Working through the night can put a toll on your body and overall health. 

More than 9 million adults in the United States work shifts at night, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  

There are many jobs in a variety of industries that require staff at night, including medical professionals, flight attendants, hotel receptionists, construction workers, truck drivers, firefighters, law enforcement and others. 

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Working the night shift requires adjusted sleep schedules and meal times, which are two contributing factors to the health problems associated with late-night hours that could include an increased risk of cancer, gastrointestinal disorders and more.

1. Increased cancer risk
2. Possible gastrointestinal disorders
3. Increased risk for cardiovascular disease
4. Psychological concerns

1. Increased cancer risk

Studies have shown an increased risk of certain cancers among those who work the night shift.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) drew its own conclusions based on “systematic review methods and established criteria” about a link between working the night shift to certain cancers, according to a 2021 report by the organization. 

The NTP found “high evidence” that frequently working the night shift disrupts circadian rhythms and can cause breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. 

A circadian rhythm is the body’s internal 24-hour clock. One factor that affects a circadian rhythm is light. 

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Working the night shift disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm because a person is working during a time when the body’s natural instinct is to sleep. 

If you are someone who often works the night shift, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends trying to stick to a similar sleep schedule even on the days when you are off from work to help your body get into a better routine. 

Many health risks associated with working the night shift come with the disruption of a person’s sleep schedule.  (iStock)

2. Possible gastrointestinal disorders

When you work the night shift, you may eat at odd hours. 

Possible gastrointestinal disorders you could face include abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, change in appetite, indigestion and heartburn, according to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 

A disturbed circadian rhythm can again be to blame for these gastrointestinal problems because the body’s internal clock may not properly function when food is eaten at abnormal hours during the night. 

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It is important to keep yourself fueled with food and hydrated with plenty of water while you’re on your feet working long hours at night. 

What you eat at work, and even where you eat, can help ease these digestive problems, according to NIOSH. 

Recommended foods for work hours include vegetables, salads, soups, fruits, wholegrain sandwiches, yogurt, cheese, eggs, nuts and green tea. 

Those who frequently work night shifts could experience digestive issues.  (iStock)

The NIOSH also suggests seeking a different environment to eat away from work and try to enjoy your meal with other coworkers. 

Avoid eating between midnight and 6 a.m. if possible to help form a relatively normal meal routine, NIOSH recommends.

3. Increased risk for cardiovascular disease

Heart health could be a risk from many years of frequent night shifts. 

Research has made a connection between certain risk factors that could be prevalent in those who work the night shift that are associated with cardiovascular disease, such as smoking and metabolic disturbances, according to NIOSH. 

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Those with high blood pressure could be at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes if they work frequent night shifts, according to findings published in August 2022 by the Journal of the American Heart Association. 

Research suggests people who work the night shift have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  (iStock)

The study spanned over 12 years, in which 36,939 participants in the U.K. Biobank were monitored. 

It was found that those who had high blood pressure and worked night shifts had a 16% higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and stroke than those who worked during normal daytime hours, according to the study. 

4. Psychological concerns

Working the night shift can come with many psychological concerns. 

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Individuals who frequently work during the night can experience extreme fatigue and feelings of isolation. 

One mental health concern prevalent for those who work the night shift is depression. 

Extreme fatigue and feelings of isolation are often present among night shift workers.  (iStock)

In 2023, a study was published in the National Library of Medicine backing this concern. 

A systematic review and meta-analysis was done to determine whether there was a link between depression and nurses working night shifts. 

The study found “a significant association between night shift work, the circadian and sleep disruption it causes and the risk of depression in nurses.” 

When his infant son was diagnosed with a rare, fatal disease, a Canadian father was dismayed to discover there was no treatment or cure. So he set out to make one himself.

Terry Pirovolakis, an IT director in Toronto, Ontario, welcomed his third son in Dec. 2017. It was a “normal, healthy birth,” he told Fox News Digital — but within six months, he and his wife, Georgia Pirovolakis, noticed their baby, Michael, was not lifting his head.

“He just didn’t seem like he was meeting his milestones,” Pirovolakis said.

