Dr. Michael Grandner

Shift work is a problem.

you know, shift, like we're the only species that shift works ourself on purpose.

Like anyone who has a pet knows, like they might be up for a bit during the night, but not because they have to be.

Because, you know, mammals sometimes sleep in bouts and humans also are awake in the middle of the night for a certain amount of time.

But, you know, it's forcing a square peg into a round hole and there's consequences.

Some people may be more focused

resilient.

People who are more night owls, they might be more amenable to taking a night shift as long as they're able to go home at four o'clock in the morning and go to sleep.

People who are early birds might be more amenable to taking a night shift as long as they can sleep between like eight p.m.

and two in the morning.

So for them, maybe it's not as extreme as shift work as, you know, maybe it's not as extreme, but shift work in general, it's a known carcinogenic.

It increases diabetes risk, increases dementia risk.

Shift work isn't good, but yet we live in a society that demands it.

Someone's got to man the phones.

Someone's got to drive the fire truck.

Someone's got to, someone's got to work the hospital.

Um, you know, do all shift work occupations require shift work?

I don't know.

That's like, do all factories need to run 24 seven?

Like, I don't know, but it's a trade-off.