Physiological Adaptation of Shift Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Weitzman ED
• Description:
  Health workers in a large municipal hospital participated in this study to define the mode of adaptation of several important physiological measures to acute and chronic sleep/wake cycle shifts in shift workers. The study was divided into two parts: an acute shift work reversal protocol and a more chronic reversal group. A total of nine subjects (eight nurses and one intern) participated. Polygraphic sleep stage patterns, plasma cortisol, body temperature curves, and growth hormones were sampled over several selected 24 hour periods. The findings suggest that a significant and persistent decrement of sleep amount, organization and stability occur when hospital workers assume a night shift schedule. The major effect was a decrease in total sleep time, an increase in sleep stage shifts, and decreases in the minutes spent in both rapid eye movement (REM) and Stages 3 and 4 of sleep. However, the percentage of the sleep occupied by REM, Stage 2 and Stage 3 remained rather constant. Changes in cortisol indicated that the circadian rhythm of secretion was clearly changed during the night work schedule although no mean concentration differences were noted. Following sleep onset there was a consistent decrease in the cortisol concentration, independent of the time of day. In general, the change to an acute shift work schedule produced major changes in sleep patterns and cortisol and growth hormone secretions. These changes did not adapt, but appeared to become more abnormal after 2 weeks. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Endocrine System Health Personnel Occupational Health Safety Shift Work Schedule
• Keywords:
  Grants-other Health-care-personnel Hormone-activity NIOSH-Grant Nursing Physicians Shift-work
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maine ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-51
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00188714
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB89-227870
• Citation:
  Department of Neurology, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, New York 1977 Jan; :1-51
• Contact Point Address:
  Division of Neurology Montefiore Hosp and Med Center Division of Neurology Bronx, N Y 10467
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1977
• NORA Priority Area:
  Other Occupational Concerns ; Grants Other
• Performing Organization:
  Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, New York, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19710601
• Source Full Name:
  Department of Neurology, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, New York
• End Date:
  19761231
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a8298bbe478a271743f2039375ae8c325e3e207da340f3978aec2f31bb017ade61909b56842f2aed944d99be5ada9cba32571e463cc0546e3c33d087c667e482
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217760/cdc_217760_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 468.92 KB ]