Many people have jobs that are not very interesting, but a lot of people have to work at night, and this is very difficult. When everybody else is getting ready to go out, they have to go to work, and this puts a lot of psychological stress on them. It is also not very healthy because the human body is designed to be active in the day and to rest in the dark. If this cycle is reversed it can have a bad effect on a person's health. So, why do people do the night shift?
Nowadays many businesses have to offer a 24-hour service, like hotels, delivery companies, some supermarkets are open all night and all day, call centres and hospitals. It is true that some people only need a few hours of sleep at night but the majority need eight hours. Humans are most active in the middle of the day, and the time when they are least able to concentrate and be efficient is between 2 am and 4 am.
This is the worst time to drive or to do anything that needs concentration. The body finds it very difficult to adapt to the opposite cycle. Things are not likely to get better in the future because more and more businesses are working 24-hour cycles to keep in step with our 24-hour society.