If you know anyone working shift work or living erratic schedules, you need to read this book.
Dr Laura Fonken has been studying the impact of circadian rhythms on health for over a decade now. She wrote her PhD on how circadian rhythms can make you gain weight, increase inflammation, develop diabetes.
She even showed how artificial light environments such as in a hospital environment hindered healing after surgery. published over sixty academic papers and reviews, twenty of which are focused on circadian regulation of physiology and behavior. You can cheeck out some of them on this blog.
She's published her research thus far in a book. This is an epic read into how our lives have dramatically shifted since the 19th century and the advent of artificial light.
You'll learn how shift workers and others exposed to high levels of light at night are at increased risk of health problems, including metabolic syndrome, depression, sleep disorders, dementia, heart disease, and cancer.
All life on earth evolved under a consistent cycle of light and darkness caused by the earth's rotation around its axis. It's given us our 24-hour circadian system in organisms, ranging all the way from fungi to humans. With the advent of electric light in the 19th century, cycles of light and darkness have drastically changed.
Check out the book here: Fonken, L.K. and Nelson, R.J. (2023). Biological Implications of Circadian Disruption: A Modern Health Challenge. 9781009076685. Cambridge University Press.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014488624000517