Shift work can age the brain by 6.5 years, says scientific study
People who work shifts for 10 years or more may suffer loss of memory and brain power, said a study that also warned of safety concerns in high-risk jobs.
People who work shifts for 10 years or more may suffer loss of memory and brain power, said a study that also warned of safety concerns in high-risk jobs.
The effects on brain function can be reversed, the team wrote in the journal 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 internal clock and has previously been linked to health problems such as ulcers, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
But little has been known about its potential impact on brain function.
Researchers tested more than 3,000 current or retired workers in a variety of sectors in southern 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 alternated between morning, afternoon and night.