If you have ever flown to America, then you know well what jet lag is. Stepping off the plane, you find it's a busy day outside the airport, while in your departure country it's night and so is your body. For all passengers on transatlantic flights, day turns into night, and night into day, and several days will pass before the confused body adapts to the new regime.

But some people live in this state all the time. These are medical staff, waiters, security guards, police officers, military personnel, pilots, workers at gas stations, printing houses, chemical plants and many, many others who, due to their profession, have to work at night.

Working at night has a negative impact on health

Hormonal confusion

Working at night is unnatural for human body, and therefore negatively affects health. A study conducted by the World Health Organization shows that working at night increases the risk of breast and colorectal cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Obviously, disruption of the natural rhythm of life weakens immune system and thereby creates conditions for the growth of cancer cells.

Another study conducted at Harvard University found that shift work altered the production of insulin and leptin, the satiety hormone. Observing 20 experimental participants who slept during the day and were awake at night, scientists noted an increase in appetite and weight gain associated with fluctuations in the levels of these hormones. In addition, nighttime activity led to a surge in cortisol, the stress hormone. As a result, the participants increased arterial pressure and blood sugar levels, and this condition is typical for initial stage diabetes

But Argentine scientists have found that night workers have reduced levels of serotonin, and this causes irritability, a tendency to depression and sleep disorders.

In short, all experts agree that working at night increases the risk of cardiovascular and oncological diseases, diabetes, depression and obesity. In essence, being awake in dark time day violates normal work the whole body. The risk of cancer and heart disease increases with the length of time you work in night shift. The management of enterprises with a shift schedule is recommended to alternate employees working at night more often, to take into account the frequency of duty of each employee when creating shifts, and to promote healthy image life.

Dangers and harms of the night shift

About 25 percent of working people go to work at night. How does shift work affect your health?

Since a person tends to sleep at night, concentration decreases at this time. People who often work night shifts become more distracted. Doctors are more likely to make mistakes at night, drivers get into road accidents, and workers in hazardous industries are at risk of becoming victims of an industrial accident. Suffice it to recall Chernobyl: the accident at a nuclear power plant occurred during the night shift.

People who work in this mode for a long time often deteriorate in character: they become more irritable and aggressive, and they accumulate fatigue. Often night work alienates a person from his family, children, or even completely deprives him of communication.

Poor sleep after night shift work

If a person during many months works night shifts, he may develop chronic sleep deprivation. When going to bed in the morning, few people sleep for 7-8 hours straight - the same amount as at night. In addition, daytime sleep is less deep than nighttime sleep because it does not correspond to natural biorhythms. In this situation there may be various problems with health. The immune system is weakened, and more and more frequent colds, susceptibility to influenza is increasing. Many people who work night shifts complain because they cannot empty their bowels during the right time day. Lack of sleep also affects your metabolism because enzymes and hormones are less active. Some studies show that diabetes can develop due to chronic sleep deprivation, even without other associated factors! And what can we say about the dangers of excess weight! On the night shift, people eat more, mistaking fatigue for hunger, they often drink coffee or strong tea with sugar to avoid falling asleep, and when they return home, they eat heavily - not because they are hungry, but because the body is completely confused...

However, experts note that these problems are typical only for those who work at night more than 2 times a week. If a person works the night shift only once a week and then gets a good night’s sleep, he is not at risk of chronic sleep deprivation.

You can get used to working at night

Most of us have a hard time getting used to working all night, but there are exceptions. There are people who can easily go on the night shift. Experts call them “people with individual adaptation to night work.” A person with this property is able to sleep deeply and for a long time during the day and remains alert and clear-headed at night. Managers of shift production are recommended to select such workers for evening shifts.

However, you can get used to working at night. To do this, you need to carry out a so-called phase shift: go to bed a little later each time until you develop the habit of staying awake at night and sleeping during the day. But even in this case, it is more difficult for a person to work at night than during the day, because we are initially adapted to be more active during daylight hours. It is worth considering that phase shift only works with a constant schedule, but if day and night shifts change haphazardly, this method is useless. Then there is only one way out: train yourself to get enough sleep after work.

How to reduce the harm of night work

To reduce the negative impact of night work, use medical recommendations specialists.

