Influences of early shift work on the diurnal cortisol rhythm, mood and sleep: Within-subject variation in male airline pilots

Aug 11, 2012Psychoneuroendocrinology

How early shift work affects daily stress hormone patterns, mood, and sleep in male airline pilots

AI simplified

Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Early shifts were associated with higher levels of circulating cortisol during waking hours compared to late shifts or rest days.

Participants included 30 healthy male non-smoking pilots with a mean age of 39.4.
A higher cortisol increase in response to awakening was observed during early shifts compared to late shifts and rest days.
Total cortisol output throughout the day was greater on early shift days, indicating a stronger hormonal response.
The rate of cortisol decline was slower on early shift days than on late shifts or rest days.
Early shifts correlated with shorter sleep duration, though this did not change the observed effects on cortisol rhythm.
Both early and late shifts were linked to increased stress, tiredness, and lower happiness compared to rest days.

AI simplified

We aimed to investigate how early and late work shifts influenced the diurnal cortisol rhythm using a within-subjects study design. Participants were 30 healthy male non-smoking pilots, mean age 39.4, employed by a short-haul airline. The standard rotating shift pattern consisted of 5 early shifts (starting before 0600 h), followed by 3 rest days, 5 late shifts (starting after 1200 h) and 4 rest days. Pilots sampled saliva and completed subjective mood ratings in a logbook 6 times over the day on two consecutive early shift days, two late days and two rest days. Sampling was scheduled at waking, waking+30 m, waking+2.5 h, waking+8 h, waking+12 h and bedtime. Waking time, sleep duration, sleep quality and working hours were also recorded. Cortisol responses were analysed with repeated measures analysis of variance with shift condition (early, late, rest) and sample time (1-6) as within-subject factors. Early shifts were associated with a higher cortisol increase in response to awakening (CAR(i)), a greater total cortisol output over the day (AUC(G)) and a slower rate of decline over the day than late shifts or rest days. Early shifts were also associated with shorter sleep duration but co-varying for sleep duration did not alter the effects of shift on the cortisol rhythm. Both types of work shift were associated with more stress, tiredness and lower happiness than rest days, but statistical adjustment for mood ratings did not alter the findings. Early shift days were associated with significantly higher levels of circulating cortisol during waking hours than late shifts or rest days.

Full Text

We can’t show the full text here under this license. Use the link below to read it at the source.

View full text (XML) ↗View full text ↗

Influences of early shift work on the diurnal cortisol rhythm, mood and sleep: Within-subject variation in male airline pilots

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief