Page 20 - Diabetes

Diabetes and the

Graveyard Shift

by Laura Hieronymus, DNP, RN, MLDE, BC-ADM, CDE,
Pamela Allweiss, MD, MPH, and Jessica McMaine, BSN, RN, MLDE, CDE

any professions employ work- of illnesses including sleep disorders, might think of the 24-hour “body clock”
Mers who cover the “graveyard gastrointestinal problems and depres- as the way that the nervous system pre-
shift,” workplace hours that include sion. Shift workers with diabetes are pares for daily activity. Your body clock
overnight labor (such as hours between especially affected because their blood is responsible for production of various
7 p.m. to 7 a.m. or 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.). glucose can veer way off-kilter for a hormones, such as melatonin, which
In fact, many places of business thrive variety of reasons, making diabetes makes you sleepy at bedtime; cortisol,
by working around the clock to maxi- self-management a priority. which creates energy in the morning
mize productivity. Some institutions when you wake up in a fasting state; and
that provide services, such as health Circadian Rhythms insulin, which controls blood glucose
care, must stay open 24/7 to take care Circadian rhythms occur when your in response to meals.
of their patients. body’s internal clock matches its func-
Experts estimate that over 22 mil- tion with external rhythms, such as Night Shift and Diabetes
lion Americans work shift schedules— cycles of daylight and darkness. Work- Data suggest that those who work the
either rotating between night and day, ing the night shift may disrupt your night shift either part time or full time
or in many cases, working night shift usual body functions. When it is dark are at an increased risk for insulin resis- Shutterstock/ CandyBox Images
exclusively. As a whole, these shift work- outside, your body expects that you will tance (when the action of insulin is not
ers are at an increased risk for a variety be asleep—not awake and working. You as efficient), which is present in Type 2
18 March/April 2018