Working at night is more harmful than smoking

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently added a night shift to the list of potential risk factors for cancer. The list includes ultraviolet rays, black powder, engine exhaust, harmful pigments, etc. Therefore, workers have the right to claim compensation for work when they are forced to work at night.

Japanese scientists from the University of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences conducted research on the issue. They tracked 14,000 people in 10 years. According to the survey, for men who work overtime, they often have higher rates of prostate cancer than those who only work during the day.

Danish experts from the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology conducted a survey with 7,000 women aged 30 to 54. As a result, people who have to work at night for at least 6 months have a higher risk of breast cancer. than.

Working at night can hurt you.(Artwork: agu.edu.bh)

Richard Stevens, a professor at the University of Connecticut Medical Center and the first scientist to discover the link between night work and breast cancer in 1987. He investigated the cause of the disease outbreak. in the 1930s, a time when many companies started 24-hour working days, attracting millions of women working day and night.

People who work at night also have a higher risk of heart disease. Scientists from Milan University have studied 22 metallurgists who have different number of night shift sessions per week.

Through daily cardiovascular examination, they found that their heart rate, nervous system activity and hormones remained unchanged during the night shift. In other words, they stay awake and work even though their heart and blood vessels act as if they are sleeping. This means that physical and mental activity exceeds their ability to do night shifts.

Rafaello Furlan, head of the research team, believes that the human body cannot adapt to nocturnal activities, causing cardiovascular threats. However, at the present time scientists do not know exactly the mechanism of these diseases.

They have come up with a few hypotheses that explain the negative effects of night shift work on human health.
First and foremost, people are daytime active entities. Working at night, daytime sleep disrupts the daily circadian rhythm and causes many different diseases.

A body organ produces melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep at night. It regulates the body's biological clock as well as other hormones. If a person does not sleep at night, the hormonal system will function incorrectly.

At night it itself has many complexities. The northern hemisphere's inhabitants often suffer from stress syndrome due to the constant dark winters, lack of vitamins, harsh climatic conditions and extreme summer summers. Lack of light is also a serious problem for people. It causes potential depletion.

The consequences of night shifts have not stopped there. People who work night shifts have to complain about vomiting, indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and poor appetite. The most common is stomach ulcers.

Adequate sleep is essential for the stomach to function normally. Doing night shift breaks the biological clock inside our bodies, and it also synchronizes the consumption and digestion of food. And finally, night shifts often separate workers from family and friends so they can be stressed.