Experimental field study shows quick returns affect stress and inflammation levels in nurses, suggesting health risks.
Introduction: Quick return (<11h between shifts, QRs) have been common in Swedish Healthcare. Previous research has shown an association between QRs and increased risk for sick leave. The mechanisms driving this association could be related to short sleep as sleep length is reduced by ~1 hour in relation to quick returns. Short sleep could alter the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis, increase inflammation and increase risk for metabolic diseases. The aim of the study was to explore the acute effects of a quick return on blood markers for stress, inflammation and metabolism.
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Dahlgren et al. (2025) studied this question.
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