| Tips for shift workers: How to eat, sleep and stay fit when you work unusual hours Navin Jain, MD (originally Published Healthy Living 2006) William, 41 year old gets off work at 8:30 a.m. He is in bed by 9 a.m., in a dark room at the back of his house. He turns off the phone and sleeps soundly until 4:30 or 5 p.m., then has dinner with his family before starting his shift at midnight on weekdays and 8 p.m. on weekends. He drinks very little coffee—and none after 3 a.m.—and eats a light meal around 5 a.m. He keeps a regular schedule and almost never works more than three nights in a row. He considers sleep as his top priority and is never too tired to come to work when he is scheduled. Unfortunately many night-shift workers don’t or can’t copy William’s sleep habits. The human body doesn’t function well without proper sleep—usually eight hours in a 24-hour period. Sleepy drivers are as dangerous as drunken drivers. Sleepy workers make mistakes. Most dangerous are those who build up a “sleep debt,” depriving themselves of sleep over long periods of time. Night-shift workers are especially vulnerable because they are constantly battling their circadian rhythms, centuries-old patterns that tell us to sleep at night and be active by day. Despite this, sleep- deprived workers usually perform well in emergencies. The danger comes with routine tasks like driving home About 20% of full time American workforce are shift workers, meaning they work more than half their hours outside traditional work window of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. They work when most people are asleep and attempt to sleep when the rest of the world is awake. Shift workers perform critical functions in hospitals, on police forces, as emergency personnel, and in the transportation and manufacturing industries. In addition, they are meeting the demand for "round-the-clock" service in an age of global interaction. Working nights or rotating shifts puts people at risk for chronic sleep disruption and shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). This may result in increased automobile crashes, lack of productivity, and increased accidents and injuries at work. Two particular sleep-related problems are associated with shirt work - difficulty sleeping during the day, and difficulty staying alert at night. Those who work during the night must try to sleep when their bodies want to be awake, and to be awake when their bodies want to sleep. Shift work schedules include night shift workers, early morning workers and rotating shift workers. Sleep problems are more often reported by night shift workers or early morning workers. On average, they get one hour less sleep than daytime workers. These individuals can have sleep problem due to other factors including another sleep disorder, medication, another medical condition, mental health disorder or substance abuse. Your doctor can evaluate your sleep problem and determine whether you may have a sleep disorder. Sleep specialists have additional training in sleep medicine and can both diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders. Many sleep specialists work at sleep centers. Shift work can be difficult. The demands of juggling alternate work hours and staying connected to family and friends can have a big impact on your health — both mentally and physically. But you can still get enough sleep, eat the right foods, be physically active and maintain social ties — even when you work the graveyard shift. Tips to get good sleep during Daytime · Keep a steady schedule. To avoid sleep debt don’t work too many night shifts in a row. Choose less frequent rotations. If you have to rotate shift is better to do day-evening-nights than day-night-evenings as far as sleep is considered. · Prepare your sleeping area. It should be dark, quiet, cool, and comfortable. A basement is ideal. Block out light with foil, heavy curtains, or special “blackout” window shades. Eye shades and earplugs are great for those who are comfortable wearing them. · Make and keep rules about sleeping hours. Even young children can learn not to disturb you when you’re sleeping. Unplug the phone and turn down the doorbell. Develop a pre-sleep ritual (listening music, reading paper) · Watch what you eat and drink. Choose light, healthy snacks over big, greasy meals that are hard to digest. Stop drinking coffee at least four hours before going to bed. Don’t use alcohol to get to sleep. · Take naps. A three-hour nap before work is ideal if you didn’t sleep a full eight hours after work. Even a 10-minute nap can clear your brain and refresh you before work or the drive home. But keep short naps to 20 minutes. A sleep cycle lasts 90 minutes, and it’s best to wake up toward the beginning or end of a cycle. After about 25 minutes, most people go into deep sleep. Waking from a deep sleep can make you feel groggy or worse than when they lay down. · Be aware of your sleep debt. The less sleep you get, the more tired and prone to make mistakes you will be. · Minimize your risk: Take short naps, ride home in a car pool or stay in a motel, rotate routine duties, and ask co- workers to double-check your work. · The ability to adjust to shift work is different for every person. You may be happy working alternate hours or you may find it extremely frustrating. If you feel that your work hours are impacting your health and well-being, it may be time to consider changing your job. There are a number of ways employers can make workplace safer and more productive for shift workers.
Provide vending machines with healthy food choices. · Schedule shifts to allow sufficient breaks and days off, especially when workers are re-assigned to different shifts. Plan enough time between shifts to allow employees to both get enough sleep and also attend to their personal life. Don't promote overtime among shift workers. · Develop a napping policy. Encourage napping by providing a sleep-friendly space and time for scheduled employee naps. A short break for sleep can improve alertness, judgment, safety, and productivity. · Be concerned about employee safety going to and from work. Encourage the use of carpools, public transportation, rested drivers, and even taxis If you continue to have problem despite all these measures, contact your physician who may refer you to a sleep specialist. A common strategy used by physicians include use of a sleep aid to help you sleep during day time and a wakefulness promoting agent during night time. Any sleep related questions can be directed to him by e-mail at toledosleepdoc@gmail.com. |
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