Working the overnight shift can be tough, but it can also affect your health. People who change shifts and work at odd hours are at a higher risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Studies show up to 50 percent of night-shift workers report falling asleep on the job at least once a week. The World Health Organization has even classified shift work as a probable carcinogen. A CBS 19 crew tagged along with some shift workers to find out how they balance their job, their sleep and their health.
"At two thirty in the morning, come in and get your car ready," cab driver Jody Kline said.
At only 10 a.m Kline is almost eight hours into his work day. Kline drives the early morning shift for Taxi Cab Co. of Tyler.
"It's very cool watching Tyler come alive," Kline said. "You get to meet a whole different group of people from two in the morning to eight in the morning."
With this schedule, bed time comes early for Kline, around 7 p.m. He said after two years on the morning shift, his body has adjusted, but he still relies heavily on caffeine.
"I have a pot of coffee before I ever leave the house in the morning and after about 10 o'clock, I start drinking Diet Cokes," Kline said.
He also needs a lot of time to catch up on rest.
"I get two days off a week," Kline said. "One I do nothing but sleep, get in my recliner and watch sports."
Scientists suspect working the night shift is dangerous to your health because it disrupts the circadian rhythm, which is your biological clock. Also, your body may not make as much of the hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumors from developing.
"Health issues long-term of this it can lead to ulcers, heart disease, high incidence of substance abuse, depression, divorce," said Greg Freimer, M.D., Trinity Mother Frances Emergecy Medicine Physician.
Especially dangerous to your health is changing shifts. That's what Dr. Freimer does.
"It's probably one of the most difficult parts of this job, switching your body back and forth from a day shift to a night shift," Dr. Freimer said.
Dr. Freimer has learned how to adapt his sleep schedule to his changing work schedule, but taking naps during the day can be tough with two young kids in the house.
"At work I feel like I'm always on my game," Dr. Freimer said. "It's at home where I might not have the amount on energy my three-year-old wants to run around and play with her."
Dr. Freimer said shift workers need to create a cool, quiet and dark place to sleep that simulates a nighttime environment.
"It's important to eat right," Dr. Freimer said. "It's important to exercise and take vacations or decompress on your days off."
It may be Kline's upbeat attitude that keeps him going, or maybe it's just the caffeine, but he said he loves his job and even his odd hours.
"I'm an early-morning person," Kline said. My favorite time of the day is when the sun comes up, so this is my shift."
Sleep experts said, if possible, getting seven to eight hours of sleep at one time will keep you more rested than breaking it up into a couple of naps. The balance between light and dark is important for your body, so experts say no matter when you sleep, do what you can to make sure it's dark.
In response to fatigue problems, the Federal Aviation Administration has changed air traffic controllers' schedules to allow for more rest time between shifts. Some sleep experts have also suggested allowing on-shift nap time for workers with changing schedules.
