This is the first study I know that directly tested this – the
effects of rotating shifts on longevity – in humans, though some
studies of night-shift nurses have shown large increases in
breast cancers, stomach ulcers and heart diseases, and similar
studies have been done in various rodents and fruitflies: A
study of 3,912-day workers and 4,623 shift workers of the
Southeastern Central Railway in Nagpur showed the former lived
3.94 years longer than their counterparts on shift duties, said
the study by Atanu Kumar Pati of The School of Life Sciences in
Pt Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur. Shift work affects the
circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle in the physiological
processes of humans that leads to several sleep-related and
social problems. Circadian rhythms are important in determining
the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including
humans. Brain wave activity, hormone production, cell
regeneration and other biological activities are linked to this
daily cycle. Pati and his colleague K Ve