Sleeping tips to help night-shift workers
Many of us are concerned about the amount of sleep we do or don’t get. But spare a thought for the night-shift worker. How do they cope working during the hours our body clock is programmed to sleep?
Alertness, decision making, coordination and mood are all at their lowest point between 3 and 5 am.
After the shift, workers must try to sleep when their body clock is least conducive to sleeping, worsening fatigue and sleep disturbance.
A recent report linked night-shift work to occupational accidents, obesity and weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and breast, prostate and colorectal cancer.
A 2017 survey of 2,231 trainee anaesthetists found more than 70% reported fatigue serious enough to affect their physical and psychological wellbeing.
More than half had an accident or near-miss travelling home from night shifts.
It is also worth remembering that performance on night shifts drops with age and recovery time is longer.
Some of us handle sleep deprivation better than others but performance is undermined when you have two hours less sleep than required.
You can head this off with unrestricted sleep on the morning before the first shift and adding to your sleep time by napping during the afternoon. A pre-shift nap can improve alertness during the night shift, at least in a sleep lab.
Having to eat at the wrong time is always problematic because digestion follows its own body clock, decreasing during the night. This makes timing meals difficult for shift workers and it may be better to skip meals altogether.
To avoid a stomach upset it may be better to eat the main meal immediately before the night shift, then eat sparingly during the shift.
Helen Mckenna and Matt Wilkes writing in the British Medical Journal give these tips for night-shift workers.
Day of first night: Sleep till you wake naturally, avoid morning coffee, take a 90-minute nap between 2 to 6pm.
During night shift: Stay active, take naps of 10-20 minutes in the shift, drink coffee before napping and no more, build in checks during critical tasks for lowered alertness.
Last few hours and way home: Avoid coffee and cigarettes, and bright light (wear sunglasses even on a cloudy day), consider public transport rather than driving.
Days between night shifts: Get to sleep quickly by avoiding bright lights, screens, alcohol, sleep in a quiet, darkened room for as long as possible, any sleep is good.
Resetting after night shifts: Try a longish nap immediately after the shift, go outside after waking, go to bed close to the normal time, avoid daytime napping.