DNA can reveal your Job-Related Exhaustion
Working those long-hour shifts today? Your genetics may not agree. Most people feel tired after work, but for some, work-related exhaustion has meaningful consequences on their quality of life and health.
Job-related exhaustion, with symptoms such as abnormalities in sleep patterns, persistent fatigue, and digestion problems, is a particular concern among people engaged in shift work. It should come as no surprise that job-related exhaustion has real long-term health consequences: it has been linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer.
Job related exhaustion isn't just about feeling fatigued and physically and mentally drained after work. This kind of tiredness after work makes it impossible to sleep when you finally have the chance and leads to strange waking and sleeping habits. It makes sense that work tiredness would be an issue, especially for shift workers. After all, people thrive on routine. Working long shifts and being asked to function normally when work is over just isn't realistic for many people. However, work-related exhaustion may be more of an issue for some people because of genetics.
Our tolerance and susceptibility of job-related exhaustion is influenced by our genes. In this study, it was found that there is a gene variant that is linked to decreased expression of melatonin signaling in the brain. This suggests that people with this genotype are less able to regulate their body clocks and are more at risk of experiencing job-related exhaustion. Check out this interesting article to learn more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28364478
You may have been struggling to adjust to shift work unsuccessfully, wondering why your friends and co-workers can handle it when you can't. Understanding that your genetics make job related exhaustion more likely for you can give you the confidence to demand a schedule that works better for your life.
If you have genes that make it more likely that you'll be fatigued after work, you may decide to stop doing shift work, or at least change your schedule so that you don’t have to work such long hours that disturb sleep patterns. After all, it's not just a good night’s sleep at stake. Keep in mind that serious consequences like diabetes and heart disease have been linked to work tiredness, so this is something you need to take seriously.
Even aside from the increase risk for a disease that frequent tiredness after work can put you at risk for, there's also your quality of life to think about. Constantly being sleepy, falling into strange sleep patterns, and suffering from digestion issues can dramatically affect your quality of life. You may not realize how much happier you would be if you could settle into a regular sleep pattern.
If you're struggling to stay awake during work and failing to sleep at night, you may have a genetic predisposition for work-related exhaustion. Don't keep pushing yourself to adjust. It may be time to do what you need to do to change your schedule to accommodate your needs.
Find out if your genetics put you at a risk of job-related exhaustion on Genomelink!
