Gender, ageing, and shiftwork intolerance

Abstract

The study investigated the hypothetical differences between male and female shiftworkers in their susceptibility to shiftwork-related health and social problems, with the special reference to the role of the age factor. The comparison concerned two matched-for-age-and-occupation groups of men and women, each of 83 persons, selected from the larger studied population of more than 700 workers in a Polish steel plant. The subjects were crane-operators employed in the same forward-rotated, three-shift, four-team shift system, 4:4:4 with shift changes at 06:00, 14:00, 22:00; and 48 h off following each shift block. The investigation comprised a battery of questionnaires on demographic characteristics, sleep quantity and quality, subjective health complaints, and opinions on shiftwork. The analysis of data revealed that men slept more than women, especially when working on the afternoon and night shifts. The differences became more striking and significant for all work shifts and days-off when related to declared individual sleep requirements. Women experienced more sleep disturbances than men and suffered more frequently from drowsiness during work, especially when working the morning shift. The ratings of subjective health were lower in women, with exception of respiratory complaints. Women generally suffered more than men from symptoms considered as specific to the 'intolerance syndrome', i.e. psychoneurotic, digestive, circulatory, and those of chronic fatigue. However, after passing the 'critical decade' of 40-50 years their subjective health generally improved, whereas in males one observed the consequent deterioration of health with advancing age. Women more often complained about their health and went to see the doctor, but on the other hand, they did not tend to quit shiftwork as often as did their male counterparts.

Diurnal and circadian variation of sleep and alertness in men vs. naturally cycling women

“…Additionally, we currently report that the amplitude of the variation was significantly increased in women vs. men due to a larger decline of alertness scores at night. This observation may partially explain the lower tolerance to shift work (21), greater fatigue and sleepiness levels (22), and increased risk of work-related injuries (23) in female shift workers, although contradictory results have been reported (24) and other nonphysiological factors (e.g., marital and parental status, socioeconomic factors) could be involved. Current results indicate lower values of alertness in the night and in the early morning in women, which is likely related to their higher prevalence of feeling unrefreshed upon awakening (19).…”

Shift work trends and risk of work injury among Canadian workers

“…In a study examining crane operators working the same rotating shifts in a steel plant, women reported a shorter length of sleep, felt drowsier during their shifts, and were more likely to experience symptoms of chronic fatigue (27). Rotenberg (28) examined length of sleep among night shift workers during non-working days and found that women with children had shorter sleep lengths than men (16.8-33.3 hours versus 21.3-35.6 hours).…”

A saúde do trabalhador na sociedade 24 horas

“…De fato, os estudos comparativos de homens e mulheres apresentam resultados contraditórios. Beermann e Nachreiner (1995), por exemplo, não observaram diferenças quanto aos aspectos da saúde subjetiva e a problemas psicossociais, ao passo que Oginska et al (1993) revelaram menor duração do sono e maior freqüência de queixas de sonolência entre trabalhadores do sexo feminino. Esses dados corroboram a observação de Dirkx (1991) quanto à comparação entre amostras femininas e masculinas.…”