Effects of Alternating Day-Night Shifts on the Physiological and Cognitive Functions in Female Health-Care Professionals
Abstract
Aim: The study aimed to determine whether alternating day–night and nightday shift schedules differentially affect inflammatory markers, endocrine and stress responses, sleep characteristics, and visual attention performance compared with regular daytime work in female health-care professionals. Materials and Methods: Thirty female health-care professionals were included in the study and classified into three groups: alternating day-to-night shift workers (n=10), alternating night-to-day shift workers (n=10), and regular day-to-day workers (n=10). Vital signs (blood pressure, respiratory rate, skin temperature), hematological parameters, blood leptin, melatonin and sex hormone levels, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6), sleep duration and quality, visual attention performance, and stress-related parameters (perceived stress scores, salivary cortisol, corticosterone, and alpha-amylase) were assessed and compared between groups. Results: The number of white blood cells, lymphocytes and monocytes was higher in day-to-night compared to day-to-day shifts (p<0.05); leptin, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α levels were lower in night-to-day group compared to day-to-day and day-to-night groups (p<0.05); Alternating shift programs decreased sleep duration and quality (p<0.05). There were no differences between the groups in terms of visual attention test, blood melatonin, estrogen and progesterone levels and salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels, (P>0.05). Conclusion: Most parameters measured in women working alternating shifts were comparable to those of day workers. However, higher leucocyte counts and IL-1β levels in alternating shift workers suggest the need for careful health monitoring and preventive measures.
Keywords
Sleep, alternating shifts, cytokine, hormone, hematological parameters
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