The secret to the night tolerance lies in your DNA

According to RCO News Agency, A new study of more than 5 medical interns has shown that people with stronger seasonal patterns in their daily activities are more likely to be exposed to night -time rhythm disorders when working in the night shift. In other words, if your daily steps are very different in summer and winter, you are more likely to find a problem with shift work than someone whose activities remain relatively constant throughout the year.

The study, published in the journal NPJ Digital Medicine, shows that our evolutionary biological planning to adapt to seasonal changes may act against us in the 4 -hour world and always awake today.

“Humans are truly seasonal beings, even if we are not present in the modern world,” says Dr. Ruby Kim, the main author of the University of Michigan.

Ancient biology against today’s programs

Scientists have long known that humans, like many animals, have internal watches that respond to daylight changes. But this is the first extensive study that links seasonal sensitivity to the level of adaptation of people to irregular work programs.

Researchers examined data collected from medical interns, who, in their first hard residency, were moving for many hours between day and night shifts, so they were an ideal group for examining round -the -clock disorders. These people also worn smart bracelets (Fitbit) that recorded their physical activity and heartbeat.

The results showed that interns, whose physical activity was more different in different seasons, experienced the greatest incompatibility between heart rate and bedtime during night shifts. This inconsistency is associated with an increased risk of depression, cardiovascular disease and other health problems.

Two bio -hours instead of one

Dr. Daniel Forger, one of the main authors of research, many people think that the rhythm of the day has only an inner hour. But we showed that they are actually two hours: one tracks the sunrise and the other the sunset and the two interact.

Humans, like many living things, have a “binary oscillating” system; That is, they have two internal hours designed to predict sunrise and sunset. These watches coordinate body activities with light changes in different seasons.

In people with a stronger seasonal response, these internal watches are also more reactive. This feature may be useful for our ancestors, but in the modern world and discontinuous work shifts can be troubled. These people are adapted to night faster, but because they usually only have a night shift at night, they become more irregular when they return to the normal program.

Genetic role in seasonal sensitivity

Researchers also sought to discover effective genetic factors in seasonal sensitivity. Their focus was on a gene called the SLC2A, which previous studies on mice have shown a role in seasonal behaviors.

The results showed that among the thousands of internships offered genetic samples, those with certain types of genes experienced more seasonal fluctuations in more severe activities and disorders in the round -the -clock rhythm, especially in the winter months.

Although these are small genetic effects that are common for most behavioral traits, they provide important clues to understand the biology of people’s reaction to nighttime.

Consequences of these findings for millions

These findings may affect the life of about 5 million shifts. Currently, there is no confident way to predict who is more resistant to night shifts, which is a topic that leads to high levels of job burnout and health problems.

Understanding that seasonal sensitivity can predicts a person’s tolerance against night work may lead to better designing work plans or using optical and environmental strategies to improve employee conditions.

“These findings are rational because our brains have been pursuing as sunrise for millions of years,” says Dr. Forger. Then, suddenly the industrialization has come and now we are still trying to coordinate with it.

Although this study focused on a specific group of medical interns, the findings could be generalized to many other shift businesses. However, further research is needed in a variety of jobs, age groups, and geographical locations.

The important point is that this study did not evaluate job performance or safety directly, but merely examines the coordination of heart rate and bedtime. But since round -the -clock disorder is related to multiple health problems, it is important to understand these differences.

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