Night Shifts, Stress, and the Hidden Cost to Your Brain

This systematic review of 64 studies shows that shift work—especially night shifts—occupational stress, and prolonged working hours reliably impair attention, memory, executive function, and processing speed via circadian disruption, sleep loss, and stress-related neurophysiology.
Evidence for sedentary work is mixed. Practical recommendations include optimizing shift schedules, limiting consecutive nights and long hours, reducing job stress through redesign and resources, and embedding recovery practices to protect cognitive health during working years and beyond.