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Working antisocial hours can prematurely age the brain and dull intellectual ability, scientists warn.
Their study, in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, suggested a decade of shifts aged the brain by more than six years.
There was some recovery after people stopped working antisocial shifts, but it took five years to return to normal.
Experts say the findings could be important in dementia, as many patients have disrupted sleep.
The body's internal clock is designed for us to be active in the day and asleep at night.
The damaging effects on the body of working against the body clock, from breast cancer to obesity, are well known.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29879521
Their study, in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, suggested a decade of shifts aged the brain by more than six years.
There was some recovery after people stopped working antisocial shifts, but it took five years to return to normal.
Experts say the findings could be important in dementia, as many patients have disrupted sleep.
The body's internal clock is designed for us to be active in the day and asleep at night.
The damaging effects on the body of working against the body clock, from breast cancer to obesity, are well known.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29879521