Key insights Symposium – Shift Work Tolerance: An integrative approach

This session was especially relevant given that 19-25% of workers in Europe and the United States are employed in shift work, and the list of associated health risks continues to expand. During the discussion, several challenging questions were raised, highlighting the complex interactions between sleep, shift work, and circadian disruption. Here are a few of the key questions posed by the researchers, that might also get you thinking:

• Individual tolerance to shift work: Is it influenced by innate predisposition, does it change over time, or is it a combination of both? Dr. Ingvild pointed out that tolerance varies throughout one’s career, with new shift workers experiencing more sleep difficulties than those with more experience.

• Emotional regulation and shift work: How important is emotional regulation for shift work tolerance? Could training in emotional regulation improve tolerance? And could it, along with sleep patterns, help explain the mental health challenges linked to shift work?

• Predicting individual risks: Can we predict individual health risks associated with shift work? Dr. Magdalena introduced the “clock resilience score (CRS),” a genetic score being developed to predict individual resilience to shift work. While still in progress, early findings show a link between higher CRS and an increased risk of cardiac-renal-metabolic conditions.

• Genetics and circadian disruption: What role does genetics play in circadian disruption? And how do environmental factors shape this relationship?

These are just some of the questions that emerged from the session, and they remain areas of ongoing research for those dedicated to understanding circadian rhythms and their effects on the health of shift workers. I hope this inspires you to explore this rapidly evolving field further!