Mark Stoller and his wife, Andra, moved to Falcon with their family in 2007. Both are U.S. Air Force veterans and enjoy life with their daughters, extended family and adopted rescue dogs in Latigo. Mark is fortunate to have his wife and daughters as his muse for topics, people to meet and places to investigate.
The danger of the night shift
By Mark Stoller
For the past year and a half, I have been working the night shift at Penrose Hospital, from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
You can imagine my surprise when I learned that the World Health Organization has designated night shift work as a Group 2 carcinogen.
Large population studies show that individuals who consistently work overnight or rotating schedules face significantly higher rates of chronic illness and an estimated loss of up to 15 years of life expectancy.
Neuroscientist Dr. Allison Brager has explained that shift workers show increased cancer rates across multiple categories, shorter life expectancy and overall poorer health outcomes.
The reason is rooted in biology. When you stay awake through the night and attempt to sleep during daylight hours, you override your circadian rhythm — the internal clock that governs immune function, hormones, metabolism, DNA repair and inflammation. Over millions of years, the human body has evolved to operate in synchrony with light and darkness. Breaking that pattern comes with a physical cost.
According to the National Library of Medicine,“The circadian rhythm of cortisol, a key hormone essential for maintaining metabolic balance and stress homeostasis, is profoundly disrupted by night-shift work.
“Night shift work alters the natural secretion pattern of cortisol, leading to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which in turn can contribute to metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease and impaired cognitive function.”
Thankfully, some individuals have figured out nutrition, exercise and sleep strategies that can help minimize the negative effects of night shift work. I have recently tried these approaches and benefited from the following recommendations:
Eat most of your meals during daylight hours. Your final meal should be your largest and eaten between 10:30 p.m. and midnight. It should include protein and carbohydrates.
Fast from midnight to 6 a.m. Overnight, the body does not produce sufficient insulin to transport glucose into the muscles. Instead, glucose remains in the bloodstream and is more likely to be stored as body fat.
Avoid consuming caffeine after 1 a.m. This gives your body time to metabolize caffeine so you can sleep after your shift. Sleep is crucial for night shift workers. Less sleep leads to increased fatigue, which raises levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Poor sleep often results in constant hunger and poor nutritional choices. Fatigue also increases the risk of dangerous microsleep episodes while driving home.
Around 6 a.m., eat your first meal of the day. It should include carbohydrates and protein, as carbohydrates can help promote better sleep.
After waking up, your first meal before the shift should be protein-heavy to help prevent hunger during the night.
Additional recommendations to support quality sleep and prepare for your next shift include the following:
- Wear sunglasses on the drive home. Avoiding direct sunlight helps prevent your circadian rhythm from signaling your body to stay awake.
- Listen to calming music. Avoid scrolling on your phone or social media until you wake up later — you are not missing anything.
- Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask to ensure complete darkness. Keep your bedroom cool, ideally between 60 and 68 degrees, to lower body temperature and signal the brain that it is time to sleep.
- Stay hydrated. Aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces of water daily. Proper hydration helps keep your brain, muscles and heart functioning at their best.
- Exercise before your shift, when your body is well rested, to reduce the risk of injury.
