bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Many people, from drivers to doctors, work in shifts. Some start early in the morning, others at midday. Some work at night while everyone else is asleep.
Working at night is particularly challenging for the body because it goes against our natural rhythms. How does a person get used to it?
Specialists provide some helpful advice.
How does shift and night work affect our bodies?
Many of our bodily functions shut down at night. Our body temperature drops and our pulse, digestive system and breathing slow down.
“Your body wants to rest and relax, so working against the circadian rhythm (the body’s natural 24-hour cycle) is always associated with greater effort,” says Frank Brenscheidt from Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Sleeping during the day is not as restorative as it is at night. You can only get used to night work to a limited extent. Your body cannot be completely reprogrammed, he says.
Working against your natural rhythm can have a serious impact on your health.
“There is an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke, mental illness and miscarriages,” says Andrea Rodenbeck, a chronobiologist – who studies the body’s biological rhythms – and sleep researcher in Germany.
Night work can be carcinogenic, meaning it can cause cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization found in a 2019 evaluation.
Unhealthy habits associated with shift work may contribute to this – drinking alcohol that you believe helps you relax better after work, or eating junk food in a hurry. Your social life often suffers too, and so can your psyche.

How does night work affect people’s sleep?
“On average, there is no difference in sleep duration in a three-shift model,” says sleep researcher Rodenbeck. “But there are significant differences between the shift types.”
After a night shift, many employees often get less than six hours of sleep. Sleep-related breathing disorders are also observed more frequently after night shifts.
Who is suited for shift work and who is not?
An individual’s ability to adapt to shift work depends heavily on their internal clock. People with an “owl” chronotype, who are naturally more productive in the evening, find night work easier.
“Larks”, on the other hand – people who get up early and get tired early – have greater difficulties.
Age also plays a role.
Good sleep hygiene is important. It’s best to make a sleep schedule in addition to your shift plan
Frank Brenscheidt, German Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
“The younger you are, the later your internal rhythm is, which is why younger people cope better with late and night shifts and older people with early shifts,” says Rodenbeck.
People’s ability to adapt to rotating shifts often decreases with age, says Brenscheidt. This has been shown in studies with police officers “who start their working lives in very good physical condition, but after 20 years, a considerable number of them develop health problems”.
What should shift schedules look like?
There are clear recommendations for scheduling alternating shifts. Forward-rotating shifts – early shift followed by late shift and then night shift – are more tolerable than the reverse order, says Brenscheidt. “And night shifts should not be longer than eight hours.”
Reliable schedules are crucial. “Time off must actually be time off,” he says.

Also, each shift phase should only last a few days, preferably just two days of night shifts in a row instead of a whole week. “Then it’s less difficult to switch back to a different rhythm,” says Brenscheidt.
Shorter working hours also make shift work more tolerable. “If possible, people who work shifts should work less than 40 hours a week.”
How can you organise changing working hours?
Shift workers face a double challenge: they have a more strenuous work rhythm and also have to be more disciplined to stay healthy.
“Good sleep hygiene is important,” says Brenscheidt. “It’s best to make a sleep schedule in addition to your shift plan.”
After a night shift, you should not use the following day for appointments, but rest. Taking a further nap in the afternoon before your shift can help prevent tiredness at work.

Nutrition is important. If you eat at night, your digestion and metabolism are out of sync because they would normally be in rest mode. So it is better not to overload your stomach and intestines with heavy meals.
The German Nutrition Society recommends a balanced dinner before the night shift, for example, and lighter snacks such as vegetable soups, sandwiches or wraps during work breaks.
If possible, only eat your food before midnight, and then only again at the end of your shift. Avoid alcohol and nicotine.
Shift workers must also pay heed to their social rhythm, as family and friends often live to a completely different beat. Consciously planning joint activities can help. And don’t forget hobbies – Brenscheidt cites sport – “which also help to reduce stress”.
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


5 ways smoking causes damage beyond lungs and heart, and issues from herpes to infertility

How dinosaur fossils could help fill in cancer’s ‘jigsaw’ of molecular building blocks

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend May 31-June 1

Hong Kong seems as stressed as ever in 2025, highlighted by my own ‘Bus Uncle’ incident

