When you work the night shift
Maintaining a healthy sleep routine and working the night shift can be a challenge. If your workplace requires you to work the night shift, the following tips may help you:
Increase your total amount of sleep by adding naps when able and lengthening the amount of time you allot for sleep
Use bright lights at your workstations
Minimize your shift changes so that your body’s biological clock can adjust to a night-time work schedule
Get rid of sound and light distractions in your bedroom during your daytime sleep
Use caffeine only during the first part of your shift to promote alertness at night
Relaxation techniques
Being able to wind down is just as important as being able to wake up and get going. Give yourself enough time to relax and get rid of work-time stress. Find out what is best for you personally to help you relax. This could be sitting down and closing your eyes for a while, or it can even be meditating, reading or taking a bath.
A simple exercise that you can try to start your quiet relaxation time is by lying on the carpet, bed or sitting in an easy chair. Slowly tense each muscle group in your body, then gradually let the muscles relax. Do this for your arms, legs, stomach, neck and face muscles. Breathe deeply during this exercise and let go slowly. Try to feel all the muscle tension drain away from your body. This is a simple way to let go of all the stresses of the day and can help you slow down.
Protecting sleep
Take responsibility for getting enough sleep to feel rested and restored. For some, this may happen without doing anything special. However, most late-night shift workers need to know how to get satisfying sleep. Below are some tips that you can utilize to get the rest you need for a late night:
Block out noise: Using earplugs can effectively block out noises disturbing your sleep. Another way is to take control of the activities happening inside your home. Switch off your phone and disconnect the home’s doorbell during your sleeping hours. Ask your family and friends to cooperate with your sleep schedule by requesting them to use headphones for any music and TV, as well as setting up strict time schedules for noisy activities such as vacuuming, clothes washing and children playing around the house. It may also be helpful to consider your sleeping quarters. If possible, sleep in a bedroom in the quietest place in your home that is away from the kitchen and bathroom. Soundproof your bedroom with insulation and use heavy blackout curtains.
Keep a regular sleep routine: Follow your regular bedtime routine every time you go to sleep. For example, take a shower and brush your teeth before going to bed. This practice can serve as a signal to your body that it is time to sleep. Do not use the bed for anything except what it is intended for. For example, do not read, eat, watch TV or argue with your spouse while in bed. Only using the bed for sleep will get your body used to feeling comfortable and relaxed whenever you lay in bed, ready for sleep.
Avoid heavy foods and alcohol before sleep: Heavy, greasy foods are not suitable for sleeping because of stomach upsets. If you must eat, a light snack won’t disturb your sleep. Alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it will wake you up too quickly after falling asleep. Do not drink alcohol for an hour or two before sleep.
Exercise and diet
Keeping physically fit helps you resist stress and illness. Regular exercise also keeps a person from becoming tired too quickly. A big question for night shift workers is when to exercise and what the proper diet should be.
The timing of exercise is vital so that it does not make a person too tired to work. Exercise also should not interfere with your sleep. If a worker does physical labor, too much activity before work might make work too tiring.
Twenty minutes of aerobic exercise before work, such as a brisk walk, bike ride, jog or swim, can be enough to help wake up, get going and keep the heart in shape. Try to avoid exercise in the 3 hours before sleep. Exercise tends to activate the body or wake it up, which might make it difficult to fall asleep.
Stick to a diet that can help you stay physically fit. Avoid fatty and sugary foods, which can make a person gain too much weight, and these types of meals are the most difficult to digest late at night. Eating lighter meals in the middle of the night can help reduce stomach upsets.
