Are demanding jobs and shift work linked to how much older workers' blood pressure falls at night?

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People whose blood pressure (BP) falls less at night have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people with normal nighttime BP dipping. Although work-related factors and BP have been studied extensively, little is known about how work-related factors relate to 24-hour BP patterns in aging workers. This study examined cross-sectional associations of occupational status, work-time mode, job demands and job control with ambulatory BP, focusing on nighttime BP dipping.

The study included 208 workers from two Finnish population-based cohort studies. Their mean age was 62 ± 3 years, and 75% were women. Participants underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, and work-related factors were assessed using a questionnaire. Nighttime BP dipping was calculated as [1 - (asleep BP/awake BP)] × 100.

Shift workers had greater nighttime diastolic BP dipping than regular day workers (19% vs. 17%, p = 0.03). They also had significantly higher systolic BP while awake (136.5 mmHg vs. 132.5 mmHg, p = 0.03). Participants with high job demands had less nighttime systolic BP dipping than those with low job demands (14% vs. 16%, p = 0.04). No significant differences in nighttime systolic or diastolic BP dipping were observed between groups defined by occupational status or job control.

The authors concluded that shift workers had higher daytime BP but greater nighttime BP dipping than regular day workers, while participants with high job demands had less nighttime BP dipping than those with low demands. They also concluded that job control or occupation was not associated with the 24-hour ambulatory BP profile of aging workers.