Wellness

Is working at night unhealthy? How late shifts can affect sleep and trigger diabetes

An engineer works the night shift at a power station at an oil refinery. Working late shifts or nights raises the risk of having type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke and other conditions, and can even induce cancer, the WHO says. Photo: Shutterstock

Sleeping during the day is not as restorative as sleeping at night. Photo: Shutterstock

Sleep-related breathing disorders are also observed more frequently after night shifts. Photo: Shutterstock

An individual’s ability to adapt to shift work depends heavily on their internal clock. Photo: Shutterstock

If possible, experts suggest those on night shift eat only before midnight and then at the end of the shift. Photo: Shutterstock

How to prevent dementia, and 10 things to ask a doctor to help safeguard your brain health

Doctors should be able to answer your questions about dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Having regular social interaction is one of the ways to reduce the risk of dementia as we age. Photo: Shutterstock

Sleep and dementia are linked, research suggests. A University College London study of people in their fifties and sixties found that those who got less than seven hours a night were at greater risk. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies show poor mental health can increase the risk of dementia later – even decades later – in life. Photo: Shutterstock

There is a plethora of research that suggests regular exercise significantly reduces the risk of dementia, so it is recommended to stay active. Photo: Shutterstock

Talk to your doctor about medication, for example if you struggle to afford it or are not sure whether you are taking it as prescribed. Photo: Shutterstock

Why ‘micro-retirement’ and work-life balance appeal to Gen Z and millennials

Instead of having retirement at the end of their continuous working life, more employees are choosing to deliberately insert interruptions.
Photo: Shutterstock

Woman, thinking and walk in Japanese park with smile in woods for travel on vacation, adventure and explore path. Gen z, student and happy on holiday in nature, forest and trail with trees in Kyoto

Micro-retirement is a kind of career break or work hiatus, says Marlene Pöhlmann, a careers expert for recruitment agency Robert Half. Photo: linkedin.com

Extended career breaks are generally better accepted in the IT industry and creative professions than in many others. Photo: Shutterstock

Longevity wellness gyms can help extend health spans so you live longer in good shape

Chi Longevity with Sparkd fuses physical and cognitive training. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

At Singapore longevity wellness centre Sparkd, brain-body workouts aim to extend participants’ health spans, or the years they live in good health. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

Chi Longevity with Sparkd is a new partnership in Singapore integrating physical exercise with cognitive training to prolong clients’ lifespans and health spans. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

Anna Milani founded Sparkd after losing her grandfather to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Sparkd

Chi Longevity with Sparkd’s brain-body workouts use game-like exercises to enhance cognitive and physical performance. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

Milani considers longevity gyms to be the future of health; she says traditional health and wellness programmes rarely aim to improve cognitive function. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd

10x Longevity offers contrast therapy, which involves an infrared sauna session followed by a cold plunge. Photo: 10x Longevity

A client relaxes inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber at 10x Longevity. HBOT has been linked to increased lifespan and health span. Photo: 10X Longevity

Telomeres typically shorten as the body ages, but a study in Israel found HBOT may reverse this process. Photo: Shutterstock 

Research shows that alternating between sauna sessions and cold plunges can boost cardiovascular health and immune function, and even cognitive function. Photo: 10X Longevity

How champion Hong Kong bartender who quit alcohol feels now, and the benefits of giving up

Leo Ko holds his world bartender of the year award, given at the International Bartenders Association (IBA) World Cocktail Championship in 2023. Photo: Cordis, Hong Kong

Ko started working as a bartender in his mid-20s. Photo: Cordis, Hong Kong

Ko also gave up cigarettes when he quit alcohol. Photo: Sun Yeung

Melissa Lee is a naturopathic doctor at IMI in Hong Kong. Photo: Melissa Lee

Winston Lau, founder and director of Mindful Sparks, at his factory. Photo: Mindful Sparks

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Unhealthy habits associated with working late or night shifts can induce cancer, the WHO says, and make other health conditions more likely


Unhealthy habits associated with working late or night shifts can induce cancer, the WHO says, and make other health conditions more likely.


Mental health

World Health Organization (WHO)