Rotating shift work can wreak havoc with your biorhythm such as sleep and bowel movements and also increases the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Rotating shift work can wreak havoc with your biorhythm such as sleep and bowel movements and also increases the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Symptoms of IBS include constipation and diarrhoea, abdominal pain, cramping, and bloating, though it's unclear what causes the syndrome. Shift workers often report altered bowel habits similar to people with IBS.
The researchers assessed self-reported bowel disorders and sleep quality among 399 American nurses with no other conditions potentially associated with bowel dysfunction. A total of 214 worked straight days, 110 worked straight nights, and 75 rotated between day and night shifts. Generally those working night and rotating shifts were younger, while day shift nurses tended to have longer work experience - nearly 20 years versus 11 to 13 years.
Overall, 36 nurses (48 percent) working rotating shifts reported symptoms of IBS, as did 44 (40 percent) of those working straight nights. By comparison, 66 nurses (about 31 percent) working straight days had IBS symptoms - still more than what might be expected in the general population (about 20 percent).
The researchers found reports of sleeping badly, having trouble falling asleep, and daytime sleepiness all more common among nurses with IBS, regardless of their work shift. But working a rotating shift remained significantly associated with IBS even after taking into account sleep quality, age, gender, years of experience, and number of years working night or rotating shifts. Nurses working night and rotating shifts were also more likely to report abdominal pain or discomfort than their day-working peers.
The above findings could be attributed to that fact that rotating work schedules commonly disrupt the intestinal tract's rhythm and this increases the chances of having irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers call for more studies to further investigate this association.
Symptoms of IBS include constipation and diarrhoea, abdominal pain, cramping, and bloating, though it's unclear what causes the syndrome. Shift workers often report altered bowel habits similar to people with IBS.
The researchers assessed self-reported bowel disorders and sleep quality among 399 American nurses with no other conditions potentially associated with bowel dysfunction. A total of 214 worked straight days, 110 worked straight nights, and 75 rotated between day and night shifts. Generally those working night and rotating shifts were younger, while day shift nurses tended to have longer work experience - nearly 20 years versus 11 to 13 years.
Overall, 36 nurses (48 percent) working rotating shifts reported symptoms of IBS, as did 44 (40 percent) of those working straight nights. By comparison, 66 nurses (about 31 percent) working straight days had IBS symptoms - still more than what might be expected in the general population (about 20 percent).
The researchers found reports of sleeping badly, having trouble falling asleep, and daytime sleepiness all more common among nurses with IBS, regardless of their work shift. But working a rotating shift remained significantly associated with IBS even after taking into account sleep quality, age, gender, years of experience, and number of years working night or rotating shifts. Nurses working night and rotating shifts were also more likely to report abdominal pain or discomfort than their day-working peers.
The above findings could be attributed to that fact that rotating work schedules commonly disrupt the intestinal tract's rhythm and this increases the chances of having irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers call for more studies to further investigate this association.
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