Effects of rotating shift work schedule on blood pressure dipping profile in healthy nurses

Background/Introduction The impact of rotating shift work on cardiovascular health has been a subject of increasing interest, particularly in professions such as nursing where irregular work hours are common. The prevalence of non-dipping blood pressure (BP) in healthy population is estimated to be around 10-20%. Purpose This study aims to investigate the effects of a rotating shift work schedule on the BP dipping profile in a cohort of healthy nurses. Methods A cross sectional observational study was conducted among a group of healthy nurses working in an intensive care unit. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was employed to assess the participants' BP profiles on the non-working day following a morning, afternoon, or night shift. The wake and sleep periods used were reported in sleep diaries and confirmed by a smartwatch that has demonstrated accuracy in detecting sleep and awake status. Results The sample of the study consisted of 22 nurses (19 female and 3 male) with mean age 42±8.2 years. A total of 46 ABPM recordings were interrogated with average 24-hour, average asleep and average awake BPs within normal limits for both systolic and diastolic BP. The average sleep time was 6.4±0.7 hours. The mean decrease in systolic and diastolic BP was 12.4±5.1% and 13.2±5.4 % respectively with smaller reductions after a night shift (see Picture 1). Nine nurses (40.9%) presented a non-dipper profile in at least one ABPM recording, even though no nurse was a constant non-dipper. Conclusion(s) Healthy nurses working on a rotating shift schedule manifest a blunted BP dipping profile. The findings suggest that rotating shift work may contribute to disruptions in BP parameters, potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to develop targeted interventions aimed at mitigating these adverse effects on the cardiovascular health of shift-working professionals.