A slower pace

Yesterday, I ended with a line about cities that never sleep. I think I want to discuss that for a moment.
With the discovery of ways to keep things moving after dark, it seems like society has decided that things have to go on twenty-four hours per day. Just because we can be up all night long, we should. We demand the constant availability of good and services. Naturally, that means at least a part of the population is required to work the night shift.
Human beings evolved as diurnal, or daytime, dwellers. It is only in the last three hundred years or so that we have tried to make ourselves over. Trying to make such a dramatic change in so short a time cannot be good.
There have been some recent studies that suggest higher cancer rates occur in those who work late shifts. Disturbing the proper circadian rhythm of humans has been shown to cause a number of health problems. Insomnia, mood swings and just general fatigue are the most common. It's even been seen in astronauts, in an environment where there are no proper day/night cues.
Do we really need fast food at three in the morning? If it were not for people having to work the graveyard shift, there wouldn't be such a demand. If we just slowed down a little, and were ready to give up a little bit of convenience, maybe we could slow down the decline in our health.
I'm not suggesting we adopt the patterns of the Amish. They chose that technology-free life for their own reasons. No, I propose that we step back a little bit from the late night life. We produce enough during the day. If you want a night shift, you should ask for volunteers to do those jobs. Some people are able to adapt better than others.
Rotating shifts are another pet peeve of mine. No sooner does your system adjust to your hours, than you have to change yet again. Reaction times slow, sleep is disturbed and accidents happen.
Time to slow down a little bit folks. We evolved to work in the sun and sleep at night. Let's all get the rest we need. If we have to work at night (and there are some jobs that MUST be done at all hours) those shifts should be scheduled to last for at least one month on, one month off, giving the people working time to adjust to the change.
For the sake of your health, maybe give up the glow of neon lights.