating more unhealthy foods, especially when working nights.  As a result, they are often overweight, contributing to heart disease and diabetes.   But, small steps can make a big difference.  The results from three new studies, all promoting the benefits of eating red foods [and drinks], have been released in the past few weeks.  Read this article…

Per World Health Organization – 40% of Cancers are Preventable

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is responsible for one out of every eight deaths worldwide.  Over 20% are related to viruses, like the  human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical cancer, or hepatitis infections that cause stomach and liver cancer.  Read more at The Boston Globe.

Why is this especially important to shift workers?  Because shift workers’ are more prone to smoke, drink alcohol to cope with working shifts, and they are less likely to focus on maintaining good nutrition.  To avoid cancers in the lungs, colon, and breasts, people should  stop smoking, limit their alcohol consumption, avoid too much sun, and maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise.

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Shiftworkers, Take a Deep Breath- Reducing the Risk of Lung Disease

On a normal day, we breathe nearly 25,000 times; the air we breathe in contains mostly oxygen and nitrogen. But air also has things in it that can hurt our lungs; bacteria, viruses, tobacco smoke, car exhaust, and other pollutants can be in the air. People with lung disease have difficulty breathing. These breathing problems may even prevent the body from getting enough oxygen.

A low oxygen level puts excess stress on the entire body, but especially on the heart. When oxygen levels are low, pressures inside the heart increase; the heart muscle becomes enlarged and does not pump as it should, resulting in heart failure. It has been well documented that degenerative diseases, including cancer and premature aging, start with low oxygen levels in the body. Also, as we age, we lose vital capacity and the ability to effectively obtain adequate oxygen. After age 25 we lose 10% lung (respiratory) capacity every 10 years, due to shallow breathing.

Lung disease is responsible for one in seven deaths in the United States each year. More than 35 million Americans are living with chronic lung disease including asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Other diseases impacting the lung include lung cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis (inflammation producing tiny lumps of cells in various organs, including the lungs), and influenza. Lung disease and breathing problems are the number one killer of babies younger than one year old. Read this article…

Shift Work and Worker Health: Beyond the Shift Work and Cancer Tie

Over twenty percent of the U.S. workforce holds jobs that the World Health Organization now considers possible causes of cancer. Most people who work extended hours, shifts, or nights have probably already seen the “Graveyard Shift Soon to Be Listed As ‘Probable’ Cause of Cancer” article, and gotten appropriately nervous. But, for the bad news before the good, shift work brings health risks that go far beyond the big threat of cancer. The good news is that shift work does not automatically cause cancer, of course, and many habits common among shift workers have long been known to increase the risk of cancer. So, certain lifestyle changes can quickly cause your risk of cancer, and other diseases and chronic problems, to plummet. Read this article…