Some useful tips

• 1. Stick to a consistent daily routine

The more often working hours change, the more difficult it is for the body to adapt. Ask management to create as streamlined a shift schedule as possible and give yourself the same routine during non-working hours.

• 2. Get enough sleep

An adult needs to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day.

• 3. Try to get a couple of hours of sleep before your night shift.

Usually people who work at night fall asleep in the morning and sleep until the evening. But it is in the evening, when you need to go to work, that the biological clock signals that bedtime is approaching. As a result, a person starts work lethargic and sleepy. It is best to lie down in the morning for 5-6 hours, and then sleep for another 2 hours before leaving for work.

• 4. Be careful with caffeine

At the end of the night shift, many workers feel tired and cheer themselves up with a cup of coffee. But caffeine drunk in the morning prevents you from falling asleep later. Therefore, tonic drinks at the end of the shift should be avoided. If you need to quickly bring yourself to your senses, it is better to eat a fruit: the sugar it contains will give you the necessary energy.

• 5. Wear sunglasses

On the way home, wear sunglasses, otherwise sunlight will invigorate you and deprive you of sleep.

• 6. Make sure the room is dark

In order to get a better night's sleep after a night shift, it is advisable to close the windows with dark curtains or blinds. Daytime sleep is less deep than nighttime sleep, and light can interfere with proper rest.

• 7. Eat healthy

People who work night shifts change their eating habits: they eat more in the evening and at night and consume a lot of sweets. This inevitably leads to weight gain. It is advisable to adhere to healthy food, eat less at night and reduce your consumption of sweets.

You are probably already tired of watching videos in which I swing various pieces of iron and show off my shrunken body. Let's change the record and talk about working at night.

The conversation will go not only about night shifts, but also about those who simply like to stay late, or even well after midnight. How harmful it can be and how to deal with it.

I have a very negative attitude towards working at night. Back at the institute we were told about the comprehensive research metro workers who have been working nights for 20 years or more.

It turned out that regardless of the length of night work experience, no adaptation to the new regime was observed. All the same, the body requires rest at night and wakefulness during the day. Definitely.

So working at night undermines your health. And if it is possible to avoid such work, then do not get into the loop yourself. You'll just ruin your health. If, of course, you have it.

It is clear that as a doctor I had to work a lot at night. And if in my youth this was tolerated more or less easily, then by the age of 30, night duty in the ambulance was quite exhausting.

Well, then “Perestroika” came, and Gorbachev abolished vodka, but allowed private activities, which I had dreamed of all my adult life. And I, crossing myself (even though I was an atheist), went there.

Since then I haven't worked at night. True, for some time, he still liked to stay up late, but here in the USA he stopped doing that. I get up at dawn, go to bed at sunset, and feel OK.

But I’ve rambled too much, now read the article. Everything is correct there, except that they don't give advice on how to get a day job. Well, it’s up to you to decide for yourself.

A short course on a happy life for all night workers.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not just long-legged go-go dancers who work at night, but also many other professionals, from doctors, police officers and firefighters to flight attendants and nightly news reporters in the media.

All these people are united by a certain ability to competently build their lives during daylight hours, without sacrificing communication with family and friends.

How to organize your daily routine so you can work productively at night

First of all, it is necessary to understand that the vast majority of people have an internal biological clock that “works” in accordance with natural light rhythms. Daylight triggers many biochemical processes in the body, stimulates work endocrine system, activates wakefulness centers.

Therefore, systematic disruption of natural biorhythms often leads to malfunction of the body. The main rule of working at night is clear planning of work and rest schedules. It is necessary to minimize the number of hours of night work and distribute your time in such a way that a certain number of hours allocated for sleep fall at night. Also, be sure to follow the regime nap to restore the body's reserves.

How to build a career while working at night

At long work During the night shift, adaptation processes are launched in the human body and psyche. A so-called partial addiction occurs. A person adapts to night work. However, this addiction is lost on weekends, when the employee does not have to go to work and can get enough sleep as usual. As a result, human biorhythms are constantly undergoing restructuring, shifting and changing in a chaotic manner.

