
A new study involving Norwegian nurses links sleep debt and night work to an increased risk of the common cold, with sleep debt also linked to vulnerability to pneumonia/bronchitis, sinusitis, and gastrointestinal infection.
Researchers at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen examined the association among sleep duration, lack of sleep, shift work, and self-reported infections among 1,335 Norwegian nurses. The average participant age was 41.9 years, and 90.4% were women. The data were derived from the spring 2018 Survey of Shift work, Sleep and Health study.
"Approximately 25% of all employed individuals worldwide are engaged in shift work," the investigators wrote. "While around-the-clock work is crucial for maintaining the functioning of essential services, shift and night work also bring forth diverse health consequences for the workers."
The findings were published yesterday in Chronobiology International.
Severe sleep debt tied to almost 4 times risk of pneumonia
Relative to adequate sleep, sleep debt (1 to 2 hours or more than 2 hours, respectively) was associated in a dose-dependent manner with an increased risk of the common cold (adjusted odds ratios [aORs], 1.33 and 2.32), pneumonia/bronchitis (aORs, 2.29 and 3.88), sinusitis (aORs, 2.08 and 2.58), and gastrointestinal infection (aORs, 1.45 and 2.45).