Acute Night Shift Work Elevates Ambulatory Blood Pressure
Summary
This quasi-randomized crossover study measured 24-hour blood pressure and sleep in 24 rotating shift workers across both day and night shifts in free-living conditions. Compared with day shifts, a single night shift led to higher systolic (107 vs 104 mmHg) and diastolic (67 vs 64 mmHg) blood pressure, blunted nighttime dipping (8% vs 12%), and much shorter sleep duration (≈4h vs 8h). These results show that even one night of shift work can acutely trigger cardiovascular risk markers in otherwise healthy young adults.
Why It Matters For Night Shift Workers and Night Owls
Blood pressure normally dips at night as the body rests, but this study shows that a single night shift disrupts that rhythm and raises 24-hour blood pressure. For night-shift workers, these repeated spikes could accumulate into long-term cardiovascular strain, helping explain why shift work is linked to higher rates of hypertension and heart disease. Monitoring BP and prioritizing recovery strategies may be key to reducing risk in this population.
Notes
Open access.