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After months of doctors’ appointments, physiotherapy and genetic testing — what Pirovolakis describes as an “18-month diagnostic odyssey” — a neurologist diagnosed baby Michael with spastic paraplegia 50 (SPG50), a neurological disorder that affects fewer than 100 people in the world.

“They told us to just go home and love him — and said he would be paralyzed from the waist down by age 10, and quadriplegic by age 20,” Pirovolakis said.

“They said he’d never walk or talk, and would need support for the rest of his life.”

What is SPG50?

Spastic paraplegia 50 (SPG50) is a neurological disorder that affects a child’s development, gradually leading to cognitive impairment, muscle weakness, speech impairment and paralysis, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Most people with the disease will die by the time they reach their 20s.

“Children with SPG50 may experience early developmental delays, muscle weakness and spasticity, but they continue to strive and adapt,” Dr. Eve Elizabeth Penney, an epidemiologist at the Texas Department of State Health Services and medical contributor for Drugwatch, told Fox News Digital. 

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“Over time, these symptoms can worsen, making it hard for affected individuals to walk and perform daily activities,” added Penney, who was not involved in Michael Pirovolakis’ care.

“The prognosis varies from person to person, but it’s generally a progressive condition, meaning symptoms can become more severe over time,” she also said. 

Georgia Pirovolakis (left) is pictured with her two sons, including baby Michael, who was diagnosed with SPG50. (Terry Pirovolakis)

In the absence of a cure, most families can only manage symptoms through physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and medications to help control spasticity or seizures, Penney said. 

“Managing SPG50 requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to address its various symptoms and challenges,” she added.

A father’s mission

There is no treatment currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for SPG50.

After the shock of the diagnosis, Pirovolakis immediately started researching, with a focus on finding a gene therapy that could help his son.

“They said he would be paralyzed from the waist down by age 10, and quadriplegic by age 20.”

A month after his baby’s diagnosis, Pirovolakis flew to Washington, D.C., for a gene therapy conference, where he met with several experts. He also visited Sheffield, England, and the National Institutes of Health at the University of Cambridge, where scientists had been studying the disease. 

“We then liquidated our life savings, refinanced our home and paid a team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to create a proof of concept to start Michael’s gene therapy,” Pirovolakis said.

Terry Pirovolakis, pictured with his family, used his life savings to create a genetic therapy for his youngest son, center, who has SPG50. (Terry Pirovolakis)

After successful tests showed the gene therapy was effective at stopping the disease’s progression in mice and in human cells, Pirovolakis worked with a small drug company in Spain to manufacture the drug.

On Dec. 30, 2021, Health Canada granted approval to move forward with the gene therapy for Michael Pirovolakis. 

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“On March 24, 2022, my son was the first person to ever get treated with gene therapy at SickKids in Toronto,” Pirovolakis said.

The procedure, which involves injecting cerebral spinal fluid through a lumbar puncture, does come with risks — but the potential benefits are life-saving.

‘I couldn’t let them die’

After Michael Pirovolakis received the one-time treatment, there were three more doses left.

“We decided that we had to help other kids,” Pirovolakis said.

“When I heard that no one was going to do anything about it, I had to — I couldn’t let them die.”

Pirovolakis’ two older children, pictured with their little brother, Michael, bottom left, do not have the disease. (Terry Pirovolakis)

Pirovolakis opened up a Phase 2 study in the U.S., which treated three children two years ago. 

One of those was 6-month-old Jack Lockard, the youngest child to ever receive the treatment.

“Jack has thrived since then,” Rebekah Lockard, the boy’s mother, told Fox News Digital.

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“He is sitting independently, banging toys together, drinking from a straw cup and working really hard on crawling.”

She added, “Doctors and therapists share the same sentiment: The treatment works!”

Other children who participated in the trial have experienced similar results, Lockard said.

The Lockard family, shown here, is fighting to raise funds to obtain treatment for their daughter Naomi, at right, who has SPG50. (Rebekah Lockard)

“They’ve all shown that their disease has stopped progressing and their cognition has improved.”

There are more children who still need the treatment — including Lockard’s first child, 3-year-old Naomi, who also has SPG50 — but are unable to access it because the clinical trial has now run out of money, as Fox News Digital previously reported. 

