Latest news with #shiftworkers
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
KiwiRail bans 2500 workers from using melatonin, Zopiclone citing safety concerns
KiwiRail says all workers are required to notify their managers or supervisor of any factors which might impair their ability to perform their duties safely, including declaring prescription medications. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone KiwiRail has banned approximately 2500 of its workers from using melatonin and Zopiclone, citing safety concerns. Melatonin will soon be sold over the counter without requiring a prescription . Rail and Maritime Union health and safety organiser Karen Fletcher said in a recent memo to staff, KiwiRail said workers in safety sensitive roles taking melatonin or Zopiclone would be stood down temporarily. She said the union was not consulted on the decision. "We first heard about it when the staff got in touch with us and said, 'What's this all about?' They've been taking melatonin and Zopiclone for years and even decades, prescribed by a doctor, and sometimes the rail medical doctor. "It came as a shock." She said the staff included in the ban were those in high-risk, front-line roles, who often operated heavy machinery. Many were shift workers who relied on melatonin or Zopiclone to help them sleep, she said. "Shift workers have to sleep at odd times of the day and night, and [sleep medication] has been really helpful for them. "They take it to be fit for work because if they don't sleep, they're at risk of working in a fatigued state." She said the workers often had to shift their start time and sleep time, working rotating shifts. She said the union had not had any issues with workers being impaired from taking sleep aids, and some said taking them made them feel the best they ever had at work. "They're questioning why now, why the change, is there new evidence? "And will people be able to take it in certain circumstances, and what will happen to our members if they're unable to transition off these meds that they've been using for decades in some cases?" Melatonin will soon be sold over the counter without requiring a prescription. Photo: supplied In a statement, a KiwiRail spokesperson told RNZ it made the decision based on advice from its chief medical officer Dr Simon Ryder-Lewis who is an occupational medicine physician. "KiwiRail's chief medical officer has independently reviewed the use of Zopiclone and melatonin by safety critical workers at KiwiRail. This review considered the medical evidence regarding these medications as well as regulatory practices in rail and other comparable industries, both in New Zealand and internationally. "Based on this assessment, the chief medical officer has determined that neither medication is compatible with safety critical work at KiwiRail." KiwiRail said it placed the highest priority on safety and under its Fitness for Work Policy, all workers were required to notify their managers or supervisor of any factors which might impair their ability to perform their duties safely, including declaring prescription medications. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also told RNZ it did not generally recommend melatonin for pilots and crew. "We have found the use of melatonin by pilots and cabin crew is usually not useful to manage fatigue and roster-related time zone changes. Melatonin may be approved by CAA on a case-by-case basis for pilots without sleep disorders." Deputy Head of the University of Auckland Department of Anaesthesiology Guy Warman has expertise in sleep, circadian rhythms and melatonin. He said it was common for shift workers, particularly those who work overnight, to feel tired while on shift and have poor sleep while off work. "Shift work presents all sorts of challenges because people are working at times when the body is trying to promote sleep. "People then seek ways of improving their sleep through medication and other means. He said melatonin was different from other sleep medications that acted as sedatives. "It's not really a sleep drug, it's a hormone. "Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain in very low doses. It naturally acts on receptors in our central biological clock to reinforce our day-night sleeping cycle. "However, in pharmacological doses, it can be taken to shift our biological clock and reduce sleep onset latency, which is the amount of time it takes to get to sleep." He said as long as it was taken in appropriate doses and at appropriate times, the safety effects of melatonin were positive. "The general recommendation is eight hours before doing any work. "The evidence I'm aware of is that the melatonin will be gone before the eight hours are up." He was not aware of any evidence that taking a standard 3mg of melatonin could cause impairment the day after it was taken. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
KiwiRail shift workers concerned over melatonin ban
KiwiRail has banned the use of melatonin for approximately 2,500 of its workers, citing safety concerns. In a memo to staff last month, the State Owned Enterprise said - effective immediately - any staff that were undertaking safety critical work and were taking melatonin or zopiclone would be stood down temporarily and assessed accordingly. It said this was based off a recommendation from its Chief Medical Officer, who had considered the clinical evidence and what was done in comparable industries. The Rail and Maritime Union says it was not consulted on the changes, and the inability for members - many of whom are shift workers - to use medication to help them get to sleep is a serious problem. It is also seeking more information about the evidence cited - especially for melatonin - which is a naturally produced hormone, and helps people get to sleep - rather than a medication which forces someone to stay asleep. It comes as the Government moves to make melatonin easily accessible. Rail and Maritime Union health and safety organiser Karen Fletcher and University of Auckland Associate Professor Guy Warman discuss. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Just three nights of bad sleep ‘can increase risk of heart attack or stroke', scientists warn
