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How does having worked the night shift affect retirees?

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How does having worked the night shift affect retirees?

We would like to commend staff writer Daniel Moore and photographer Steve Mellon for the excellent article on night shift work in the Post-Gazette (“A Look at Pittsburghers Who Work Through the Dead of Night,” May 21). As the article points out, night shift work is common, necessary — and stressful. 

In addition to the scheduling and family challenges that shift work creates, we now know that it can also affect our health. Night shift work is associated with increased risk of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, among other conditions. 

We and our colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh are studying whether the health consequences of night shift work continue even into retirement. In particular, we are interested in knowing whether night shift work affects retirees’ sleep, 24-hour rhythms and heart health. 

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We continue to look for research volunteers to help us with this important work. If you are a retired night shift worker or retired day worker and would like to hear more about our research study, please contact us at 412-246-5015 or sir@upmc.edu.

DANIEL J. BUYSSE, M.D.
MARTICA HALL, Ph.D.
Center for Sleep and Circadian Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
Oakland

First Published: May 28, 2017, 4:00 a.m.

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