How To Reduce Your Risk Of Illness From Shift Work

Recent studies have indicated that roughly 12% of Canadians work irregular shifts, so it’s surprising that this topic doesn’t come up more often.

I’ve seen it several times in my patients, as a naturopathic doctor: they’ve been on the night shift for months, and they feel like they’ve walking zombies.

In addition, they come in with a host of physical ailments that they can’t really explain, and are often feeling symptoms of burnout.

After an evaluation, it is usually clear that the cause of their ailments is related to their work schedule and its impact on their circadian rhythm.

A 2023 study from York University indicated that women were more likely to develop health challenges as they aged and continued working shift work.

Shift work can lead to hormonal disruption and other issues, but there are ways to minimize that.

Read on below to see a few of them.

RECAP: What Is Your Circadian Rhythm?

Your circadian rhythm controls your wake sleep cycle.

It is very important for both your mental and physical health.

If you want a deep dive on your circadian rhythm, I covered this topic in last week’s article.

If you’re looking for a recap, the short version is that your circadian rhythm is controlled by the hypothalamus part of your brain.

Your hypothalamus releases melatonin to make you feel tired when it’s time to rest, and uses visual clues like blue light from the sun to help you feel awake.

Not following your circadian rhythm and getting enough rest can lead to all sorts of negative health conditions like:

• Heart disease
• Particular types of cancer
• Diabetes
• Adrenal stress
• Disordered eating due to chronic stress

Now that we’ve covered the basics, what should you do if your circadian rhythm is already disrupted?

If you work shift work, there’s a strong chance you’ve noticed that it can be difficult to maintain a steady sleep schedule when you switch from days to nights frequently.

The good news is that there are a lot of strategies and techniques your naturopathic doctor can recommend to help mitigate the effects of your disrupted circadian rhythm.

How To Mitigate A Disrupted Circadian Rhythm

So now you see how your shift work can be disrupting so much more than just your ability to get a good night’s sleep and feel rested the following day.

RELATED: 7 Nutrient Deficiencies That Can Cause Chronic Fatigue

However, for many people, it can be a moot point – they have to pay the rent, so they need to keep working these hours.

So, what can you do?

Are you doomed to a life of poor health just because you work irregular hours.

Not quite.

I do recommend that you seek help from a naturopathic doctor, because there are ways to assist and support your body through these stressors.

A naturopathic doctor can make this process much simpler.

Let’s find out how they can do this below.

1. Adjust Your Sleep And Wake Time Gradually

It’s a good idea to plan for the change, and to start to adjust as gradually as you can.

About three days before your new shift, start to adjust your bedtime and morning alarm.

By starting to push the times toward what they WILL be, you’ll find the first day of your new shift goes a little more smoothly.

If you’re moving to a new shift, do your best to make sure that it moves clockwise: go from night shift to day, then day shift to evening, then evening to night shift.

2. Try To Keep The Same Sleep And Wake Cycle

When you are on your new shift, it is best to be quite strict about your bedtime and rising.

Your body is already being stressed by the irregular schedule; further taxing it with “late nights” up playing video games is just making things worse.

You’ll also want to make sure that you are strict with your eating schedule, and if possible, do your best to avoid eating at night.

Shift workers are at a higher risk for developing irritable bowl syndrome.

That best way to reduce your body’s stress levels is to give your body a regular schedule.

This will definitely help it to carry you through your shifts as optimally as possible under the circumstances.

3. Take Natural Supplements To Help You Sleep

There are some natural supplements I can provide which can help you ease your sleep schedule.

Valerian root is well known to induce somnolence, and has been used for centuries to help with sleeplessness.

Chamomile is easily taken as a tea, and has calming, relaxing qualities that can help you get ready for bed.

Melatonin can be found at your local natural health store, and can be taken under the tongue at bedtime.

Melatonin is what the hypothalamus releases when it’s bedtime, and it causes you to lose energy and get drowsy.

Plus, its health benefits extend beyond just helping you sleep.

4. Mimic Night In Your Sleep Environment As Much As Possible

There are other tricks that can be used to reproduce the regular sleep environment as much as possible.

Night shift workers should seriously consider investing in blackout blinds, in order to ensure there’s as little light as possible interfering with their already confused sleeping patterns.

If you’re skeptical, you can always try tacking your old Star Wars blankets from when you were a teenager to the window to cover them before you invest in nicer blinds.

Another way to mimic night time is to reduce the temperature in your home or bedroom so that your body thinks the sun has gone down.

Lastly, follow the same bedtime patterns for your daylight bedtime as you do for your regular bedtime.

5. Speak To A Naturopathic Doctor About Your Risk

Ultimately, if you are a shift worker, work unusually long days, or work rotating shifts, it’s a smart investment in your long term health and longevity to seek advice from a naturopathic doctor.

The risks inherent in shift work are serious enough that yours should be assessed and treated.

If you’re concerned about your health caused by a change in your work schedule, call to speak with me, Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, and I’ll help you understand what you can do to support your system.

Book Your Appointment With Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, Today

You can see the wide range of effects that can happen when your circadian rhythm is disrupted.

It can affect almost every aspect of your physical wellbeing.

You might also find your productivity impacted due to the constant fatigue that results from lacking deep sleep.

These effects will only compound with time, until you implement strategies that can decrease the disruption to your circadian rhythm.

A naturopathic doctor can help you with that, because sometimes you can’t change the nature of your shift work.

Let’s work together to change your habits around your shift work to help you feel better and resolve your troublesome symptoms.

Book your appointment with me, Dr. Sheila Dyer, ND, today.