Small Change in Hours Benefits Emergency Physicians Working Night Shifts

FRIDAY, Aug. 21, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A small change in night-shift hours improves sleep quality and inflammatory biomarkers in emergency medicine physicians, according to a pilot study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Elizabeth Kendrick, from University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, and colleagues assessed inflammatory biomarkers and sleep in 12 emergency medicine physicians during a six-month period across three conditions: baseline (96 hours without overnight shifts), traditional overnight shifts (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), and casino shifts (8 p.m. to 4 a.m.).

The researchers found that traditional overnight shifts were associated with higher inflammatory markers and worse sleep outcomes. Casino shifts showed improvement in these measures. Specifically, white blood cell and platelet counts increased during traditional overnight shifts but returned to baseline during casino shifts. There was no change observed in hemoglobin or hematocrit levels. Casino shifts were also associated with better-preserved deep sleep, and participants reported less sleepiness during casino shifts.

“A lot of previous research shows night-shift workers are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and earlier death, so the disruption to our circadian rhythm is an important topic from a wellness perspective,” coauthor Matthew Robinson, also from University of Missouri, said in a statement. “If we can collect data that shows changing the night-shift schedule actually makes our physicians healthier, perhaps this change in scheduling can be implemented more widely throughout health care and other industries with night-shift workers.”

Abstract/Full Text