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Working at night is very dangerous to your health
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Regular night shift work is unnatural for the human body. Scientists have discovered that such a lifestyle hinders DNA regeneration processes, which over time can lead to early cellular aging and the development of oncology.
A little earlier, specialists had already managed to find a connection between working at night and the development of neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases. However, the latest study allowed us to explain the development of the listed pathologies, as well as to discover new disorders. It turned out that a failure of the natural rhythm of life leads to a disruption of restorative reactions in DNA.
One of the authors of the project, Professor Pravin Bhatti, a representative of the F. Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (United States), reported on the results of the study in the periodical Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Shortly before the study, the professor discovered that the period of daytime sleep is associated with the content of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine in urine. This substance is an auxiliary product that is formed during the process of regeneration of damaged DNA.
The described discovery led scientists to the idea that the content of this substance can be used as an indicator of the regenerative properties of cells.
Experts have suggested that the mutual replacement of daytime and nighttime sleep leads to disrupted production of melatonin – and, consequently, to disrupted DNA repair.
To confirm the hypothesis, fifty shift workers who had been awake at night and sleeping during the day for many years were examined. A high-tech method of assessing the production of the substance in urine was used, using effective chromatography and electrochemical detectors.
As a result, it was found that the level of melatonin in “night” workers was significantly lower, and the indicator of DNA repair decreased by 20%.
According to scientists, such indicators are very, very unfavorable. They indicate that changing the lifestyle laid down by nature negatively affects the regenerative properties of DNA of human cells. And not by one or two percent, but many times!
According to experts, the human body becomes defenseless against harmful external influences and age-related changes in cells. Cellular structures simply do not have time to recover and cannot resist tumor processes, endocrine pathologies and other diseases.
As a result of the violation of the natural regime, a person ages faster and, accordingly, dies earlier.
"Considering the relationship between DNA regeneration and melatonin content, we can advise people to take special preparations that contain melatonin. Of course, if such people do not have the opportunity to establish a normal natural lifestyle with a full night's rest. This will help smooth out the negative consequences of the night regime in shift workers," the researchers believe.