- 1. Sleep at the right time
- 2. Don't drink coffee 3 hours before bed
- 3. Ensuring quality sleep
- 4. Taking melatonin
- 5. Sleep during the shift
- 6. Eat well
- What can happen to shift workers
What you can do to improve the sleep of those who work in shifts is to maintain a regular pace of 8 hours of rest, using teas such as Valerian, which help to calm down when it is necessary to sleep, and consider the possibility of taking a supplement. called Melatonin, which does not induce, but improves the quality of sleep.
In addition, it is very important to eat between 5 to 6 meals a day, doing everything possible to ingest the maximum nutrients in each meal, but without overdoing the calories, to avoid weight gain and the risk of diabetes, which are more frequent in those who do not have regular times to eat, sleep and work.
Some tips to improve sleep and the quality of life of those who work in shifts are:
1. Sleep at the right time
As working hours normally vary from week to week, what you can do is to draw up a plan to know what time you should sleep, in order to guarantee the necessary rest for your body and mind. A good example of a plan is:
| Work shift | What time to sleep (8am) |
| When to work the morning or afternoon shift | Sleep at night, from 11 pm to 7 am. |
| When to leave the night shift | Sleep in the morning, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. |
| When to enter the Night shift | Sleep at least 3 hours in the afternoon before starting the shift |
| When you have time off | Sleep at night if the next day you work in the morning or in the afternoon |
After working the night shift, it is normal that even though you slept the recommended 8 hours, you wake up with sleep and remain a little more tired the next day, but that feeling disappears throughout the day.
A good strategy for resting and waking up vigorously is to wake up at the right time. So if you fall asleep fast and only wake up when the alarm goes off, set it to wake up 6 or 9 hours after falling asleep.
2. Don't drink coffee 3 hours before bed
Whenever it is close to your hour of rest, which can be in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the time you worked, avoid drinking drinks or foods that make it difficult to sleep such as strong coffee, chocolate, energy drinks or pepper, as they leave the person more awake and active.
These foods should preferably be consumed during the work shift to give more energy, but 3 hours before the shift ends, they should be avoided. See a complete list of these foods at: Sleep-depriving foods.
3. Ensuring quality sleep
Whenever possible, the ideal is to sleep at home and not at work, trying to prepare a dark, quiet and comfortable room, as this helps you fall asleep faster and avoids waking up several times while trying to sleep.
Taking a relaxing bath or having a juice or tea that has soothing properties can help. Good options are passion fruit juice, chamomile tea, lavender or valerian, for example. If you don't like or don't have time to prepare these juices and teas, you can choose to take a natural capsule remedy that contains these ingredients.
4. Taking melatonin
The melatonin supplement is a good option to help maintain restful sleep, this supplement works by improving the quality of sleep, but does not cause sleep. Usually a 3 or 5 mg pill before bedtime is sufficient to achieve good quality sleep, but although it can be purchased without a prescription, it should be used with caution because there may be drug interactions.
Melatonin is a good option for people who suffer from insomnia but do not want or cannot take drugs against insomnia because they can cause dependence.
5. Sleep during the shift
Some professionals, such as nurses, have the facility to be able to take a nap during the shift and this is a possibility when you are very tired and work permits. But when this is not possible, preparing in advance, sleeping at least 3 hours before starting work can help you stay awake.
6. Eat well
Proper nutrition is also important to stay awake when you need to work. Meals should be well distributed, and it is harmful to be pinching at all times. The last meal before bedtime should be light to avoid poor digestion and the feeling of a full stomach. The first meal after waking up should contain stimulating foods, like chocolate or coffee and bread or tapioca, for example. See How the night workers should be fed.
What can happen to shift workers
Those who work in shifts can have a lot of difficulty in maintaining certain times to eat or sleep and, therefore, they are more likely to suffer from:
- Sleep problems such as insomnia attacks or excessive sleepiness, which occur due to working hours coincide with the usual sleep phase, which can lead to the overuse of sleeping medications; Gastric problems that affect the stomach and intestines, such as gastritis or diarrhea, because they do not have regular meal times; Delayed menstruation due to hormonal changes; Psychological problems such as anxiety and depression; Heart diseases, such as heart attack and stroke; Type 2 diabetes and obesity; Cancer, mainly of the lung and breast.
In addition to these consequences, the lack of regular rest increases the risk of accidents and can disrupt family life and that is why it is so important to know what to eat and what time to sleep to ensure quality of life, reducing all these risks. Here are other strategies that may be helpful: The benefits of sleeping well.
See also some natural remedies that help improve sleep in the video:
