Key result
Permanent night shift nurses exhibited significantly higher cardiac sympathetic activity, indicated by elevated LF/HF ratios during NREM and REM nighttime sleep, compared to rotating three-shift nurses.
Why the study?
Does a permanent night shift schedule increase sleep-related cardiac sympathetic activity compared to a rotating three-shift schedule in female nurses?
Population
24 female nurses working on a medical-surgical ward at the same hospital, without psychopathology…
Comparison
Permanent night shift schedule vs Rotating three-shift schedule
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
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May warrant caution in interpreting shift effects on autonomic function; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change scheduling practices.
Cross-Sectional (n=24)
No
Does a permanent night shift schedule increase sleep-related cardiac sympathetic activity compared to a rotating three-shift schedule in female nurses?
Absolute Event Rate: 0.59% vs 0.01%
p-value: p=0.02
Permanent night shift work is associated with higher cardiac sympathetic activity during sleep compared to rotating shift work, suggesting rotating shifts may be preferable for cardiovascular autonomic regulation.
Chung et al. (2011) conducted a cross-sectional in Shift work (healthy nurses) (n=24). Permanent night shift work vs. Rotating three-shift work was evaluated on Low-to-high frequency ratio (LF/HF) during NREM nighttime sleep (p=0.02). Permanent night shift nurses exhibited significantly higher cardiac sympathetic activity, indicated by elevated LF/HF ratios during NREM and REM nighttime sleep, compared to rotating three-shift nurses.
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