Effect of forward rapidly rotating shift work on circadian rhythms of arterial pressure, heart rate and oral temperature in air traffic controllers

Abstract

Twenty-four-hour records of arterial pressure (AP), heart rate (HR), oral temperature (OT) and physical and mental performance were obtained in air traffic controllers during morning (n = 16), afternoon (n = 17) and night (n = 19) shifts, Data were analyzed by the cosinor method. The results obtained during the morning shift were as follows (mesor/amplitude/acrophase): systolic AP (mmHg) - 113.6/10.0/16:03 h; diastolic AP - 71.1/8.2/15:19 h; mean AP - 85.6/8.8/15:41 h; HR (beats/min) - 77.5/8.9/16:00 h; OT (dg C) - 36.71/0.21/15:49 h; right-hand grip strength (kg) 498/2.0/17:43 h; left-hand grip strength - 46.1/2.0/16.08 h; mental performance (calculations/min) - 14.9/1.1/16:39 h. During the night shift either no change of the circadian acrophases (HR, right-hand grip strength) or acrophase delays ranging from about 2 h (systolic AP, OT, mental performance) up to 3 h (diastolic and mean AP left-hand grip strength) were observed. Our data suggest that the shift system studied does not significantly alter the circadian rhythms, and does not induce a desynchronization, particularly as concerns arterial pressure and oral temperature.