Abstract
Shift work, made up of a rotation through morning, daytime, evening, and overnight shifts, becomes dangerous not only for the individual, but also for those under care of these occupations. Many essential and often life-saving jobs require 24-hour staffing. However, the rotating shifts needed to provide 24-hour coverage are shown to have negative effects on the employee’s cognitive function. Due to the irregularities in the sleep-wake cycle of a shift worker, the cyclical functions that occur during sleep like memory consolidation, motor cortex synchronization, and neuronal remodeling, are also impaired. These functions play key roles in maintaining the domains of cognitive function. Eradicating shift work is not a possibility due to the necessity of the occupations that utilize a rotating schedule, so researchers have experimented with the implementation of blue-enriched lighting to potentially combat circadian rhythm dysregulation and therefore, errors in cognition.
Recommended Citation
Barjenbruch, A. Disruptions in your light-dark cycle may be leaving you in the dark. BUHealth. 2024; 2(1). https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/buhealth/vol2/iss1/2.
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