It hurts serious blow throughout the body and mental state. The employee needs to clearly determine for himself how long he is ready to work at night, whether it is realistic to move up in the specified period career ladder and how significant this advancement will be, how much he evaluates his body’s resource capacity and stability nervous system. It is necessary to make a decision about building a career in this mode of work only after a thorough analysis of all the pros and cons.

How to keep up with family and friends

Communication with family and friends is an important component of every person’s life - it helps to cope with stress, recharge with positivity and energy, feel the joy and fullness of life, which is especially important for a person working on the night shift.

Of course, the night shift can have some negative effect on family members and friends of such an employee, since they have to adapt to the night schedule and change their lifestyle. Therefore, time for communication must be selected in accordance with the needs, interests and work schedules of all interested parties.

And it is necessary to remember that for full communication a person must be rested and full of energy, so it’s better to choose the time for communication after a nap.

What are the negative effects of working at night on the psyche?

Working at night brings significant harm to human health, as the natural rhythms of sleep and wakefulness established by nature are disrupted. As a result, the immune system suffers, the cardiovascular system, human psyche.

Irritability, inattention, apathy, and lethargy occur. A person feels overwhelmed, which, of course, negatively affects his sense of self and mood: negative thoughts appear, pessimistic and depressive states. Working capacity drops significantly.

Without exaggeration - chronic lack of sleep are detrimental to the psyche, so the employee needs to closely monitor his physical and state of mind, if your health worsens, seek qualified help and strive to reduce work hours at night as much as possible.

How long can you maintain such a rhythm of work?

The work and rest schedule of a night worker usually does not coincide with the schedules of other people around him. For this reason, the usual way of social life, the number of meetings and communication with friends and family may be reduced from the very beginning of night work. You need to be prepared for this and be understanding of the reluctance of others to adapt to an inconvenient pace of life for them.

To minimize negative influence working for a lifestyle, it is necessary to carefully plan the daily routine or working week: how many hours per day/week will be devoted to social life, meetings, communication, maintaining connections, what time of day is convenient for both the employee and his entourage to organize meetings, how weekends will be planned, Is it possible to use remote means of communication to conduct social life (Skype, social networks, etc.).

In the future, you should try to stick to the planned schedule. This will help you structure your time and work without compromising your social life.

Why is it dangerous to work at night and how to protect yourself from it? Advice from a psychotherapist

Life coach and psychotherapist Natalya Stilson told us about why night work is not salvation and a heavenly vacancy for a person from the owl squad, but a powerful blow to the body.

What is the night shift for us? One night shift can be compared to 8 hours of jet lag. That is, working one night is the same as flying on an airplane across 8 time zones.

Imagine how difficult such conditions are for the body. A number of our genes (and quite a few) are responsible for various rhythmic processes. For example, the processes of cell division, sleep-wakefulness, digestion, synthesis, hormone release, and so on. After we switch to night mode(or we arrive at the place), the work of 97% of these genes significantly deteriorates. The body needs this failure of all processes in order to adapt to new way, but such a reboot is extremely difficult. All physiological processes slow down sharply. But after the flight, a person usually returns to his usual routine, and work on the night shift goes on and on. Naturally, this affects your health.

Night shift work increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary disease heart, and even breast cancer.

Causes of breast cancer

During sleep disturbances during regular night shifts, the level of melatonin, the hormone responsible for the onset of sleep, decreases. This substance also has an antitumor effect (protects against cancer). There are 3 hypotheses explaining the action of melatonin:

1. A decrease in melatonin increases the concentration of female sex hormones in the blood. There is a constant stimulation of breast cells to divide, which can cause malignant degeneration.
2. Melatonin itself has cancer-preventing properties. It blocks biochemical pathways in the body that are used to continually divide cells uncontrollably.
3. The release of melatonin is closely related to the release of the p53 protein, the main defender of our body against tumors. Less melatonin means less p53, more chances for cancer cell survive and reproduce.

