Office work or night shift work or extended hours of work can have significant adverse effects on health of the worker. It is very natural that our body clock is attuned to let us be awake during the day and to sleep at night. Working through the night can wreak havoc on your body, weakening your immune system and causing low energy levels. It’s difficult for the body’s internal clock to adapt to shift work, and working nights can often cause insomnia and indigestion. It becomes even trickier if you have to switch between day and night shifts. So, if you are one of the many people that work in shifts, you need to follow some healthy tips to combat the damage it can do to your body. Good daytime sleep and healthy diet is very essential, if shift work is a necessary part of your work routine.
Tips to have a better sleep:
· Avoid stimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine, before bedtime. If you're working nights and need to sleep from morning until afternoon, you might try to avoid caffeine after midnight.
· Create a restful environment. To get uninterrupted sleep, turn off or unplug your phone and pull the drapes on the windows. Schedule meetings and other activities outside of your sleep period, and train your family and friends to leave you alone while you sleep.
· Take a short nap before your shift. Napping for up to 30 minutes just before work or on a break may increase alertness and enhance your performance, especially if your daytime sleep period was cut short. Keep it short, though. The longer you nap, the more likely you are to feel groggy afterward.
· Stick to the routine. Go to sleep as soon as you can after work. Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day helps promote good sleep. Be as consistent as possible, even on weekends and days off.
· Avoid the use of sleep aids. They are just a temporary solution and in the long run they could cause more problems. They are not actually helping your body clock to adjust, so talk to your doctor before using these.
Make healthy lifestyle choices:
· Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine.
· To maintain a nourishing diet, it’s vital to adjust your meal routine around your schedule.
· If exercise seems to energize you, plan to work out after you wake up rather than before you go to sleep.
· Resist the temptation to use tea, coffee, junk food or nicotine to stay awake or alcohol to get to sleep.
· Do not skip meals.
· To avoid taking in empty calories from vending machines or fast food, plan ahead. It is easy to eat to pass the time, but you’ll gain weight this way. Bring a healthy meal with you to work.
· If your job is majorly desk-based, your metabolism may slow down during those long periods of inactivity, and you may find few opportunities for exercise. Use whatever free time you do have during the day for active pursuits. Set aside part of your lunchtime for some form of exercise. Organizing work colleagues to join you once week/weekends at a nearby gym might help motivate you to maintain your own exercise. On other days of the week, try to do at least a 20-minute brisk walk. You could also set up some office teams for sports such as tennis or softball after work.
· If you work at your desk for most of the day and have a predictable work routine, you may become bored and use food as a diversion. Take regular breaks from sitting at your desk to stretch your muscles and refocus your eyes from the computer screen or paperwork. These measures not only relieve boredom but also help prevent problems such as repetitive strain injury. Try ways to vary your duties or responsibilities. This will relieve boredom and distract you from cravings for unhealthy snacks.
· Snacking often in between work is normally on junk or sweets which can quickly add calories. Try beverages such as herbal tea, fresh fruit juice, coconut water, buttermilk or mineral water as an alternative to junk food. If you must have a snack, make it a fruit, low-fat crackers, handful of nuts/dry fruits/roasted channa, khakhra, homemade poha/ kurmura chivda or plain popcorn. The natural sweetness of fruit will satisfy your craving for sweet foods, and also cut down on an excess of calorie and fat intake.
· Don’t eat a huge meal right at the end of your shift. It will just lead to trouble digesting as well as disrupted sleep. Your body will have difficulty burning these extra calories and they can turn to fat.
· Drink plenty of water throughout your shift. Dehydration can cause cramps and headaches and indigestion.
· Take foods rich in complex carbohydrates which provide energy over a long period of time rather than quick sugar bursts that won't last too long.
· Include protein rich foods to help repair you’re worn out muscles.
· It is important to avoid fatty and greasy food at night, and control the intake of spicy food.
· Eat a big meal at the start of your work schedule, and a moderate meal around midnight.
· Before going to bed in the morning, you can eat a regular breakfast meal in a small quantity. For example, cereals with milk and fruits or two phulkas with dal and vegetables should do. Alternately, you can also eat a light sandwich, to avoid adding on calories which don’t get burnt while sleeping.
We have to awaken to the reality that night shifts and late working hours is no longer for certain professions but it’s now commonplace with call centers, media industry etc on the rise. So instead of getting affected negatively it is better to look for a solution- “a behavioral and lifestyle change”- so that we are able to work in shifts or extended hours without compromising on our health.
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