In modern life, for many people, shift or night work has become an integral part of daily living. Some work at night to support their families, while others earn a stable income thanks to irregular schedules. However, scientists warn that such a working pattern can seriously affect health, researchers reported.
Experts from Sun Yat-sen University analyzed the data of more than 220,000 people within the UK Biobank project. The study results were published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal. According to the scientists’ conclusion, in people working at night and on irregular schedules, the risk of kidney stone formation is on average 15 percent higher. This risk is especially significant among young employees and those engaged in jobs that do not require physical activity.
Specialists associate this condition with several factors. First, shift workers often consume fast food and ready meals. These foods are usually salty and fatty, which increases the amount of minerals in the urine and creates conditions for kidney stone formation.
Second, people working on such schedules often do not drink enough water. When the body does not get sufficient fluids, urine becomes more concentrated, and salts crystallize faster, accelerating stone formation.
In addition, lack of physical activity, the habit of smoking, and disturbed sleep patterns also increase the risk. Night work disrupts the body’s natural biological clock, leading to hormonal imbalance and metabolic disorders. All this puts extra pressure on the kidneys and creates favorable conditions for stone development.
Interestingly, among people who had worked shifts for many years, the risk was somewhat lower. Scientists explain this with the so-called “healthy worker effect”: only healthier individuals can withstand such a heavy schedule for a long time. Also, over time the body may partially adapt to night work. However, researchers emphasize that the true mechanism of this process is not yet fully studied.
Health professionals make clear recommendations: it is impossible to completely eliminate the harm of shift work, but its negative consequences can be reduced. For this, employees should drink enough water, limit salt and fat in their diet, take short walks during breaks, and pay special attention to sleep quality.
Employers are also advised to support employees’ health: provide healthy food corners, discounted gym memberships, or organize regular medical check-ups.
The conclusion is clear: shift work is one of the demands of modern life, but neglecting health under such conditions significantly increases the risk of kidney diseases. Therefore, everyone should take timely, simple but effective steps to protect their health.
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