In this ever advancing
globalizing world, where all the countries strive to come together with each
other, shifts are a very common phenomenon. These are based on the time
differences in different countries and therefore, give rise to night shifts.
Apart from these, other jobs which include shift duties are nursing, security, and
factory and health workers. The biggest concern of these workers is their sleeping
disorder due to odd timings of their duty hours. There are high chances of
facing problems like memory loss or facing difficulties focusing on anything.
They start facing many health concerns and don’t even find any ways to overcome
it. Also, some of them may also suffer due to change in their duties weekly. This may be because of an irregular pattern to
which their bodies may not be able to adapt in such a short span of time. The
most common problems being, heart diseases, ulcers, insulin resistance, etc. Here
we would discuss some health tips that would help you adjust your body
according to your duty requirements.
Avoiding Energy Drinks:
Opting for energy drinks, going
high on caffeine may surely keep you awake in the night, but would harm your
health. Consuming tea or coffee may instead prove a better alternative.
Drinking as much water to keep you awake is the best way. Apart from helping
you stay awake, it will keep the body properly hydrated, as well.
Modifying the body clock:
The best alternative or, must say one of the best health tips is to modify your body clock. Generally, we tune our body to sleep at night and stay awake during the day, which is quite obvious. But, considering that the working hours vary from others, it is always recommended to adjust as per the new timings. It would be a bit difficult initially, but would get into your schedule gradually, making you feel comfortable.
Going for a change in diet
is the obvious and one of the easiest ways to keep you healthy. Having a heavy
food during night hours is not a good option. Try going for a meal by 8pm and light,
powered and nutritious meal between 12am to 6am. This would be beneficial for
you.
Avoid Snacks:
You may definitely be
tempted to have junk food like chips, fried stuff and other unhealthy foods.
But you should always avoid having this junk stuff during your shift as the
body would not be able to digest it. You can instead go for consuming fruits,
nuts and other healthy and light foods, which may be nutritious and easy to
digest, as well.
Steady Rotations in Work:
For a job with rotation or change in shift
every week, it would be a bit difficult for your body to adapt itself so
frequently. Therefore, it becomes important that your schedule lasts at least
for a few months before the next shift changes, so that you can adjust your
body clock accordingly. This way the body gets perfect time to adjust in terms
of eating habits, sleeping and performing to its best and this would also help you
stay healthy and fit.
Posture at Work:
This is one of the most important
factors for good health, though ignored most of the times. Keeping your eyes stuck
on the computer screen for long hours may cause irritation in them. Therefore,
make sure to stray your eyes away from the screen at least for 5 minutes every
45-50 minutes. Slouching your back while working is another harmful posture
that ruins your back and causes back pain. Make a habit of sitting upright and
take a walk every hour to get the body exercised and muscles relaxed. Keeping a
cushion to relax your back at work is also a good alternative.
These are some tips that
will help you complete your night shifts with ease and with little stress on
your body and health, as well.
