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…

Human Fatigue in Shift Work Operations – Causes and Solutions

“Weariness or exhaustion from labor, exertion, or stress.”

-          Per Merriam-Webster 

Fatigue is a lack of energy or motivation.  It’s severity can range from the exhaustion resulting from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) to the weariness that results from working all day and taking care of a baby during the night – or for many shift workers, working all night and taking care of the home front during the day! 

This posting looks at CFS and regular, everyday fatigue, assessing how working shift work causes fatigue and what shift workers can do about it. Read this article…

Another Important Reason to Assess Levels of Vitamin D

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among those with diabetes. And, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, people with diabetes and low Vitamin D have more than double the risk of cardiovascular disease. One possible reason (according to the study’s authors) – diabetics who are deficient in vitamin D don’t process cholesterol normally, so it builds up in their blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Why is this important to shift workers? Because some studies have shown that shift workers may have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and shift workers are also are at a greater risk of having a vitamin D deficiency. This study may provide more support for why shift workers have a greater likelihood of suffering from cardiovascular disease. And, it also sheds some light on a possible way to reduce the risk of heart disease – besides exercise, good nutrition, and maintaining proper weight, make sure you get enough vitamin D.
Read this article…

Slowing Down the Aging Process – Tips for Shift Workers

Life expectancy has been increasing year after year in many countries, including the U.S. However the U.S. ranks 42nd in life expectancy but number one in health care costs per capita. Clearly this has gotten the attention of the Obama administration. Question is whether this significant issue will be solved by focusing more on health care prevention, limiting access to care once chronic health issues are diagnosed, by better managing how diagnoses are determined or by all of these things. Shift workers have unique challenges that need to be managed proactively by workers, employers, insurance companies, and medical practitioners.
Read this article…

Calendar Contest Provides Healthy Benefits for Kids and Adults

BOSTON, MA (July 27, 2009) — ‘Working Nights’ announces an exciting new calendar contest. The 2010 Working Nights Creative Arts Calendar Contest offers organizations the opportunity to create a custom health and safety calendar incorporating winning illustrations or photographs submitted by company employees and their family members. For the full press release click on the link below:

Full Press Release

pycve82sbg

Weight, Obesity, Fitness and Health

With shift work, weight gain seems almost unavoidable- perhaps even more reliable than a weekly paycheck. Behind us are our genes, programmed in times of hunting and gathering to push us to see food, grab it, and devour it, since who knows when another fruit tree or dead animal fall into our laps? In front of us living in the 21st century is McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Sonic, Burger King, huge supermarkets, big plates and silverware, lattes, breakfast muffins, cars to carry us from one place of food to another. Furthermore, shift work makes time for exercise difficult. Night shifts sleep, which can cause the body to hang on to extra weight. It’s no wonder obesity has become such a problem. Many news articles talk about the problem, but how can you determine your risk level and what plan of action is right for you? Read this article…

Preventing and Managing Diabetes

Diabetes is on the rise in America, and shift workers are right in its path. Over three quarters of shift workers report not exercising regularly, and almost the same amount can not say they maintain a healthy, nutritious diet. Many cope with the demands of a mixed up sleep schedule and long shifts by drinking cup after cup of caffeine and eating sugary foods to boost energy levels, and yet energy to exercise still stays out of reach. All these factors greatly increase the risk of diabetes, which can be genetic or developed and can strike at any time of life. Night shift and shift work lifestyles bring plenty of health and safety issues along with them, so the individual shift worker is left to manage their health and weight as best they can despite the obstacles. Read this article…

Linking Sleep Loss and Obesity

Results from a 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. The same survey indicates that an estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are overweight.

Read this article…