May 26, 2015 05:47 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research suggests that shiftwork can lead to sleep-related health problems and poor metabolic health.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health found that people who work nontraditional schedules outside of a 9-to-5  are more likely to be overweight and experience sleep problems, and possibly more likely to develop metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, compared to workers following traditional work schedules.

"Shiftwork employees are particularly vulnerable to experiencing sleep problems as their jobs require them to work night, flex, extended, or rotating shifts," Marjory Givens, lead investigator of the study, said in a statement. "Shiftworkers are more commonly men, minorities, and individuals with lower educational attainment and typically work in hospital settings, production, or shipping industries."

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed used cross-sectional data from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) collected from 2008-2012.

They found that shiftworkers were significantly more likely than traditional schedule workers to be overweight. They also experienced more sleep problems such as insomnia, insufficient sleep, or excessive wake-time sleepiness.

Since shiftwork and sleep problems have both been implicated in poor metabolic health, this study asked whether sleep problems may play a role in shiftworker health disparities. They found that experiencing sleep problems was positively associated with being overweight/obese or diabetic.

"This study adds to a growing body of literature calling attention to the metabolic health burden commonly experienced by shiftworkers and suggests that obtaining sufficient sleep could lessen this burden," Givens said. "More research in this area could inform workplace wellness or healthcare provider interventions on the role of sleep in addressing shiftworker health disparities."

The findings are detailed in the journal Sleep Health.

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