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News about the Graveyard Shift

Workin’ on the night shift? You might want to reconsider when you hear what new research has revealed.

Research shows that men and women who work ‘the graveyard shift’ have higher rates of breast and prostate cancer. Next month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer will add overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen.

Don’t worry – this new finding doesn’t mean that working overnight causes cancer. But scientists say overnight shifts disrupt the circadian rhythm and because the hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night.

Sleep deprivation is also an issue with people who work at night; they usually have a tough time getting back on a regular schedule. Plus, graveyard shift workers make five times as many serious mistakes and are 20 percent more likely to suffer severe accidents, according to a new study from Circadian Technologies. Overnight-shifters also have a significantly higher incidence of costly diseases and disorders, costing employers billions of dollars.

So while there may be obvious disadvantages to working the night shift, there can be some be positive thing as well. For one, depending on your job, the night shift might be slower than a day job, which means less stress for you. Secondly, night-shifters usually make more money because the hours are less desirable.

Here are four jobs with an overnight shift:

1. Nurse: $53,647 (more during night shift)
2. Security officer: $26,776

3. Hotel front desk: $21,599

4. Janitor : $21,135

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