Shift work DOES mess with your mind: Irregular hours ‘interfere with memory, concentration and the ability to learn’

May 18, 2016

Shift works impairs a person’s cognitive performance, study finds
Impacts memory, an ability to learn, concentrating and decision making
Scientists found workers who had quit irregular hours five years before study began had same cognitive function as non-shift workers
Implies the impact is not permanent, and damage can be reversed

Lizzie Parry For Dailymail.com

Published:
15:52 EST, 17 May 2016

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Updated:
15:54 EST, 17 May 2016

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Shift work disrupts sleep patterns, turns eating habits on their head, and can leave people feeling blue.

But now, a new piece of research has added to the woes of shift workers the world over.

Scientists have found the irregular working hours also impair a person’s cognitive function.

They found shift workers needed more time to complete a test that is frequently used by doctors to screen of cognitive impairment.

Shift workers are more likely to suffer cognitive impairment, including difficulty remembering, learning new things, concentrating and making decisions, scientists have discovered

Symptoms include when someone has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating or making decisions that affect their everyday life.

However, while on the face of it, the findings are bleak for shift workers, the researchers did have some positive findings.

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They found while cognitive impairment is more common, it can be reversed.

Those shift workers who had quit their irregular patters more than five years before the study began, completed the test just as quickly as the non-shift workers taking part.

However, the study showed those shift workers who had given up irregular hours five years earlier, had the same cognitive function as non-shift workers

Dr Christian Benedict, associate professor at Uppsala University, said: ‘Our results indicate that shift work is linked to poorer performance on a test that is frequently used to screen for cognitive impairment in humans.

‘The poorer performance was only observed in current shift workers and those who worked shifts during the past five years.

‘In contrast, no difference was observed between non-shift workers and those who had quit shift work more than five years ago.

‘The latter could suggest that it may take at least five years for previous shift workers to recover brain functions that are relevant to the performance on this test.’

Researchers analyzed data from around 7,000 individuals to reach their conclusions.

The test they used to measure cognitive function is called the Trail Making Test, which consists of two parts.

The first requires participants to connect circles labeled with numbers one to 25 in ascending order.

Meanwhile, the second asks participants to alternate between numbers and letters in ascending order.

The time it takes to complete these tests has been shown to increase with age.

The findings are published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.