Study: Shift Workers Are More at Risk for IBS
Earlier this year The American Journal of Gastroenterology released the findings of a study into the connection between shift work and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The study was conducted jointly by the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research (also in Ann Arbor, Michigan).
The overall goal of their investigation was to determine the extent to which rotating shift work affects Irritable Bowel Syndrome. A strong connection between shift work and number of similar gastrointestinal symptoms including constipation, diarrhea, and generalized abdominal pain has long been established.
A population sample made up of 399 medical nurses was selected. Of that total number, 324 nurses normally worked consistent day or evening shifts, with the remaining 75 on rotating schedules.
The findings showed significantly higher occurrence of IBS in shift workers over their more predictably scheduled counterparts. The teams also found this to be the case regardless of factors such as age, gender or daily sleep quota.
They theorize that the frequent disruption of the body’s natural sleep clock may be the primary cause of the dramatic increase of IBS seen in shift workers. The human body is designed to pass waste within the first six hours after waking up from a full night’s sleep. It may simply be too difficult for the bowels to adjust the sudden changes their work schedules require of them.
