Yes it does. After doing probably half my 20 years driving trucks on nights even 5 years after stopping my sleep patterns are bolloxed and my short term memory non-existent.
Worst thing is I agree with the above comment about it being the best time of day to drive. I loved it.
I think it’s everybody to there own , most jobs in transport these days like Ive done ,if your on nights you start in daylight!!or early pm after 12 noon, And end in dark , and vice versa for days so no it all depends what you like to do , and all this were humans and can’t adjust is rubbish, we learn quick and adjust!! , I like nights as eventually the roads get quieter and less stressful , and you can have a better knap in dark than day!
One is not likely to get as much action in the bedroom working nights than they are on days, we all know what benefits that brings (depending how you look at it)…
The bloke working days is probably pressing your mrs by night while you work…!
I do constent nights 7pm to 7am.ive never felt worse.always tired and grumpy aswelk trouble sleeping.its been 4 years but ill hang it out as its good cash and i have bills to pay
Pimpdaddy:
The bloke working days is probably pressing your mrs by night while you work…!
And while he’s at work in the day, I’ll be smashin his mrs’s back door in 
Been on nights for nearly 20 years now, probably because I can’t get out of bed at 4am for those early starts. Its all about self discipline and if you get the right amount of sleep then I for one don’t see the problem.
The main pitfalls of working nights are that every other knobhead thinks because they work days that you do too. Jehovas and the likes knocking on your door waking you up mid sleep was a real pain in the ■■■ until I bought a nice sign to stick on my door thanking these sales people for ■■■■■■■ off and not knocking. It has worked a treat and I now get at least 8 hours of blissful sleep, until the weekend that is when I have to change my sleeping pattern to that of a day driver in order to keep the household happy.
Horses for courses if you ask me and if you are happy to work nights then there is no reason for it to interfere with your health. Touch wood I’m in my 40’s and very rarely ill.
I am on back shift now but I have had shift changes mid week and fully understand how much the body hates disruption. I prefer nights and even with a 70 hour week this week I wasn’t tired at work and even helped the shunters at the end of my run. I have been setting my alarm all week but it only woke me once. The other 5 shifts were a natural wake up but I do maintain my sleep pattern 7 days a week. I don’t change my times just because I don’t have work unless I have plans
There is definitely a link between sunlight and healthiness. Mental health as well as physical health. Look at places like Northern Scandinavia, Russia and Alaska, they all get almost total darkness through the winter months and their suicide and alcoholism rates are sky high compared to countries on the equator.
I like to start around 1100 after waking naturally at 1000, getting my act together, ablutions, coffee etc and then I’m good until about 0300. I wake feeling refreshed and I’m on my game all day.
But, if I get up by an alarm clock, whether it’s 0930 or 0400 it makes no difference, I’m tired all day and often need a kip in the afternoon, I still stay awake until 0300 too so an early start always means less sleep for me.
I’m fortunate that my job fits my circadian rythym, we do a lot of Midnight to 0300 deliveries and I do mine at the end of my day, rather than the beginning, if I get a long tip it means I’m on hourly pay for laying in bed too, which is nice 
I did a spell doing the fruit markets in the early 90s, only a couple of months, that was all night work and it never gave me any problems, I was going clubbing all night at weekends too, so I never had to revert back to days at the weekend as lots of night men do.
Although at that time I was having a break from running over the water. In those days it was all go go go, one hit everywhere you went and then get on the ■■■■ when you had free time, I was a lot younger obviously, but it took its toll all the same, especially in my sleep pattern and the fact that I’m useless before 1100 (not much cop after it either) probably has something to do with those times.
We work in a stressful environment, have a poor diet, don’t rest, sleep or exercise enough, it’s no wonder we get old before our time 
thetastytrucker:
I have been working nights for over 2 years now and have never felt worseYour whole life becomes work related on monday i wake up at 11am - midday and then i wait around for 10 hours
before i start work ( now what day shift worker would get up at 11pm on sunday for a 9am monday start )i work 5 nights and finish on Saturday at around 9am - 10 am i then rush home to get a few hours sleep and then up at around
2pm i then squeeze breakfast , dinner and a few beers in before midnight when i am knackeredSunday is my only day off but my body does not quite no where it is
Repeat the above the following week
I guess 4 on 3 off or 4 on 4 off is not to bad but 5 nights is lethal
I’m the same although I’ve only been working nights for 3 months. It’s the first thing that came up to get my foot on the driving ladder. I work sun-thu. Originally me and the wife agreed that it would be a good shift to go on with the idea of getting home in the morning and waking up early afternoon, then having Friday, Saturday and all day Sunday off. In reality I’m that knackered I’m waking up much later usually around 3-4pm. Friday is difficult waking up early normally resulting in me being grumpy and then come Friday evening when we sit down to watch a bit of tele I end up starting to nod off. Saturday is probably my only decent day and Sunday sit too bad but I usually need a sleep mid afternoon ready for Sunday night. Previous to this job I haven’t worked nights for ten years, with good reason! I thoroughly enjoy my job but can’t wait to get back on days and into a decent routine.
