Nursing is challenging in itself without having to work the gruesome night shift. Healthcare is a sector that needs to be active 24/7; unfortunately, this translates into night shifts for most healthcare workers.
While some find this reversal of day and night easy to adjust to because they are naturally night owls, for others, it poses a severe problem for their personal and professional routines. Research by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that in 2019 that 15% of workers were working on irregular schedules, and 4% were working the night shift regularly.
Our internal clocks are programmed according to the regular day and night schedules and working night shifts disturbs the circadian rhythm. Night shifts can hurt your overall well-being unless you adjust your lifestyle accordingly and work on maintaining a healthy sleep and diet routine.
To tackle this challenge and adjust a healthy routine around this hurdle, the following are some valuable tips for night shift nurses:
Keep yourself busy
Night shifts are inevitably less busy and slower-paced than day shifts. When one’s sleep routine is already disturbed, it sure is appealing to waste away the extra time doing nothing or taking power naps.
It is a much better idea to spend this extra time catching up on remaining tasks so that you can get complete sleep after work. Catch up on incomplete documentation, stocking, or getting ready for the day.
This is also an excellent time to complete coursework if you are enrolled in some online MSN to DNP programs and continuing your education alongside your job. This flexibility in schedule is one of the perks of online courses, so avail this opportunity. Whatever you decide to do, avoid tedious tasks for this time because it is natural to feel sleepy.
Prioritize sleep
The biggest challenge for night shift workers is, of course, getting enough sleep. It is easy to neglect the importance of long-period sleep to replace the natural night-time sleep everyone needs. Before you dive into it, determine what sleep schedule works best for you and stick to this routine.
When night-shift workers attempt to get enough sleep during the day, it is undoubtedly quite challenging; the sun is out, and the world is awake. To get daytime sleep, it is a good idea to allocate a specific room that nobody enters, get blackout blinds to block out the sun, and ensure a comfortable environment.
It will be challenging to get your mind to sleep when it is naturally programmed to be up and active but don’t give up. Before bedtime, stop exposure to blue light – i.e., stop using any electronic devices – and practice relaxing activities like exercising or reading before bedtime.
Over time this will help adjust your internal clock – the circadian rhythm – and you will get used to sleeping during the day.
Eat healthily
People who habitually eat to stay awake find night shifts terrible for their health and fitness. You should have enough energy during the night shift to stay awake and alert, but you must also avoid heavy meals or sugar-rich foods. You are bound to feel hungry, so stock up on energy and protein-rich foods and steer clear of carbohydrates and excess sugars.
Protein-rich foods help keep you alert and avoid gaining too much weight. It is best to bring homemade meals to snack on during the shift and eat healthy before work. Larger meals during the shift will make you sleepy and less active.
Eating light is also recommended because you will likely sleep after the shift ends, and digestion will slow down. Your metabolism is also slow naturally during the night time. So steer clear of fatty foods like potato chips, fries, or other fried foods.
Monitor your caffeine intake
Coffee on a night shift is a true blessing; however, just as too much of anything is bad, too much caffeine can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule. When you go home, you should get good sleep, and taking too much caffeine during the shift makes it harder than it already is to fall asleep.
At least three to four hours before bedtime or before your shift ends, you should not take any caffeinated beverage, be it tea, coffee, or even soda. On average, your caffeine intake should not exceed 400 milligrams.
Ideally, have a coffee to start the shift fresh, eat healthy snacks, and drink water whenever possible.
Stay hydrated
It is proven that just 2% dehydration can cause severe impairment in attention, psychomotor skills, and memory. Even minor impairment in these cognitive skills is terrible for a healthcare worker because even small mistakes can cost a patient’s life here.
Besides hydration, water is essential for detoxification, regulating body temperatures, lubricating joints, protecting organs, ensuring optimal brain functioning, and much more. Adults need at least 9-12 cups of water or any hydrating fluid.
In professions as demanding as nursing, people tend to neglect personal hygiene and forget to take in enough fluids. To ensure proper hydration on your night shift, keep a water bottle by your side at all times, set goals, and replace sugary beverages with water or fresh fruits.
While the amount of water you need varies depending on your body mass, water loss, activity levels, and food intake, a good measure of whether you are getting enough fluids is the color of your urine. Darker urine with a strong odor can indicate dehydration. Watch out for such signs and closely monitor your fluid intake.
Include an outdoor activity in your routine
Sleeping during the day and being active only at night makes it easy to feel like you have wasted the entire day and gotten no sunlight. It is common for night shift workers to get no sunlight and hence not enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D is crucial for your immune system and bones. Night shift workers are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency than others. Make sure to include at least 30 minutes of outdoor activity when the sun is out, at least three times a week.
Final words
Night shifts can impact a nurse’s health and fitness if not managed properly. It is not easy to go against the body’s natural clock. If you are working night shifts, utilize your free time, eat healthily, monitor caffeine intake, stay hydrated, and get some sunlight.
It will take time, but your body will soon adjust to the changed routine.
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