smiss the [observational] studies and workplace studies that show night work is a health risk,” he says. “We’ve shown unhealthy mechanisms can occur even in healthy subjects, so the time for dismissing night work as a health risk is well past.”
The same is true for jet lag, especially if it’s persistent, such as for pilots and other flight personnel. Buxton is hoping to study pilots in training before they start regularly crossing time zones, to see if the same effects he found in the lab also appear in the real world. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that while much of the attention for preventive health has focused on diet and exercise, sleep is an important part of that equation. “If you’re not getting enough sleep, then it’s hard to find the energy to exercise,” says Buxton. “And if you’re not getting enough sleep, you not only eat more than you need but you tend to make poorer food choices. So in terms of obtaining optimum health, all three pillars — diet, exercise and sleep — are important.”