Various factories, hospitals, police units, and firefighting squads are required to have people on call during all hours of the night. While this requirement does benefit the greater population, it requires a set of employees to stay up all night: working. Although these shifts are necessary for companies to produce products, or to be alert in case of emergencies, there are many downfalls to working this extra time. The care for and safety of employees should be top priority over the amount of product, profit, and similar factors. Understanding the risks that employees face when working night shifts is one issue that should be made more apparent to the supervisors and corporate workers of companies, enabling them to take necessary precautions …show more content…
With this number skyrocketing due to increasing labor demand in factories the health and safety risks escalate as well, meaning, “shift work is regarded as a significant occupational stressor which can have marked negative effects on both health and well-being” (Natvik et al. 719). Many diseases are associated with shift work including, obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and sleep disorders (Marqueze et al. 229; Peplonska 693). Similarly, female night shift workers are at an increased risk for breast cancer and heart disease (Wang et al. 462). Even working as little as three night shifts per month for several years can cause increased chances for disease and health problems (Smith 112). One’s health cannot be simply replaced. This means companies should take these conditions into …show more content…
Among these issues includes glucose tolerance alterations, problems with cortisol concentrations, obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, and unusual pregnancy outcomes including an increased risk for preterm birth in female shift workers (Tewari et al. 14). It is unfortunate that those who are characterized as morning people typically have a harder time adjusting to the overnight shift (Natvik et al. 720). Similarly, those who consider themselves night owls have a harder time waking up early to report to work. Scheduling employees based upon how their body functions would benefit the facility and allow for a more productive
In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, as in the holocaust, evil trumps all good. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of evil is “morally bad or wrong.” The entire book consists of events that are morally bad or wrong, so much so that it hides the little bit of good that can be found. Most of the evil comes from the Nazis, who treat the Jews inhumanely. No one should be treated the way they were treated, which is practically the definition of evil.
Thus, this opportunity to work during the nighttime has been intertwined with some aspects of our society and allowed it to be somewhat acceptable to certain individuals. Additionally, it has become part of the society we live in, and inevitably unavoidable in certain circumstances. Unfortunately however, these working and traveling routines cause a disruption to the natural sleep-wakefulness cycle, and inevitably expose human beings to light at unordinary biologic times, which produce an outcome such that eating patterns, and social interactions with family and acquaintances are modified. Furthermore, the health impact of shift work has raised many concerns amongst individuals since it has been observed and studied that it gives rise to long-term health issues. In many studies conducted, both long and short-term, revealed that unfavorable alterations have been reported in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and in insulin resistance, growth hormone and corticosteroid secretion patterns (blood concentrations). On an epidemiologic basis, hypertension, left ventricle hypertrophy, coronary heart disease, and myocardial infraction have been found to be more frequent and critical amongst individuals who work during the
Sleeping while on duty hours can negatively affect that soldier, their battle buddies, and even their mission. It’s an act that can only do harm, whether that soldier be in an active warzone overseas, stationed at a base within the homeland, or even training. It takes discipline to stay awake when it is necessary to, and not being able to keep awake when necessary shows a lack of discipline and effort on that soldier’s part. As a result, that soldier ends up hurting themselves and everyone around them.
Usually, every story has a powerful ending that will keep the reader wondering, most likely in a good way, leaving the reader satisfied with the ending. Night does not follow the pattern. Elie didn’t want to end a sad story in a happy way, he wanted to end it the way it actually happened. It ends with the metaphor that will send a shiver down the readers spine. The story ends, “One day when I was able to get up, I decided to look at myself in the mirror on the opposite wall. I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look on his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me.” By ending the story this way, the reader finally realizes the horrible consequences of the Holocaust and the effects it had on Jewish people. Through neglect, malnutrition, and beatings, people had lost the feeling of life and turned into walking corpses, separated from their former selves. Many people weren’t even recognizable after the Holocaust, even by their own family.
Barriers primarily occurred at the point of seeking the unit nurse managers’ approval. On the successful unit, 153 30-minutes naps were taken during the study period. These data suggest that when barriers to napping are overcome, napping on the night shift is feasible and can reduce nurses’ workplace sleepiness and drowsy driving on the way home. Addressing nurse managers’ perceptions of and concerns about napping may be essential to successful implementation Inclusion these data suggest that when barriers to napping are overcome, napping on the night shift is feasible and can reduce nurses’ workplace sleepiness and drowsy driving on the way home. Addressing nurse managers’ perceptions of and concerns about napping may be essential to successful
The negative impacts of shift work on workers’ health such as fatigue and sleep which are the main complain among the staff, job performance, psychosocial well-being, and job dissatisfaction have been well reported in the literature (Poissonnet, 2000; Costa 1996). Community based studies of fatigue demonstrates the prevalence of fatigue in the primary care studies which is defined by loss of energy and tiredness among the worker ranging from 10% to 45% (Lewis and Wessely, 1992). This prevalence is associated with physical activity, psychosocial variables such as depression and anxiety, and psychological problems. The data of NHANES indicated that female respondents were suffering from fatigue with a percentage of 20.4% which is higher than male respondents 14.3%. This finding pointed out to the higher risk among women than men about 1.5 times risk (Chen, 1986). Therefore, fatigue is considered as a symptom resulted from shift work, which has an impact on the health. It has a significant effect on the level of alertness, concentration, judgment, mood, and performance that might be a reason of increased the risk of injury and medical errors (Dawson and Zee, 2005). Moreover, fatigue can also impa...