JUST three nights of bad sleep can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke - even for "perfectly healthy" people, warns new research. Lack of shuteye triggers molecular mechanisms linked to a greater risk of heart problems, according to the findings - and just a couple nights of insufficient sleep is enough to set those off. 1 Swedish researchers investigated how sleep deprivation affects biomarkers - in this case proteins - linked to cardiovascular disease. Study leader Dr Jonathan Cedernaes, of Uppsala University, said: "Unfortunately, nearly half of all Swedes regularly experience disturbed sleep, and this is particularly common among shift workers. "That is why we wanted to try to identify mechanisms that affect how lack of sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. "Ultimately, the purpose was to identify opportunities to address these problems." A chronic lack of sleep is a growing public health problem around the world, and large population studies have linked it to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and irregular heartbeat - also known as atrial fibrillation. The research team studied 16 healthy young men of normal weight who all had healthy sleep habits. Dr Cedernaes said heart health is influenced by several lifestyle factors, including sleep, diet and exercise. To separate out the effects of sleep, the research team set out to control other factors and conditions that could trigger heart issues though the laboratory environment of their experiment. The participants took part in two different sessions, spending time in a sleep laboratory where their meals and activity levels were strictly controlled. In one session, the participants got eight and a half hours of sleep for three consecutive nights, while during the other session, they got only about four hours of sleep each night. They had blood samples taken every morning and evening for each session. On the third day of both sessions, people were asked to do 30-minute high intensity workout and had their blood analysed again. The research team measured the levels of around 90 proteins in participants' blood, finding signs of increased inflammation in participants when they were sleep-deprived - even if they were "previously perfectly healthy". "Our findings based on highly standardised in-lab conditions, indicate that even short-term sleep restriction can produce a biomarker profile associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk," researchers wrote in the journal Biomarker Research. Studies have already linked many of the proteins spotted by researchers to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure and coronary artery disease. Dr Cedernaes said: "Many of the larger studies that have been done on the link between sleep deprivation and the risk of cardiovascular diseases have generally focused on slightly older individuals who already have an increased risk of such diseases. "That is why it was interesting that the levels of these proteins increased in the same way in younger and previously perfectly healthy individuals after only a few nights of sleep deprivation. "This means that it's important to emphasise the importance of sleep for cardiovascular health, even early in life." EMILY Robertson, from Mira Showers, shared their top sleep hacks, particularly for during hot weather. Wind down with purpose About an hour before bed, start dimming lights around your home. This signals to your brain that it's time to produce melatonin, your natural sleep hormone. Think of it as helping your body shift gears from "daytime mode" to "sleep mode." Disconnect to reconnect Put away phones, tablets, and laptops at least 30 minutes before bedtime. The blue light from screens tricks your brain into thinking it's still daytime. Instead, try reading a physical book or magazine under soft lighting. Take a warm shower A 10-minute warm shower about an hour before bed helps trigger your body's natural cooling process afterward, which makes falling asleep easier. The gentle warmth also relaxes tight muscles from your day. Try gentle stretching A few simple stretches can release physical tension. Focus on your neck, shoulders, and back - areas where we tend to hold stress. Just 5 minutes can make a big difference. Sip something soothing A small cup of caffeine-free tea like chamomile, lavender, or valerian can be a lovely ritual. Just drink it about an hour before bed so you're not waking up for bathroom trips. Researchers also found that exercise generated a slightly different response in the body if participants were sleep deprived. But a number of key proteins linked to the positive effects of exercise increased equally, whether or participants were sleep-deprived - suggesting that some of the effects of bad sleep may be offset by exercise. The research team have previously shown exercising when sleep deprived can increase pressure on the heart's muscle cells. Dr Cedernaes said: "With this study, we have improved our understanding of what role the amount of sleep we get plays in cardiovascular health. "It's important to point out that studies have also shown that physical exercise can offset at least some of the negative effects that poor sleep can cause. "But it's also important to note that exercise cannot replace the essential functions of sleep." He added: "Further research is needed to investigate how these effects might differ in women, older individuals, patients with heart disease, or those with different sleep patterns. "Our ongoing research will hopefully help to develop better guidelines on how sleep, exercise and other lifestyle factors can be harnessed to better prevent cardiovascular diseases."
