5 Tips for maintaining health for those of you who work the night shift

Sometimes your profession demands night shift work such as doctor, nurse, flight attendant, pilot, driver, factory employee, journalist, printing staff, security guard, or 24 hour shopkeeper. According to the National Sleep Foundation, this work time is often associated with a number of health problems such as an increased risk of metabolic problems, heart disease, indigestion, obesity, and cancer.

Night shift work can also interfere with the body's ability to repair DNA damage. Apart from that, the level of melatonin in the body also decreases, this is a hormone that is responsible for regulating the body's biological clock.

However, you can still keep your body healthy during night shift work by making some lifestyle changes. Here are tips for staying healthy while you work the night shift.

Tips for staying healthy during night shift work

Everyone has a different way of doing night shift work. So, implementing the following strategies can help you deal with mental or health problems while working night shifts and ensure you get enough sleep.

1. Set sleep patterns

Night shift work means you have to stay up at night. Even though at night, the body releases the hormone melatonin, which makes you sleepy and less alert. The reason is, your body is designed to sleep at night.

Adults usually need between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Any less, you will experience "sleep debt." The only way to pay back your sleep debt is to catch up on the sleep you missed, and this should be done as soon as possible.

Try these steps to maintain your sleep pattern:

• Don't put off sleeping. If you have time and are sleepy, go to sleep.
• Take about 7 to 9 hours of sleep after night shift work.
• Eat and drink before going to bed, because for some people feeling hungry or thirsty can make you sleep poorly.
• Don't drink alcohol before bed. Alcohol can reduce sleep quality and interfere with sleep, which will leave you feeling unrefreshed the next day.
• Don't smoke before bed. Nicotine is a stimulant that makes it difficult to sleep.
• Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool. Use earplugs to block out daytime noise and put up dark curtains to prevent sunlight from entering the room.
• Tell friends and family about your work hours so they don't interfere with your sleeping hours.

2. Set a healthy diet

A person who works night shifts is more likely to experience metabolic syndrome and is at increased risk of obesity due to poor diet and disruption of the body's biological clock.

Planning your diet can help you stay healthy during night shift work and relax more when you need sleep. Here are some ways you can do it.

• Keep eating the same diet as your lunch pattern during the day.
• Often eat healthy snacks to avoid feeling drowsy due to satiety.
• Choose foods that are easy to digest such as bread, rice, pasta, salads, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid foods that are difficult to digest such as fried, spicy, and processed foods.
• Avoid sugary foods. Although sugary foods can provide energy, they can also lower energy quickly.
• Snack on fruit and vegetables. Sugar from fruit and vegetables is converted slowly into energy and both are important sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
• Drink enough while you're at work to maintain physical and mental performance, but don't hold back urinating before bed.

3. Take a nap

Naps are an important thing to do for night shift work. While taking a short nap before you start working hours can help deal with fatigue. Break time during work is important to keep your body healthy.

Naps have been shown to increase and restore brain power. Getting at least 45 minutes of sleep during breaks from work will make you feel fresher. Even a 20-45 minute nap has been shown to be beneficial for shift workers to relieve fatigue.

Ideally, naps shouldn't exceed 45 minutes for maximum benefits. More than that, you might wake up dizzy or irritable.

4. Manage your shift schedule

Maybe in some workplaces, the shift schedule has been determined by the company. However, you may decide some others yourself.

If you can determine your work shift schedule. Try not to work night shifts for consecutive hours. You may become increasingly sleep deprived during the few nights at work. You're more likely to recover if you can limit night shifts and schedule days off in between.

5. Limit consumption of coffee

Caffeine is a stimulant. Most people drink coffee to start their work day. When you consume coffee according to your daily dose or not in excess, it will help you stay awake during night shift work.

However, if you consume caffeine or coffee in excess, it can actually cause indigestion and muscle spasms.

Coffee consumption should be stopped about 6 hours before bedtime to ensure that the stimulants do not affect your sleep.