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BMJ No 7115 Volume 315 News Saturday 25 October 1997
Older shift workers should work morning shiftsOlder shift workers should work morning shifts as they are likely to be more productive and efficient, suggests new research. Around one in five employees worldwide works shifts. People aged 47 and over are less able to adapt to the disrupted sleep patterns and disturbed circadian rhythms caused by shiftwork than their younger counterparts, the study shows (Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1997;54:812-6.) (published by the BMJ Publishing Group - please click here to view the press releases for this issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and other BMJ Specialist Journals taking part in the Aging theme) This is linked to a decrease in the amplitude of circadian rhythm and a shift towards "morningness" (earlier waking and an earlier diurnal energy peak). As a result older people are better suited to the shift in the body clock demanded by morning shifts. "We are not saying that older people are unsuitable for shiftwork," commented Professor Tom Reilly of the Centre for Sport and Exercise Science at John Moores University in Liverpool and principal author of the study. "But errors are likely to increase with older people working later shifts, and where employers have some flexibility, they are likely to get more out of their older workforce if they work mornings." Circadian rhythms closely follow peaks and troughs in body temperature, and the research showed that those people who exercised daily had a greater range of temperature, with larger drops in temperature at night. This, says, Professor Reilly, allows the body to conserve energy and strength, and was reflected in better tolerance of shiftwork among the study's subjects. "The kind of exercise that makes a difference is that sufficient to raise body temperature for between 15 and 20 minutes a day, such as swimming, cycling, or jogging. Exercise seems to retune an aging body clock," he said. The research showed that fit older people had a broader range of circadian rhythms than unfit, inactive young people. Caroline White
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