Shift work in nurses: contribution of phenotypes and genotypes to adaptation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Daily cycles of sleep/wake, hormones, and physiological processes are often misaligned with behavioral patterns during shift work, leading to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular/metabolic/gastrointestinal disorders, some types of cancer, and mental disorders including depression and anxiety. It is unclear how sleep timing, chronotype, and circadian clock gene variation contribute to adaptation to shift work.

Methods

Newly defined sleep strategies, chronotype, and genotype for polymorphisms in circadian clock genes were assessed in 388 hospital day- and night-shift nurses.

Results

Night-shift nurses who used sleep deprivation as a means to switch to and from diurnal sleep on work days (∼25%) were the most poorly adapted to their work schedule. Chr

SUBMITTER: Gamble KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3076422 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature