Ageing and shift work - challenges and some solutions

Shift schedules vary greatly in relation to how they offer time for recovery, sleep and social life and how the shift systems interact with human circadian rhythms. The number of consecutive night shifts, the speed of shift rotation and the length and starting time of the shifts modify the work load. Adaptation to night work is individual and older shift workers often represent a selective population. Ageing shift workers often have special needs for "healthy" shift systems and have higher needs for recovery. Ageing is not related with sleepiness in all shifts, but older workers sleep less and have lower cognitive performance in connection with consecutive night shifts.  The changing physical, social and personal needs may also create interests to change the daily, weekly or annual working hours. Since injury rates increase over successive night shifts, slowly rotating shift systems may also possess a higher accident risk for ageing shift workers.    Ageing means a marked increase in individual differences in physical, mental, and social sense. Therefore, the promotion of health and work ability should also be based on individual solutions. If possible, night work should be decreased by the redesign of shift systems and tasks carried out during nights. Ageing shift workers need higher individual flexibility in working hours and increased time for recovery by inducing sufficient work breaks and sufficient time for recovery between the work shifts. Probably due to age-related changes in circadian adjustment to night work, older workers benefit more than younger workers from a change from slowly to very rapidly forward rotating shifts systems. The benefits of the rapidly forward rotating shift systems extend from the nights shifts to free days and morning shifts, due to faster recovery.