Study shows effect of nurse night shift work on healthy aging

Rotating night shift work was associated with decreased probability of healthy aging among 46,000 U.S. female nurses enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study. Healthy aging was defined as being free of 11 major chronic diseases, memory impairment, physical limitation or deteriorated mental health upon reaching at least 70 years of age. Compared with women who never worked rotating night shifts, the odds of achieving healthy aging decreased significantly with increasing duration of night shift work. This association did not differ substantially by age and lifestyle and was consistent across four individual dimensions of healthy aging. (JAMA Network Open article, 5/4/22)