Rotating Shift Work May Up Risk for IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome can strike hard when you least expect it. It’s a difficult to understand syndrome and it can be even more difficult to manage. Estimates are that about 20% of adults in the United States are living with IBS.
What is IBS?
First, IBS is not a disease. As uncomfortable as it is, it doesn’t cause damage to the intestines nor can it cause any serious diseases. It can, however, end up causing social isolation and depression because of its symptoms. And it can also lead to dehydration if lost fluids aren’t replaced.
What IBS is, is a syndrome that causes bloating, cramping, diarrhea and/or constipation. It can be constant or it can come and go. And, no-one knows what causes it.
Risk factors
Although doctors don’t know what causes IBS, there are some people who are at a higher risk of developing it than others. These include:
- Women (they have it more often than men)
- Being stressed
- Having certain food sensitivities that cause the colon topub react
Now, researchers are adding “rotating shift work” to this list.
According to an article just published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, a study of 399 nurses suggested that rotating work schedules may increase risk for irritable bowel syndrome,
The nurses were divided into groups of those who worked only day shift, those who worked night shifts and those who worked both on a rotating basis.
Of the 75 nurses who worked rotating shifts, 36 reported experiencing IBS symptoms (48%). Of the 214 who worked day shifts, only 66, or 31% had such symptoms, while 44 the 110 who worked only nights (40%) did.
The investigators found reports of sleeping badly, having trouble falling asleep, and daytime sleepiness all more common among nurses with IBS, regardless of their work shift.
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