<h1 class='title'>ANEURYSM AND NIGHT SHIFTS</h1>

This article on ANEURYSM and its relation to chronic night shift workers is purely for information purposes ONLY and should not be taken as a medical diagnosis. It is BEST to seek professional medical intervention if you suspect you may have SYMPTOMS of ANEURYSM or any other health issues associated with chronic night shifts.

We were all taken by surprise when news that actress Miss Isabel Granada had collapsed after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm. And we ask ourselves how a young, healthy, lively Isabel Granada can have brain aneurysm.

Here's a scary fact: ANEURYSM is asymptomatic (exhibits no symptoms) until it ruptures. And a ruptured aneurysm according to global statistics is 40% fatal and 66% who survive a brain aneurysm will have a permanent neurological disorder. Anybody above 40 years of age can have aneurysm. Aneurysm is more prevalent among women. In short, aneurysm is a ticking time bomb. Scary huh?

Although the correlation between ANEURYSM and chronic NIGHT SHIFT is still being debated in the medical community, what is clear is there are factors that can multiply the ill effects of chronic NIGHT SHIFTS and sleep deprivation. Among these factors are:

• Age
• Weight
• Gender
• Diet
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Junk foods
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Smoking
• Drugs

There are even findings that rotating shifts and even our normal sleep hours on rest days can prove more harmful than good mainly because our circadian or internal clock finds it difficult to adapt to constantly changing sleep schedules. It's like being constantly jet lagged. It's probably healthier to follow the same sleep schedules even on RDs. Bummer.

Some healthy advise: eat healthy, cut down on junk food, alcohol and nicotine (yeah right!), exercise, regular medical check-ups (your health benefits should cover you), meditation (that includes praying and yoga), cut down on coffee (OUCH!), trick your circadian clock by hanging heavy curtains to block daylight, let your household know you're trying to sleep, and maybe even ask your noisy neighbors to turn down the Videoke (or just shoot them if they don't comply 😋).

Aneurysm is serious... dead serious. Pardon the pun. Your night shift job is already stressful enough on your health as it is. Don't make it any more stressful.

Stay healthy.