Tags
Having a newborn around means sleep is largely a thing of the past. Even before that, though, I spent many a night writing away. Which is something hardly unusual, when it comes to writers. So many people have told me that they do their best (or only) writing at night, that one would think it’s almost a prerequisite.
Which got me thinking about sleep deprivation and strange writing habits. Especially once I saw a fascinating article in the Economist, which explained the adverse side-effects this can have.
As new research suggests, night work is very unhealthy indeed. One study found that the longer nurses in South Korea had worked the night shift, the more likely they were to be obese. Another study, of retired car workers in China, found that shift work was associated with high blood pressure and diabetes. And a French study in 2014 found that ten years of shift work was associated with cognitive decline equivalent to an extra six-and-a-half years of ageing.
People who work at night suffer in two ways. First, a new schedule throws the body’s “circadian clock”—the inbuilt mechanism that regulates waking and sleeping—out of alignment. Night workers eat when their bodies are not ready for food and try to sleep when they are not tired. That leads to the second problem: night-shift workers simply do not sleep enough.
It is hard to know whether sleep disruption or exhaustion causes ill-health—or both together. A link between night work and type 2 diabetes, for example, might be because eating at the wrong times leads to more free fatty acids or because exhausted people eat more, or even because it can be hard to get wholesome food in the middle of the night.
In theory, night workers could avoid health problems by completely switching to a night-time schedule. But weekends, social obligations and sunlight make that impossible for most. In fact, the only people who seem to manage it are shift workers on offshore oil rigs, who labour in windowless rooms and do not take weekends off. But they suffer from jet lag when they return home.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a nap…
marerobster said:
I’m a grandma of a new little girl (twin four-year olds before that) – and for one am glad that the worry about sleepless nights is not my problem anymore! My theory is that a good night’s sleep ensures a much better day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
A theory I thoroughly subscribe to 😀
LikeLike
jennnanigans said:
I am definitely sensitive to circadian rhythms. I think I am some kind of reverse-vampire/Seasonal Affective Disorder Mutant because when the days are long and hot, I struggle with depression and maintaining focus. When the days are short and cool, I am much more upbeat and productive.
Good luck on the little one! I hear sleep during the first year is a rare and wonderful thing that you must treasure. Fingers crossed for baby sleeping the whole night through! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks! A reverse vampire, huh? How do you feel about garlic?
LikeLiked by 1 person
jennnanigans said:
Love it! See? Reverse vampire! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Audrey Driscoll said:
Interesting! I too find long days of sunshine wearing, especially when it’s hot. I quite like a cool, grey day. And I’ve said, jokingly, that I must be part vampire; love garlic too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
jennnanigans said:
Yay, there are more of us! 😀
There’s actually research into reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, where extended bright, hot weather brings on suppressed hormone production. But it seems to mostly be theory right now.
Still, I like knowing the possibility for an explanation exists! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Reverse SAD? You’re talking about me now, aren’t you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Audrey Driscoll said:
I’ll have to check into that. For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me, that I preferred sunny days with a few clouds, and not too many in a row. But it makes sense, when you think about it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
We’re writers. There’s definitely something wrong with us 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Audrey Driscoll said:
Haha! But we wouldn’t want to be any different, would we? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Of course not! Both me and the voices in my head would hate that 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mick Canning said:
Oh, God. I did shifts for 10 years…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Sounds like you loved every minute of it, too :b
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mick Canning said:
Aaaaarrrgh!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
😀
LikeLike
Annette Rochelle Aben said:
Sleep deprivation did such cruel things to me, I honestly do not know how I escaped alive. It may have been different if the reason were because I was caring for a baby…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
It can be pretty cruel, especially when not combined with a fun project like a wee one 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Annette Rochelle Aben said:
That is more than likely the reason…. What was I thinking? 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
You were probably just sleepy 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
hilarycustancegreen said:
Good luck – I had a non-sleeper. We have know about the poor life-effects of shift work for more than thirty years, but we still happily use people in these roles to support our lifestyles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I know. It’s really sad, if you think about it 😦
LikeLike