I think a lot of the problems arise from changing from days to nights and trying to revert to a normal pattern at weekends.
To the OP
Yes
I worked 2 x 9 hour days followed by 2 x 15 hour nights with 3 off for 27 years and can say categorically that it affected my health It’s only now after a couple of years of driving days only that I have got a regular sleep pattern but I still have to take 6 tablets a day ! It got harder for me after turning 45 years old to bounce back and remember what day it was etc
Some research done in the USA that I came across some years back indicated that most “friendly fire incidents” are thought to be due to sleep deprivation
So with that in mind I’m sure it must impact upon the accident rate amongst shift workers as a whole
Yes
I work nights and it suits me down to the ground.
I hate early mornings and invariably feel like rubbish for a few days after an early start.
On nights I wake up about dinner time, have breakfast, go to the gym, shopping, bank, whatever then come home have tea (dinner whatever you call it), shower and get ready for work, I’m far more relaxed than I ever was on days, I sleep better and I feel better in myself, my blood pressure is lower and I feel fitter and more active than I was on days.
Day work for me is wake up, shower, go to work, come home, moan about being tired, have tea, moan about being tired, watch TV sleep and repeat.
I think it depends on what sort of person you are, some are suited to day work, fewer are suited to nights IMO.
Oh and day work seriously damages my wealth 
Dieseldoforme:
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DOES NIGHT WORK DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH ?I’m convinced that it does.
It’s not natural for humans to sleep by day.
I always felt crap on regular nights - nothing specific - just crap.
I never felt better than when I dumped the night shift.
I wonder if night men die younger ? ? ?
They’re certainly more likely to fall asleep at the wheel and
that must kill quite a few of us.
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I start at midnight/1 a.m and I’m classed as a day shift driver,our 11 a.m starters are classed as night shift drivers,who’s the more likely to fall asleep at the wheel and kill someone 
,I’d of said the day shift driver 
Having done around 15 years of just nights I found no real health issues associated with it.The main mistake that many people make is to have less sleep than they should by getting up too early so they can make use of the day.In which case the risks of being awake too long before starting work and the health issues of sleep deprivation are a totally different issue to the one of just turning your bodyclock around to sleep during the day instead of night.Although having said that alternating shifts and resulting excessive frequent changes in sleep patterns would probably be a different matter.
Hi, All
I worked permanent nights for 13 years and the only part of it that caused any problems was swopping about at weekends.
As other posters on here have said it’s horses for courses ,and I must agree with Carryfast that if you cut your rest short to try and take advantage of the day,that it can only lead , long term, to problems.
If you discipline yourself to have the rest time and work regular shifts I don’t see ,and never experienced any problems with lack of sleep.
Cheers Bassman
thetastytrucker:
I have been working nights for over 2 years now and have never felt worseYour whole life becomes work related on monday i wake up at 11am - midday and then i wait around for 10 hours
before i start work ( now what day shift worker would get up at 11pm on sunday for a 9am monday start )i work 5 nights and finish on Saturday at around 9am - 10 am i then rush home to get a few hours sleep and then up at around
2pm i then squeeze breakfast , dinner and a few beers in before midnight when i am knackeredSunday is my only day off but my body does not quite no where it is
Repeat the above the following week
I guess 4 on 3 off or 4 on 4 off is not to bad but 5 nights is lethal
Totally agree with this ^ I’ve just started a new job which is 4 nights on 4 nights off after doing Mon - Fri nights for 3 years which equates to one proper day off a week. Difference is massive, apart from all the spare time and opportunity to get some daylight on your face, I’m working approx 160 days a year as opposed to approx 230 days on Mon -Fri. Job has a slightly higher pay rate anyhow and if converted into hourly rate the pay difference is huge. Can’t see me doing 5 nights a week again anytime soon. Happy days (or nights!)
Answering the original question, yes - I don’t see how any night work can be seen as a healthy lifestyle.
I also forgot to add i have a interview tomorrow for days but i would jump at the chance to work 4 on 3 off on nights
But talking about working nights in the driving game could the health problems be worse for working days
I.e
stuck in traffic breathing in more fumes
stress stuck in traffic