‘Time is of the essence’

It costs about $1 million to make the drug for each child, Pirovolakis said, and another $300,000 or so to treat the patient in the U.S. at the hospital. 

Pirovolakis has approached pharmaceutical companies, but all of them have declined to manufacture the drug.

“We want to make sure the trial moves on and these kids get treated.”

“No investor is going to give you money to treat a disease that is not going to make money,” he said. “That’s the dilemma we’re in.”

While Pirovolakis and his team are actively working to secure grants and investors, it’s largely up to the parents to raise funds for the next phase of the clinical trial.

So far, Lockard has raised more than $90,000 via GoFundMe (called “Naomi and Jack Battle SPG50”) to get her daughter’s treatment, but that is only a fraction of what is needed. (Rebekah Lockard)

So far, Lockard has raised more than $90,000 via GoFundMe (called “Naomi and Jack Battle SPG50”) to get her daughter’s treatment, but that is only a fraction of what is needed.

Penney noted that treatment for SPG50 is challenging and expensive to develop — “mainly because it’s a sporadic disease.”

The doctor told Fox News Digital, “Pharmaceutical companies often prioritize conditions that affect larger populations, with a more significant potential for recouping research and development costs.”

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“The market is much smaller for rare diseases like SPG50, making it financially less viable for companies to invest in creating a treatment.”

To devote himself to the cause, Pirovolakis quit his job and started a nonprofit in California, which now has five employees and 20 consultants.

The company — called Elpida Therapeutics, after the Greek word for “hope” — will run a Phase 3 study for SPG50 at the NIH in November.

Terry Pirovolakis, second from left, is pictured with members of his team at his nonprofit, Elpida Therapeutics. Elpida Therapeutics has partnered with the Columbus Children’s Foundation (Fundación Columbus in Spain) and CureSPG50 to help save children with the disease. (Pirovolakis)

Without the backing of major drug companies, however, there isn’t funding available to get the therapies to the children who need them. 

Eight doses of the drug for SPG50 were produced in Spain and have been flown to the U.S.

“The treatment is here, just literally sitting in a refrigerator, ready to go,” Lockard said. “Doctors are ready. There just isn’t enough money to make it happen.”

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There are currently four families in the U.S. who are trying to raise the money that’s needed, according to Pirovolakis.

“Time is of the essence,” he said. “We want to make sure the trial moves on and these kids get treated.”

The end goal

Looking ahead to the Phase 3 clinical trial at the NIH, Pirovolakis’ goal is to treat eight children with SPG50.

“If we can show that it works in all eight children — and we can prove to the FDA that it is making a difference — then the drug will get approved and every child can get it,” he said.

Michael Pirovolakis is pictured walking with the aid of a walker. Spastic paraplegia 50 (SPG50) is a neurological disorder that affects a child’s development, gradually leading to cognitive impairment, muscle weakness, speech impairment and paralysis. (Terry Pirovolakis)

Ideally, after the drug is approved — which could take three to five years, Pirovolakis estimates — SPG50 will be added to hospitals’ newborn screening programs and every child with the disease will be able to get the therapy.

Elpida Therapeutics has partnered with the Columbus Children’s Foundation (Fundación Columbus in Spain) and CureSPG50 to help save children with the disease.

“Our partnership with Elpida is driven by an unwavering commitment to leaving no child behind,” Sheila Mikhail, co-founder of the CCF, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“At the Columbus Children’s Foundation and Fundacion Columbus, as a global organization, we believe that every child deserves a chance for a healthy future. Together, we’re making groundbreaking strides in treating ultra-rare genetic disorders, ensuring that no child is left to face these challenges alone.”

“The biggest challenge in providing treatment for children with rare diseases often comes down to a lack of funding and vision.”

Pirovolakis said he gets several calls each week from families around the world, asking for help saving their children.

“Unfortunately, the biggest challenge in providing treatment for children with rare diseases often comes down to a lack of funding and vision,” he told Fox News Digital. 

After Jack Lockard, pictured, received the gene therapy at 6 months old, the family soon noticed improvements in his cognitive and physical milestones. (Rebekah Lockard)

“The technology to cure our children is already here. I hope that someone with immense wealth — and more importantly, the vision and influence — will step in,” he said. 

