Doctors who work night shifts or varied schedules that disrupt their sleep may be more likely to develop depression than those with 9-to-5 jobs, a review of the literature suggests.

Researchers examined data from seven previously published studies of work schedules and mental health involving a total of 28,438 participants.

Overall, shift workers were 28% more likely to experience mental health problems than people with consistent weekday work schedules.

“We know that shift-work alters the circadian rhythm. This disruption can make people moody and irritable, and lead to social isolation as shift-workers time-off matches family and friend’s work and life commitments,” said Dr Luciana Torquati (PhD), lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Exeter in the UK.