Night Shift Workers Face 88% Greater Risk of Long COVID, Study Suggests
Researchers found chronic insomnia raised long COVID risk by 42%, while night shift work nearly doubled it in a 2,941-person cohort.
- On August 6, 2026, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health published a study linking night shift work to an 88% higher risk of Long COVID, suggesting circadian disruption impacts recovery from SARS-CoV-2.
- Researchers followed 2,941 adults in the COVICAT cohort between 2021 and 2023, observing that disrupting the body's internal clock weakens immune responses and impairs the system's ability to clear the infection.
- Chronic insomnia independently increased Long COVID risk by 42%, while night shift workers with chronic insomnia were 2.7 times more likely to develop persistent symptoms than day workers without sleep issues.
- "Our findings suggest that circadian disruption plays a role," says ISGlobal researcher Manolis Kogevinas, who noted that promoting healthy sleep habits could represent simple, low-cost strategies to reduce long-term viral consequences.
- Because participants were ages 40 to 65, researchers noted that findings may not apply to younger or older populations, and other occupational factors such as work-related stress cannot be ruled out, requiring further gender-sensitive research.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Viennese epidemiologists found evidence that night shift work could increase the risk for Long Covid.
Sleeping badly and working at night are associated with an increased risk of persistent covid: a medical follow-up carried out in Catalonia to almost 3,000 adults directly links the lack of adequate sleep and night schedules with the prolonged sequelae after passing the coronavirus. The findings of the report indicate that those who suffer recurrent insomnia or perform their professional tasks at dawn face a significantly greater danger of devel…
One more sequel to the alteration of the circadian rhythms that is spoken of so much now. Working in night shifts and suffering chronic insomnia are associated with an increased risk of suffering persistent Covid , according to a team of researchers from ISGlobal, in this case in collaboration with the German Research Institute Trias i Pujol (IGTP). The Institute, promoted by the 'la Caixa' Foundation, has been analyzing this sequel of the virus…
Night shift work linked to a higher risk of long COVID
The first evidence that night work and chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing long COVID comes from a new study led by ISGlobal, a center supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) through the GCAT | Genomes for Life cohort.
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