Causes of type 2 diabetes

Women who work night shifts for 10-19 years in a row increase their risk of diabetes by 40%. And those who have been engaged in similar work for more than 20 years – by 60%.
Probable cause is a violation of insulin secretion and a deterioration of its effect on body tissues. Cells starving from a lack of energy cease to adequately respond to it and take glucose from the blood. This occurs due to a disruption in the release of hormones responsible for appetite. The hormone ghrelin, which increases appetite, appears in the blood in larger quantities than leptin, the satiety hormone. As a result, you want to have a snack at night, and this is not a physiological time for eating.
Another hypothesis suggests that decreased glucose tolerance (cell resistance to insulin) is associated with disruption of the microbial composition of the intestinal contents (dysbiosis) during jet lag. After jet lag, the intestinal flora is restored within a couple of weeks, but this is not possible for people with night shifts.

Of course, working at night also leads to vitamin D deficiency because late risers spend little time in the sun. And this is another factor in the development of obesity, as well as impaired immunity, depression and dementia.

Get stupid in the night

Perhaps most distressingly, night shifts exacerbate the effects of cognitive decline. That is, they lead to deterioration of memory and intelligence. How more people works in this mode, the more pronounced the changes. Night workers are ahead of their daytime peers in terms of memory and intelligence decline by 6.5 years. After leaving work after 10 years, it is still possible to restore lost abilities, in about 5 years. And then, this is if the employee is not influenced by other factors that worsen mental health.

Several articles mentioned research showing that service personnel Airplanes that experience chronic jet lag show a shrinkage of the frontal lobe. This is not surprising, because chronically sleepless man begins to lose its neurons. After several sleepless nights, the level of a protein in the brain increases, which protects nerve cells from destruction and helps them recover. But if insomnia becomes chronic, then the possibilities of recovery are reduced. It is unknown to what extent this process is expressed in humans, but mice in the experiment lost up to 25% of neurons in the locus coeruleus (responsible for the physiological response to stress).

Conclusion - night work is definitely harmful to health. If it is not possible to refuse it, then it is better to at least quit it before your experience reaches 10 years.

Protective measures

What to do if you still have to work at night? The main idea of ​​protective measures is to maintain, if possible, an alternation of sleep and wakefulness, so as not to expose the body to unnecessary stress. After sleepless night sleep should be the required 6-8 hours.

In addition, it is useful:

1. Don't work hard after a night shift. The clock struck - home.
2. If possible, take a nap during your shift. This reduces the overall stress of being forced to stay awake.
3. If you can’t take a nap, then be sure to take breaks, during which you try to move more.
4. Avoid constantly chewing any nuts, chips, candies and the like. Snacking will further decouple the system associated with satiety and hunger.
5. Do not drink alcohol.
6. Experts have different opinions about coffee-containing drinks. Some believe that you need to drink them to maintain a level of wakefulness, others argue that after drinking them you only want to sleep more. But this is different for every person. There are those for whom coffee is no worse than a sleeping pill.
7. After you left workplace After your shift, it is advisable to wear dark glasses so as not to wake yourself up from sunlight. Under its influence, the amount of melatonin decreases and drowsiness decreases. At home, go to bed with the windows curtained. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks before bed. Avoid alcohol, even if it makes you sleepy.

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by Notes of the Wild Mistress

Shift work is quite hard on the body. Among other things, the diet is disrupted, which is then difficult to restore. How to eat for those who are watching their figure and are prone to excess weight, but forced to work at night?

Of course, it is best to generally abstain from eating at night, because, despite the fact that shift workers have to work and be active at night, the body still continues to live according to biological clock. This means that after ten in the evening the pancreas, liver and gallbladder are still in a state of rest and recovery.

Diet for night shifts

Is there any way out, or will you just have to gorge yourself at night, gaining weight, and in between shifts try to lose weight with the help of diets? Yes, if you can organize a reasonable diet both day and night.

First, before your night shift, try to eat normally during the day. But during night work, in order to satisfy your hunger, drink green tea with dried fruits - dried apricots, prunes, dates, figs.

It’s good to take kefir with 0-1% fat content with you to work on the night shift - you can drink up to one and a half liters of it per shift.

Hot water will also help overcome the feeling of hunger if you drink it in small sips every hour, one glass. By the way, this will help you free your body of waste and toxins.

If, despite all the options offered, the feeling of hunger continues to torment you, you need to develop your own diet for night shifts. To do this, you should choose a time for snacks - there should be no more than two per night.

