A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting good sleep. Add frequent overtime to that schedule, and an officer may getting to bed as the sun comes up, setting the stage for short and unrestful slumber.

A new study shows that this combination of night work, overtime and shortened sleep can contribute to the development among police officers of metabolic syndrome, a combination of unhealthful factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), primarily heart disease and stroke.

The study involved almost 100 randomly selected police officers. Clinicians obtained a fasting blood sample, and measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference, and participants also completed an extensive questionnaire on demographics and lifestyles choices. Researchers also obtained day-by-day data on shift-work and overtime hours from payroll records.

Results showed that overall, 30 percent of officers working the night shift had metabolic syndrome, compared to about 21 percent in the overall general population.