WORKING NON-STANDARD HOURS DULLS YOUR BRAIN

Working non-standard hours (or shifts) for many years is not only hard on the body, but may also dull the mind. People who do shift work for more than 10 years seem to have the equivalent of an extra 6.5 years of age-related decline in memory and thinking skills, found a new study. The study tracked mental abilities of more than 3,000 people from different regions of France, in 1996, 2001 and 2006.

Overall, shift workers had lower memory, thinking and processing speed scores than those who had worked only standard hours. Recovery of thinking skills took at least five years, according to the study.