The hidden cost of the night shift and how to sleep it off - AOL.com

What the report says

BBC News reports that scientists are examining how night work disrupts sleep and may contribute to long-term health risks for more than three million UK workers. The article, by BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh, focuses on people such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, engineers, lorry drivers and factory employees whose work hours conflict with the body’s circadian clock, making it difficult to sleep after a shift even when they are exhausted.

The BBC cites researchers who say sleep is central to memory, emotional processing, immune function and physical repair. Oxford sleep scientist Prof Russell Foster describes sleep as a core part of health, while University of Cambridge neurologist Prof Hugh Markus discusses research using UK Biobank brain scans from more than 40,000 people. Markus and medical student Yutong Chen found that signs of poorer brain “drainage” were associated with a higher later risk of dementia, though Markus cautions that this remains a hypothesis and that factors such as blood pressure, smoking and diabetes are also important.

The report also reviews wider evidence linking disrupted sleep with inflammation, raised cortisol, insulin resistance and possible cardiovascular risk. It notes that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies night shift work as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” citing evidence related to several cancers.

For practical mitigation, the BBC highlights emerging research into biphasic sleep: splitting rest into two periods rather than trying to sleep in one long daytime block. Dr Line Victoria Moen of Norway’s National Institute of Occupational Health observed this pattern among shift workers in northern Norway using sleep-tracking rings, suggesting planned naps or divided sleep may help some night workers recover more effectively.