A new study, published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, looked at the chronic health effects of shift work.  The researchers followed over 3,000 participants during a longitudinal study spanning 10 years.  Nearly half of the participants had shift work experience during the study.

Assessing their speed and memory, the researchers found that shift work adversely affect cognition.  The association was stronger for individuals that were exposed to shift work for durations exceeding 10 years.  For those participants, the cognitive loss equivalent to 6.5 years of age-related decline.

On the plus side, it was possible to reverse the adverse effects of shift work.  However, the recovery of cognitive functioning after having left shift work took at least 5 years.  According to Medical News Today, the manner in which shift work disrupts functioning is similar to that of jet lag.

Shift work disrupts the body’s natural time-keeping system, referred to as the circadian rhythms.  Circadian rhythms influence body temperature, sleep and wakefulness and various hormonal changes, helping the body to function to its full potential according to what time in the cycle (usually the length of a day) the brain thinks it is.

This is not the first study to show that shift work can be detrimental to one’s health.  An earlier study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine found a correlation between shift work and diabetes. In general, shift work was associated with a higher risk of diabetes mellitus. For men and individuals on a rotating shift, the increase in risk was even more pronounced.