Working abnormal shift patterns can disrupt your routine, which makes it difficult to make healthy choices and maintain positive behaviours such as exercise and eating a healthy diet.
This is attributed to disruptions in the body’s ‘circadian rhythm’, which is essentially an internal clock regulated by the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating the release of hormones which either stimulate us to be more awake or sedate us to feel more sleepy. This is also referred to as the sleep / wake cycle.
External factors also play a role. When it's dark, our body secretes the hormone melatonin to help us feel tired and drift off to sleep. When it's light, our body will have low levels of melatonin, which will help us stay awake.
This is why shift working potentially poses a risk for health, as it may disrupt our natural sleep / wake cycle.
But not to worry, this doesn’t mean that good health is out of your reach! See below our top tips for helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle around your shift patterns.
Nutrition
Eat three meals a day as you would if you were in a conventional sleeping pattern. If you need a snack, choose low-carbohydrate options such as nuts, seeds, boiled eggs, or vegetables and hummus.
Eat according to the time of day: breakfast foods in the morning, and lunch and dinner foods in the afternoon and evening. This may mean you’re effectively eating porridge with berries and seeds for your ‘dinner’ after a night shift, but it will help you maintain a level of normality.
Eat mindfully and listen to your hunger cues, ensure you're eating enough to avoid feeling hungry in between meals
Stay hydrated, aim for 2L (or 68 oz) of water a day
Consuming caffeine can help improve your level of alertness during your shift, but we recommend that you avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before your planned bed-time
Plan and prepare: It's likely you may feel more tired than the average person, and this may affect how motivated you feel to make meals around your shift work. So do your best to allocate time once a week to plan your meals and batch cook where possible.
Exercise
The same guidelines apply as to traditional sleeping patterns; aim to achieve your minimum target of 150 minutes a week through a combination of aerobic and anaerobic training as well as lifestyle activities
Avoid exercising within 2 hours of your planned bed-time, as this may make it harder to fall asleep
Exercising before or during your shift (in your break for example) may provide you with an extra energy ‘boost’ to help you through. Even a brisk 20-minute walk may help to boost your energy levels.
Sleep
If you have rotating shifts, see if these can be rotated less frequently (at least 2 weeks at a time), which will allow you more time to adjust to the different schedule
If possible, try to rotate your shifts clockwise, e.g. extending time awake rather than cutting it short. This helps to make the move less disruptive. For example, move from daytime shifts, to evening shifts, and then nightshifts.
The longer the shift, the longer the recovery period needed. If your shift lasts longer than 8 hours, it’s typically associated with more sleepiness. Where possible, try to make sure you’re getting adequate rest and breaks from work - even when doing the longer shifts.
Do you find you’re naturally a morning or evening person? If possible, try aligning when you work with this preference. For example, taking on more early morning or evening shifts.
If you have a few days break before your shift change, slowly change when you go to sleep to gradually move towards the times you’ll need to sleep for your shift
Taking naps before your shift can help to reduce sleepiness. It’s advised to keep these no longer than 30 minutes.
If you’re working nights, you might find it helpful to wear sunglasses when you leave in the morning. Daylight is a signal to the body to stay awake, so by dimming this light it helps you to better prepare for sleep.
It can be helpful to avoid having clocks that you can see when you’re trying to fall asleep, as this can lead to anxiety about the amount of sleep / rest you’re getting
Use blackout curtains, eye masks, and ear plugs if you’re in a noisy environment or when needing to sleep during the day
Mental health
Light therapy: This involves the use of specially designed 'light boxes' that expose you to artificial light. Alongside being used as a treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), light therapy has also been shown to help your body establish a better sleep / wake cycle when working abnormal shift patterns (particularly night shift workers). Light boxes can be purchased relatively cheaply online.
Socialize: Many shift workers may fall out of step with their friends and relatives due to a difference in working patterns. However, socializing is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps you could arrange to meet a friend for a decaf coffee after your shift ends and before theirs starts?
Relax and unwind: Modern life is stressful, try to make time for relaxing activities such as reading, having a long bath, watching a movie with a friend or relative, or meditation
Remember that if you feel your shift work is having a negative impact on your health and wellbeing, to reach out to your doctor and / or discuss this with your employer.