Shift work ‘ages our ability to think and remember’

Long-term shift work has an ageing effect on the brain that leads to an impaired ability to think and remember, a study has found.

A decade or more working rotating shifts was associated with a loss of brain function equivalent to 6.5 years of age-related cognitive decline, the research showed.

Stopping shift work led to gradual recovery — but one that took at least five years, said scientists.