“Their support could not only impact a handful of diseases and children, but extend hope to thousands of rare diseases and millions of children, both this generation and the next.”

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Currently, 40 million Americans are living with a rare disease, and one in 10 will be afflicted by a potentially treatable rare condition.

Pirovolakis added, “Someone you know or love will likely be affected by a rare disease.”

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a public health advisory on Wednesday addressing the mental health and well-being of parents.

The advisory, which is reserved for “significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action,” discussed various factors that cause stress for parents and noted an urgent need for support.

“Parents have a profound impact on the health of our children and the health of society,” Murthy wrote in a statement posted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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“Yet parents and caregivers today face tremendous pressures, from familiar stressors such as worrying about their kids’ health and safety and financial concerns, to new challenges like navigating technology and social media, a youth mental health crisis, and an epidemic of loneliness that has hit young people the hardest,” he went on. 

“As a father of two kids, I feel these pressures, too.”

In the 30-page advisory, Murthy called for a “fundamental shift” in prioritizing the mental health and well-being of parents. 

“I am also outlining policies, programs and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers,” he said.

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Thirty percent of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month, compared to 20% of other adults, according to the advisory.

Severe stress can have “a deleterious effect,” Murthy wrote — as 41% of parents reported that most days, they experience so much stress that they cannot function, while 48% said their stress is “completely overwhelming” on most days.

What’s causing this stress?

The COVID-19 pandemic was cited as a contributor to stressors among parents and caregivers, as well as financial stability, concerns for health and safety, management of tech and social media, parental loneliness, cultural pressures and their children’s future.

School safety concerns among parents are particularly high, as firearm-related injury has become the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S.

Financial stability, concerns for health and safety, management of tech and social media, and uncertainty about children’s futures are among the stressors experienced by parents. (iStock)

Many parents also face circumstances such as family or community violence, poverty, and racism and discrimination, all of which can impact mental health.

“Both maternal and paternal mental health conditions are shown to impact the well-being of children,” the advisory noted. 

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“Maternal mental health conditions have been found to significantly impact a child’s well-being and environment, and can serve as a critical determinant of child outcomes.”

What can be done?

The surgeon general intends to “take steps to mitigate stress at every stage” for parents and caregivers, he said. 

Murthy’s advisory encouraged governments and employers to establish programs to ensure that parents have access to affordable mental health care, paid family and medical leave, and other family services.

“Both maternal and paternal mental health conditions are shown to impact the well-being of children,” according to the advisory. (iStock)

The surgeon general also encouraged schools and communities to provide support services and groups to help parents manage stress.

Robin Hilmantel, senior director of editorial strategy and growth at What to Expect, part of Everyday Health, told Fox News Digital that this advisory “feels like a long-overdue acknowledgment of what has been obvious for a while now: Parents are struggling.”

Thirty percent of U.S. parents reported high levels of stress in the past month.

A What to Expect survey of more than 3,000 women found that more than two-thirds of moms (68%) experience anxiety, while 79% of Gen Z moms reported the same.

“There are a lot of reasons why being a parent today is so challenging — parenthood is isolating, as 76% of moms say they don’t have enough support in the form of a ‘village,’” said Hilmantel, who is based in North Carolina.

School safety concerns are high among parents, the advisory said. (iStock)

“There’s also a culture of comparison for today’s parents — 83% of Gen Z moms say they feel pressure to be a perfect parent,” she added. 

Some other top parental stressors, according to the survey, include safety, lack of time for themselves, finances and children’s development.

Eighty-three percent of Gen Z moms say they feel pressure to be a perfect parent.

“Remember that you’re not alone if you feel overwhelming stress; other parents are dealing with their own stressors,” Hilmantel said. 

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“What you see on social media is often a highlight reel, so you definitely shouldn’t feel bad about your parenting based on anything you see online.”

The expert suggested that parents should try to “cultivate a network of friends, family and acquaintances.”

There is “no shame in directly asking family and friends for help,” one parenting expert said. (iStock)

“Parents can add people to their village by attending in-person meetups where they can connect with other new parents, and by joining online communities where parents can openly discuss anything they’re struggling with,” she said.

Hilmantel added that there is “no shame in directly asking family and friends for help.”