If you work the graveyard shift you may be interested on this new study. It caught my attention as I have been working the graveyard shift for years.

Studies have been found that suggest that working the graveyard shift increases your chance at getting cancer. The main reason is a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is normally produced in our body at night when sleeping and is what suppresses tumor development. Like UV rays and diesel exhaust fumes, working the graveyard shift will soon be listed as a "probable" cause of cancer. It was never listed before because there was no real proof that it was a cause of cancer. Scientist say that overnight work disrupts the circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock. If true this would be a big hit to the world as studies indicate that nearly 20% of the worlds population in developed countries work the graveyard shift. The cancer and night shift thing was talked about in the late 1980's. But in recent years, several studies have found that women working at night over many years were indeed more prone to breast cancer. Also, animals that have their light-dark schedules switched develop more cancerous tumors and die earlier. Some research also suggests that men working at night may have a higher rate of prostate cancer.

Scientists believe having lower melatonin levels can raise the risk of developing cancer. Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels.
Melatonin can be taken as a supplement, but experts don't recommend it long-term, since that could ruin the body's ability to produce it naturally. Sleep deprivation may be another factor in cancer risk. People who work at night are not usually able to completely reverse their day and night cycles. "Night shift people tend to be day shift people who are trying to stay awake at night," said Mark Rea, director of the Light Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, who is not connected with the IARC analysis. Not getting enough sleep makes your immune system vulnerable to attack, and less able to fight off potentially cancerous cells. Confusing your body's natural rhythm can also lead to a breakdown of other essential tasks. "Timing is very important," Rea said. Certain processes like cell division and DNA repair happen at regular times. Even worse than working an overnight shift is flipping between daytime and overnight work.

Now I'm scared! What am I complaining about? I smoke anyways. I'll just keep working the night shift!