What are the cardiovascular disorders associated with shiftworkers?
Shiftwork is not absolutely associated with cardiovascular disease. However, heart rate and blood pressure have been shown to follow a circadian rhythm. Life-style can directly affect an individual’s health. Therefore, it is very important that a shiftworker follows exercise programs to maintain an adequate level of fitness. It is also very important not to smoke, to have good dietary habits and to participate in leisure activities. A study of Swedish men with a history of heart attack showed they were significantly more likely to have been shiftworkers than those men without a history of heart attack. Another study showed that the modification of shift rotation schedules by changing the direction of rotation of shifts to a forward direction (for example, days -> afternoons -> nights) can significantly decrease the levels of several coronary risk factors, e.g., triglycerides, glucose, and urinary excretion of catecholamines (chemicals like adrenalin that occur naturally in the body). A
