Night shift workers go days without seeing daylight, study suggests
Many get only 29 minutes of daylight during their day, totalling just 2 hours and 25 minutes a week.
New research suggests two in five night shift workers, including NHS staff and emergency service members, can go for three days or longer without seeing any daylight.
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The lack of daylight or sunshine can lead to a loss of vitamin D boost, often leaving them feeling cut off from the outside world, said the report.
A survey of 500 workers who work nights, by the Blue Light Card service, found they sleep through most of January’s limited daylight.
Many get just 29 minutes of genuine daylight during their usual working day – totalling only 2 hours and 25 minutes in a typical week.
Around a third of respondents said getting up for work in darkness and heading home after sunset left them feeling drained, less motivated and irritable.
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On average, those surveyed miss out on 12 hours and 57 minutes of working sunlight per week when compared with other workers - equivalent to a whole day of light.
Many of those struggling have looked to book holidays in January 2026, with more than half saying said the trip was for a mood boost, and helps to keep morale and motivation up at work when they are struggling.