For snacks, prepare porridge in water - buckwheat is best, as it is easily digestible. Will be a great snack raw vegetables– cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, turnips, etc..

Approximate ration for a snack during the night shift

First you need to drink one glass hot water or green tea. After 15 minutes, you can eat fresh cabbage salad, seasoned with a small amount vegetable oil and 50g of dried grain bread.

For your next snack, drink water or tea again, and after 15 minutes eat buckwheat or oatmeal, cooked in water without adding salt.

In a desire to help people, many shops and pharmacies are switching to round-the-clock operation. IN 24/7 Many factories and printing houses are working, working for days medical staff in hospitals. Emergency situations that require night work can happen at any company. Therefore, employees need to be able to prepare themselves to work at night. This requires additional energy expenditure from us, because no one will free us from household duties. How to allocate time most in the right way? We offer some simple tips that, we hope, will help you maintain vigor and good mood both during night duty and after it.

Before work.
Sleep is the cure for fatigue.
Most effective way restore strength is good sleep. If you often have to work at night or have alternating night and day shifts, do not neglect proper rest. Many women, after working at night, cannot stop and work the “second shift” at home, forgetting that the body needs rest. As a result, the night shift at work is a continuation of the day shift homework, and after the shift - home watch again.
Remember that you need to get at least eight hours of sleep every day. By reducing your sleep time, you take a loan from your body for vigor, which you will then have to pay back with interest. If the situation is not changed, then it is fraught not only with fatigue and drowsiness, but also with serious violations on the part of internal organs. Remember that it is not only sleep that is important, but also the quality of that sleep. Ventilate the room, sleep in bed, on a comfortable mattress and pillow. You can trick your body and sleep in a room with thick curtains, in the dark.
Don't deceive your body.
Sometimes it is necessary to reduce the rest time. But in this case, you can “agree” with your body about the time of work and time of rest. However, in this case, strictly adhere to the agreement. You can work tirelessly even for several days in a row, but then the body needs a long rest. The body does not forgive deception - it will immediately react with illness.
Family should be supportive.
Remember that family members also need to be involved so that you can adhere to the regime. You should not be disturbed while you sleep because only deep dream restores strength. Explain to the adult members of your family that you have a serious job, and day rest vital for you.
Tell your close children about your work. Explain that in order to work well you need proper rest. Agree with your children and loved ones about what time you can spend with them. Let's say you work at night, so you have to sleep half the day before, but then you have two free days in a row and you will be with them.
Agree on the division of household responsibilities. Act not through prohibitions or irritation, but through explanations. The main thing is to tell your loved ones in advance that you will be on night duty, because it is quite possible that they will also need to change their plans.

