5 sleep tips for nocturnal NZ workers
1 Be disciplined about getting enough sleep. Between seven and nine hours every 24 hours is ideal.
2 Keep meal times linked to normal daytime hours as much as possible, no matter what shift you’re working. Don’t be tempted to have breakfast at 2am if that’s when you start work.
3 Start darkening the room an hour before bedtime; turn off computers and phones, get rid of noise and use black-out curtains.
4 Avoid the temptation of socialising when you should be sleeping. Keep your sleep ‘ bank balance’ topped up.
5 Taking brief naps (less than 30 minutes) or a 90-minute sleep will help but ‘rest’ does not replace sleep.