Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Aug 7:7:116.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.00116. eCollection 2020.

The Future of Shift Work: Circadian Biology Meets Personalised Medicine and Behavioural Science

Gregory D M Potter  1 , Thomas R Wood  2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Future of Shift Work: Circadian Biology Meets Personalised Medicine and Behavioural Science

Gregory D M Potter et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Shift work is commonplace in modern societies, and shift workers are predisposed to the development of numerous chronic diseases. Disruptions to the circadian systems of shift workers are considered important contributors to the biological dysfunction these people frequently experience. Because of this, understanding how to alter shift work and zeitgeber (time cue) schedules to enhance circadian system function is likely to be key to improving the health of shift workers. While light exposure is the most important zeitgeber for the central clock in the circadian system, diet and exercise are plausible zeitgebers for circadian clocks in many tissues. We know little about how different zeitgebers interact and how to tailor zeitgeber schedules to the needs of individuals; however, in this review we share some guidelines to help shift workers adapt to their work schedules based on our current understanding of circadian biology. We focus in particular on the importance of diet timing and composition. Going forward, developments in phenotyping and "envirotyping" methods may be important to understanding how to optimise shift work. Non-invasive, multimodal, comprehensive phenotyping using multiple sources of time-stamped data may yield insights that are critical to the care of shift workers. Finally, the impact of these advances will be reduced without modifications to work environments to make it easier for shift workers to engage in behaviours conducive to their health. Integrating findings from behavioural science and ergonomics may help shift workers make healthier choices, thereby amplifying the beneficial effects of improved lifestyle prescriptions for these people.

Keywords: chronomedicine; chrononutrition; chronotherapy; circadian disruption; light exposure; physical activity; shift work; time-restricted eating.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Using digital devices to optimise the health and performance of shift workers by providing personalised guidance, work schedules, and zeitgeber schedules. (1) Digital devices can be used to monitor behaviours and their biological responses, including (i) exposures to variables such as light (e.g., via head-worn wearables), (ii) dietary behaviours (e.g., via food photography and continuous glucose monitoring), and (iii) physical activity (e.g., via smart watches). Digital phenotyping using patterns of smartphone use can be used to enrich this analysis. (2) These data and their interactions can then be analysed in real time and used to (3) personalise guidance, shift schedules, and zeitgeber schedules of individual workers. Guidance can be delivered digitally and in-person, and innovative technologies may eventually allow the automation of adjustments to individual workers' zeitgeber schedules.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wright KP, Jr, McHill AW, Birks BR, Griffin BR, Rusterholz T, Chinoy ED. Entrainment of the human circadian clock to the natural light-dark cycle. Curr Biol. (2013) 23:1554–8. 10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.039 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stothard ER, McHill AW, Depner CM, Birks BR, Moehlman TM, Ritchie HK, et al. . Circadian entrainment to the natural light-dark cycle across seasons and the weekend. Curr Biol. (2017) 27:508–13. 10.1016/j.cub.2016.12.041 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. IARC IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk to Humans. Painting, Firefighting, and Shiftwork. (2010) Available online at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK326814/ (accessed May 23, 2020). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wagstaff AS, Sigstad Lie JA. Shift and night work and long working hours–a systematic review of safety implications. Scand J Work Environ Health. (2011) 37:173–85. 10.5271/sjweh.3146 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kecklund G, Axelsson J. Health consequences of shift work and insufficient sleep. BMJ. (2016) 355:i5210. 10.1136/bmj.i5210 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources