Night Shifts and Cancer Risk: Understanding the Biological Rebellion

• Night shifts disrupt the body's natural circadian rhythm, which is designed to follow the sun, leading to serious health consequences beyond fatigue.
• Working at night suppresses melatonin production, weakening natural killer cells crucial for destroying cancerous cells and disrupting other hormones like cortisol and insulin.
• This internal chaos increases vulnerability to chronic diseases, with long-term circadian disruption creating fertile ground for cancer when combined with other risk factors.
• Strong associations have been found between prolonged night duty and breast cancer (due to low melatonin and higher estrogen), prostate cancer (hormonal imbalance, impaired DNA repair), and colorectal cancer (irregular digestion, inflammation).
• Doctors advise night workers to adopt mindful habits like time-restricted eating, regular post-shift sleep, consistent physical activity, moderate caffeine, and regular health monitoring to mitigate risks.

Why It Matters: Night shifts disrupt circadian rhythms, increasing cancer risk by suppressing melatonin and causing hormonal imbalances.