Working irregular shift reduces brain function and ‘makes you more stupid’

People who work shifts for 10 years or more may suffer loss of memory and brain power, said a study Tuesday that also waed of safety conces in high-risk jobs.

The effects on brain function can be reversed, the team wrote in the joual Occupational & Environmental Medicine, but this may take at least five years.

The research is the latest to highlight the dangers of shift work, which disrupts the body's inteal clock and has previously been linked to health problems like ulcers, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Yet, little has been known about its potential impact on brain function.

Researchers tested more than 3,000 current or retired workers in various sectors in southe France in 1996, 2001 and 2006 for long- and short-term memory, processing speed and overall cognitive abilities.

About half of the trial subjects, aged either 32, 42, 52 or 62 when they were first tested, had worked shifts – classified as night work or shifts that alteated between moing, afteoon and night.

Results 

Comparing the change in test results, the researchers found an association between shift work and 'chronic cognitive impairment”.

'The association was stronger for exposure durations exceeding 10 years” of shift work.

The data also showed that it takes at least five years to recover the impairment, after leaving shift work.  

The findings raised 'potentially important safety consequences not only for the individuals conceed, but also for society,” the scientists concluded.

'The current findings highlight the importance of maintaining a medical surveillance of shift workers, especially of those who have remained in shift work for 10 years or more.”

Despite the study, authors say that the results from this study are not conclusive and that further research is needed.