What do those who all have in common doctors, nurses, firefighters, truck drivers, and air traffic controllers? Most of them allow nocturnal or night shifts. Whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, nighttime work shifts can be challenging. We’ve gathered some tips on how to deal with night shift and early daytime working.
Conduct full time night shifts, evening shifts, rotational shifts or other other irregular schedules because of our current 24-hour society. Moreover, almost 19 percent of adult employees work every week for 48 hours or more, and more than 7 percent work every week for 60 hours or more..
Possibly one of the most critical shifts, night shifts see many people employed in vital positions during regular sleeping hours in order to provide continuous support. Night shift work, however, has been related to many health risks, including a higher risk of vascular accidents , illnesses, metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal problems, fertility issues, mood disorder and even certain forms of cancers
Although this may sound alarming, there are, in fact, a lot of ways you can support your body and health when working during night shifts. Here are some tips from our nutritionist to help sleep and incorporate healthier eating habits and lifestyle:
1. Stick To Your Normal Eating Pattern
As work night shifts often interfere with normal eating habits, sticking to your normal day shift eating pattern will allow more social interaction and a chance to eat with family. Before beginning your shift, eating a healthy, balanced meal provides energy for the evening and consuming a small breakfast at the end of your shift avoids sleep disturbances from feeling hungry.
Night shifts are known for easily available unhealthy snacks, such as sugar and fried foods, which provide a false sense of energy in the short term. Since night shift workers continue to have reduced rates of leptin, the satiety hormone, you may also be at risk of over-eating.
2. Exercise Before You Start Your Shift
Considering that cardiovascular health may present a risk to night shift workers, research suggests that exercise can help. Consider exercising before shifting to get blood pumping, provide an energizing effect and help shift the body clock rather than afterwards.Exercising outdoors at the start of your shift would provide the added bonus of access to daylight to reset your body clock. Instead, if you have daily night shift breaks, suggest short, 10-minute workout bursts, which can be just as beneficial.
3. Control Light Exposure
Exposure to light indicates chemical events that the circadian pacemaker will trigger which will affect your cycles of sleep and wake. Melatonin, for example, is released when it gets dark in the evening to make you feel drowsy, while melatonin is suppressed and morning light elevates cortisol to make you feel alert.
Research has shown that night workers who during their shift were exposed to bright light and wearing sunglasses on the way home to block light drifted off to sleep faster and slept longer after their shift than people who didn’t get bright light exposure. In addition, another study found that intermittent exposure to bright light is basically as effective as continuous exposure.
Keeping your bedroom dark will help keep your body in sleep mode before you have time to wake up and start your day.
4. Manage Sleep Patterns
Many people will function with no problem at all at night while others experience lack of sleep and exhaustion. This is because at night, the human body is programmed to sleep.The human body is regulated by an internal body clock, or circadian pacemaker, located inside the hypothalamus’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN generates circadian rhythms which regulate the body’s behavioral and physiological processes including alertness, sleep, temperature control, and production of hormones.
Circadian rhythms run in stages of 24 hours, and are greatly affected by natural light and dark stages. Many of the processes that are involved in your body during the day slow down at night to prepare you for the sleep. The circadian pacemaker releases the sleep hormone melatonin from the pineal gland at night, which makes you feel less alert and heighten your desire to sleep.
5. Find A Routine And Stick to It
With the major night shifts having an effect on your everyday schedule, the trick is to stay as close as possible to your usual routine, use naps to aid switch between night shifts and day shifts. However, an estimated 10 percent of the population will fail to adjust to night shifts and as a result suffer persistent sleepiness and insomnia.
6. Always Take a Nap
Taking a nap may become an integral part of overnight healthy working. Although a short nap may help counter exhaustion before you start your shift, a nap during your break can be necessary to retain alertness and remain vigilant.
It has been shown that a nap taken halfway through the day enhances and restores brain strength. Only 20 to 45 minute long naps have proven effective in counteracting exhaustion for shift employees.
Be careful how long you’ll sleep so you won’t wake up during deep sleep. Deep sleep waking is associated with a higher level of sleep inertia, which means you can take longer to feel alert and not feel refreshed.
7. Use Energy Supplement
Do you want to kickstart something? Need support keeping alert during the day? Don’t bump into the wall. When you can’t afford a letdown, Awake Energy Shots give your body the boost it needs. Awake Energy Shots help keep you healthy, energized, and concentrated all day, formulated with caffeine, B vitamins, amino acids, and other nutrients to provide the long-lasting physical and mental strength you need. In addition, Awake Energy Shots is a perfect daily pick-me-up with two great-tasting flavors – orange and grape, with zero calories and zero sugars. While you may be waking up from coffee and soft drinks, they don’t help your mental concentration.
Awake Energy Shots help your own energy systems by providing reliable, long-term efficiency that you can rely on. Awake Energy Shots take seconds to drink and are light, compact and delicious in taste. They fit comfortably into your desk drawer, glove box, suitcase, bag, or backpack. They are non-carbonated and do not require refrigeration so that you can drink them whenever you need a quick boost.