While bright lights and a robust work environment may fool our minds into thinking it's daytime and all right to work, other organs in our body may not respond to graveyard shift as well. What's worse, the rise in cancer incidents beginning in the 1930's has been partly linked to graveyard shift jobs. Learn more as GoPinoy unravels how working graveyard shift takes a toll on your health.

Why and how graveyard shift confuses your biological system

If you're working graveyard shift and has steadily gained a few extra pounds in the course of months, don't wonder where that extra weight is coming from. Recent study by the Harvard University (recently published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) showed the increased risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity among graveyard shifters.

Blood levels of leptin (the hormone released by adipose tissue or stored fat) decreases at night which subsequently increases obesity risk in the long term.

Previous studies show convincing evidence that shift work increase the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Lowered blood level of cortisol (the stress hormone that stimulates heart rate, digestive system, breathing, and other functions during the day), is tagged as the cause of this.

Studies found that cortisol production did not adjust to nighttime work even when the mind is fooled into thinking it's daytime with very bright lights. This could mean that the heart goes unprepared for the stress associated with working on a graveyard shift. This explains why cardiovascular disease increases among people who work on shifts.

Not getting enough sleep also wreaks havoc on your immune system, making it vulnerable and less able to fight off infection and cancerous cells. Night shift also disrupts regular biological processes, such as DNA repair and cell division, as well as the production of certain hormones at unusual hours. For instance, producing insulin to digest food in the middle of the night can trigger a chain reaction of biological mistakes.

Increased cancer risks

Although this remains a strong hypothesis for now, working graveyard shift is also correlated to an increased breast cancer risk among women. Why? Researchers cited the lowered levels of melatonin - a hormone released at night which peaks just before we go to sleep - which is interfered when we remain awake throughout the night. Melatonin inhibits tumor development, which scientists think raise night shift workers chances of developing cancer.

Other data also suggest that shift workers who rotate shifts at least three nights per month for 15 years or more increase their risk of colorectal cancer in women.

Trying hard to stay alert at night also takes a toll on your mood and concentration making shift workers more likely to commit errors.

What you can do

Graveyard shift is a thing of the 20th century. Night shift workers range from blue collar to white collar jobs, which accounts for 20 percent of the working population. If you are assigned to a graveyard shift, taking extra care of your body can help reduce your vulnerability. Lack of sleep is a top concern among shift workers, so to improve sleep, you can fool your mind into thinking it is nighttime during the day by blocking off any light source. Put blinds on your window and create a mood conducive to sleeping.

Get regular exercise after work and sleep.

Eat only light meals during the night and avoid big meals before you hit the sheets.

Your biological clock should switch by itself in at least a month to three months. However, if you are still having difficulty getting sleep during the day and continue to feel drowsy while working at night, then you might as well give your body a break before it actually falters. A graveyard shift may not be the job for you.