While working.
Put yourself in a good mood.
Go to work in good mood. We can advise women not to neglect makeup if they usually use cosmetics. Men can be recommended to go to work at night in the same form as during the day. If you wear a business suit in the office during the day, you should do the same at night. This way you will additionally create a working mood for yourself.
Any pleasant words, addressed to yourself will help you improve your mood and self-esteem. Tell yourself a phrase like: “I am cheerful, cheerful and feel great.” If you say this phrase several times, your mood will certainly improve. And people in a good mood always smile. Smiling is an inexpensive way to look good and feel great.
In psychology there is the concept of body memory and if we fix a certain body position associated with a certain emotional state, then by reproducing a certain pose you can achieve a certain mood. Try to sit on a chair and hang your arms limply, lower your shoulders - most likely this pose will bring sad thoughts to you. But as soon as you straighten your shoulders, raise your head and smile, your mood will improve. Use this technique to boost your mood.
Use doping with caution.
Coffee and energy drinks may temporarily relieve drowsiness. But this is an advance and will have to be returned. In addition, coffee and tea can contribute to weight gain. Of course, not on their own, but due to the fact that with each cup of coffee or tea we usually eat a certain amount of cookies, cakes or sandwiches. And they, as you know, have calories. It is best to eat a hearty meal at home before and after work. And take something low-calorie with you to work - salad or fruit. In addition to being good for the body, eating this type of food has another advantage: you won't feel drowsy after eating it.
Another disadvantage of strong coffee and tea, as well as alcoholic and carbonated drinks. They, oddly enough, can cause dehydration. And this is dangerous, because our body is 80% water. All biochemical reactions occur in an aqueous environment. Even slight dehydration can lead to decreased performance. At the same time, you may not even feel thirsty.
To prevent this from happening to you, drink green tea or mineral water. still water. You need 2 liters per day and if you work at night, then you need to drink liquid at night. It is convenient to have a 2-liter bottle of mineral water or still spring water at your workplace. Drink little and often. If you drink the entire bottle during working hours, you are not in danger of dehydration.
Connect natural doping.
Light it up incense stick or use an aroma lamp with invigorating scents, such as pine. Smells act directly on the brain and cause a quick surge of energy.
Listen to your favorite music by taking your player with you. Only, preferably a cheerful one, the other one can have a soporific effect.
Ventilate the room. Or, if possible, periodically go to Fresh air. The coolness of the night will quickly restore your vigor.
Take care of your health.
Drink more water. Dehydration leads to drowsiness, headaches and fatigue. In addition, lack of water negatively affects our appearance, in particular the condition of our skin. During the day you need to drink at least two liters of water.
Take a multivitamin. The reality of our life is that it is not possible to get enough vitamins from food. By receiving the required amount of vitamins, the body itself is able to produce the required amount of energy. Pay attention to those vitamin preparations, which contain at least ten vitamin components and the same number of minerals.
Protect your eyesight - especially when you work on a computer. Use special drops and periodically look away from the screen to give your eyes a rest.

When fatigue becomes overwhelming.
You seem to have had enough sleep before work, but late at night fatigue comes over you, makes you sleepy, and all your tricks are in vain. In such a situation, you should not force your body.
You can quickly overcome drowsiness by giving yourself some rest. It may not suit you, but we use it.
You will only need 15 minutes. Sit on a chair; if possible, lie down. Close your eyes and imagine that you are going down in an elevator, the countdown numbers on the board in front of you slowly light up and go out: 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
In this way, you can “turn off” your brain for a few minutes, putting it into sleep mode. This will give you the opportunity to relax. Don't forget that you need to wake up in 15 minutes. This method is well described in the film “17 Moments of Spring”, but mastering it is not at all difficult.
Another way. While sitting on a chair, imagine a visually favorite place where you feel calm. It can be a real or imagined place, a landscape, a room - anything. Imagine that you are in this place, relaxing. Imagine this place in detail, look at all the details and enjoy the peace. Then “go back.
These exercises will relieve fatigue and allow you to continue working.

After work.
Give yourself a break.
Relax not only physically, but also mentally. Remember to pay attention to yourself every day. Get away to relax. If it is not possible to stay in an empty room, then retire to the bathroom for a while.
Stimulate yourself.
If you work, then give yourself gifts. Any little thing that you buy for yourself can be a great way to boost your mood.
Don't forget about pleasure.
For example, about sex – it’s a great way to recharge your batteries. Even if you often have to work at night, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of spending time with your partner.
Don’t give up meeting with friends, going to the theater or concert, or other usual and favorite activities. If you plan your time correctly, you can find an opportunity for any activity that will bring you pleasure.
"Ride the rainbow."
Psychologists offer this way to recharge your batteries. It is known that each color carries a certain mood and has energy. Make cards with rainbow colors from colored paper and look at them in moments of fatigue. If at some point your eye lingers on one of them, it means that this is the color you need now. Charge yourself with the energy of this color - you can put on clothes or some element of it of the corresponding color, or simply look at a card with this color, charging with its energy.
Fatigue gives rise to fatigue, and energy gives rise to energy.
To stock up on energy you need to spend it. Physical activity promotes the production of endorphins in the brain, which are natural mood improvers. In addition, with the help of simple physical exercise You can improve your health and lose weight. Find time for them, and if possible, go to the pool.

Start small.
You may find something too difficult to complete. The reality of our lives is that we are not always able to do everything we need to do. However, we are sure that some of our recommendations will come in handy. And you will meet your next night duty fully armed.

Doctor Natalya Rozina
Psychologist Evgenia Lomonosova.