This literature review was conducted to determine the impact on the health status of registered nurses who work rotating shifts compared to those who work one consistent shift. Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome theory identified three stages of a stress response: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Rotating shift work is an impactful stressor on the human body, and the nurses who follow these fluctuating schedules endure Selye’s three stages of responding to stress. The four articles that were reviewed exposed similar themes regarding the effects of rotating shift work. Poor sleep quality, chronic fatigue, illness, biochemical changes, and safety concerns are all consequences of the harsh nature of rotating shift work. It has been suggested that recovery time be allotted to allow nurses to recuperate between the changing of shifts. Nursing care has been and will continue to be an around the clock necessity. It is vital to prioritize the physical and mental well being of nurses so they may provide the highest quality of safe patient care
It creeps around in the early morning cubical shadows like a ninja, then right around two-thirty p.m., it catapults up in front of us with the force of a concrete slab. “It”, is the all too familiar and relentless urge to take an afternoon nap. Some choose to open up their arsenal of energy drinks, coffee, and candy bars. Others use self torture tactics like bright light in the face, sitting in an awkward position, or even slapping themselves. The idea of taking a nap is draped in stigma. Napping is for the very young, or the very old. Napping is for the sick, the weak and the lazy. Even news story headlines promote scandal when company employees are caught napping on the job. And, let's not forget what our bosses might think if they caught us with our heads on our desks taking a little siesta! Despite all the reasons given for a nap not being warranted, it is actually a natural part of the human bodies programming. Studies have shown that our bodies were not designed for the common 9-to-5 schedule. One such research project took a group of people who were given food on a consistent schedule, yet all references to time, like clocks and light, were taken away. Even without the ability to tell time, the greatest number still fell asleep between 1 a.m. - 4 p.m. and again at 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. These two time ranges are natural cycles in our biological clocks, called circadian rhythms, which cause a dip in our core body temperature accompanied by sleepiness (Sandberg). Many hours are wasted trying to dodge the need for a nap as people wage a battle against their own bodies. Instead, companies should embrace the natural body cycle and integrate napping into the workplace. Allowing employees to take a twenty to thirty minute nap during w...
Workers have almost no time to eat during their lunch breaks and using the bathroom is a privilege and compounding these health issues some even have to rotate from day shift to night shift on a weekly basis leaving them with poor sleeping patterns. To make matters even worse as the women gain seniority they are laid off because it would be cheaper to train younger women than to pay the increase in wages.
In the hospital, there are always nurses that are working the night shift. What people do not know is the impact that working the night shift has on their life. There are a couple perks to working night shift as well. For example, nurses who work night shift tend to get better pay. Depending on the field that the nurse is working in, it is also not as stressful and beneficial for new nurses to get adapted to the job. However, there are also many dangers that go along with working on the night shift. Working the night shift can cause problems with the nurse’s physical health, mental health, and it can also have an impact on their home, family, and social life, along with other issues. One big concern with working night shift is the increased
The creeps come out at night, and it's your job to nurse them back to health. Surviving those long night shifts are no piece of cake. It's hard enough waking up for work when you've had a night's full of rest, but it's not so easy working with little to no rest in the middle of the night. As a nurse you are expected to be at your prime potential 24/7, here are some tips ans tricks to keep your body energized at any time, so you can be ready for whatever comes your way during the night shift.
Important public policy issues have arisen in our modern 24-hour society, where it is crucial to weigh the value of sleep versus wakefulness. Scientific knowledge about sleep is currently insufficient to resolve the political and academic debates raging about how much and when people should sleep. These issues affect almost everybody, from the shift worker to the international traveler, from the physician to the policy maker, from the anthropologist to the student preparing for an exam.
Health is influenced by every aspect of one’s life. For many people their work plays a large role in their life and consequently in their health. The contribution of the occupational health nurse (OHN) is that she affects people in and through their place of work. She is not limited to their health only in terms of how their work affects it, but she also affects all aspects of their health. Employers are realizing that the impact of employees’ poor health on their businesses is negatively affecting productivity and increasing costs (Redmond & Kalina, 2009). Thus, it is important that nurses are present even in the workplace to promote healthy behaviors and environments, maintain health status, and restore diminished health.
Sleep is a very important factor in the human function. Our body and brain is able to reset itself and rejuvenate while we sleep. When we do not get the required amount of sleep, we start to feel lethargic and foggy minded, because our mind and body wasn’t able to replenish itself. Sleep is imperative that an insignificant rest deficiency or lack of sleep can affect our ability to remember things; decisions and can affect our temperament. Chronic sleep deficiency can get the body to feel agitated and it could lead to serious health problems such as, heart problems, stress, acne, and obesity.
It’s a Night Job is a short story written by Ugandan writer Joanita Male. The story was written and published in early 2013 in Suubi, a collection of short stories and poems by various authors from the African Writers Trust’s joint mentoring and creative writing program produced in association with the British Council Uganda. It’s a Night Job tells the experience of a college-age girl who is a prostitute for her “night job”. The two-page story narrates her thoughts, feelings, and observations on the job from a first person point of view.