by Kerry Nobbs

Created on: May 15, 2008   Last Updated: November 21, 2011

The pros and cons of working 8 hours as compared to working a 12 hour shift and health problems associated with shift work as compared to daytime work. Since that article new studies have confirmed the health risks associated with shift workers.

Shift workers account for approximately 25 to 30 percent of the working population of North America depending on some seasonal time frames. These workers are employed in Mills, Hospitals, Police, Fire, Ambulance, Care Homes, and many more jobs such as gas stations and stores. Many work eight hour shifts some work less and others work 10 to 14 hours over the night period. Other shifts that are even worse are doctors, some of which I have known to be working or on call for 36 or more hours, with many the night spent up for most of that 36 hour period. Truckers that travel our highways are still running a risk on our roads having spent the night behind the wheel of their big rig and then running the daylight out to get to their destination point because they are paid by time per mileage.

I would challenge any one out there to spend that amount of time up without sleep and see how you function. As a person that has done shift work it is not an easy task. That alone has my sympathies for them when they ask for a raise. It is a tremendous burden on their families at the cost more often than not, per average, of those families. Separation / divorce rates are really high among shift workers, not to mention other family problems associated with the stress of shift work. Doing a study on divorce rates amongst workers and their jobs only tells a part of it. Putting together the divorce rates with the people that do shift work compared to non shift workers tells a much bigger story. Other family issues also arise with problems with children from schooling issues to suicide etc.

It can be very difficult to work a good healthy social life. Being asleep when social functions are happening from school to parties makes it difficult to attend these functions. Attending some of these functions when tired is almost as bad as missing them as the shift worker has a hard time being social. On top of that, most often, people's issues are always greater than yours and no one really understands why you are not there or are tired or sleeping.

Even worse, diseases, disorders, and other health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure, and communicable diseases are really high among shift workers.

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