Researchers Suggest Working Night Shifts May Cause Decline in Cognitive Skills
Published at
moodboard/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers in France say that working the night shift can hurt your brain, impairing cognitive abilities in the long run.
The study, published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, looked at over 3,000 employed and retired workers over a 10-year period. The researchers found that patients who had worked odd hours — defined as either alternating morning and night shifts, working so late that they could not sleep before midnight, waking up before 5 a.m., or working pure night shifts — had a significant decline in cognitive skills equivalent to 6.5 years in worsening cognition.
The decline included memory and attention span, researchers say. Additionally, those who had worked odd shifts for more than 10 years suffered even more. However, by stopping such shift work for at least five years, patients recovered some cognitive function.
Researchers say the data shows the lasting dangers of working odd shifts.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio