Why Shift-Workers Pants Are Getting Tighter

Workers employed in rotating shift schedules are exposed to a higher chance of metabolic risks than those who work in regular schedules, according to recent research by Monash University. 

Metabolic syndrome is associated with a group of health conditions that increase people’s risks of coronary heart disease, diabetes, a large waistline, and other serious health problems. 

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The research has defined shift workers as people who work outside the regular standard 07:00 to 18:00 work hours.  

This schedule can also involve people who perform fixed shifts, such as night work only or rotating shifts.    

Lead author Angela Clark said that 1.4 million or 16 per cent of employees in Australia undertook shift work as their main occupation.   

The finding indicated shift workers ate on average 264 kilojoules more each day than regular workers.   

Ms Clark said this amount only equalled “something like a handful of potato chips” daily. However, consuming just 100 kilojoules extra a day could add half a kilogram in a year.  

She encouraged employers to provide better access to healthy food for overnight workers to make their dietary patterns healthier.  

“We already know that shift workers … tend to rely on takeaway foods or convenience stores or vending machines, because if you’re working at 10 o’clock at night, there’s not really many places open to buy food from, you’ve got limited pickings,” Ms Clark told the Sydney Morning Herald.   

Ms Clark also suggested that shift workers eat more during the day and reduce the amount of snacks at night to control the blood sugar, cholesterol and fats in the blood.  

“If they are able to front load a bit more, so that they’re not eating at one o’clock in the morning … then this could actually also help to reduce some of these chronic disease risks.”

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