A study indicates that a 2.5-hour nap (7:30 to 10:00 p.m.) taken before a simulated night shift improved alertness during the shift, compared with no nap. Taking a 3-hour nap (2 to 5 p.m.) produced higher alertness during a subsequent night shift, compared with no nap.
Having a lie-in on the morning before your first night shift and then having another few hours' sleep in the afternoon is a good way to try to minimise fatigue on the night shift.
Similarly, when you go home after a night shift, the cues from your internal body clock and daytime light exposure tell you to be awake and active. Adults need between 7–9 hours of sleep to function at their best.
The day of your shift, try to at least get seven to eight hours of sleep, waking up at least a couple of hours early to get your mind and body ready to tackle the night ahead.
Creating a sustainable sleep schedule can be important if you're working 12-hour shifts regularly. Eight hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep can help you feel well-rested and positive during your shift. If you have breaks that are at least 20 minutes long, you might also use this time to rest and reset mentally.
Experts recommend 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night for adults to achieve optimal health. Healthy night shift workers still require this recommended amount of sleep, despite working non-traditional hours.
One of the best tips for working the night shift and staying healthy is to prioritize exercise. As already discussed, night shift work may increase your chance of becoming overweight, and developing heart disease and diabetes. To help fight against these risks, you need to establish a consistent exercise program.
You should gradually delay your bedtime by one or two hours each night a few days prior to starting the night shift if possible. This will help you get enough rest and avoid sudden changes. Some rotating shifts are better for sleep than others.
Night shift work increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It disrupts the body's circadian rhythms—the 24-hour internal “clock” that controls when you sleep and wake. Studies have shown that eating at night alters the body's metabolism.
Based on the limited, existing literature, we recommend that in order to reduce the risk of injuries and possibly breast cancer, night shift schedules have: (i) ≤3 consecutive night shifts; (ii) shift intervals of ≥11 hours; and (iii) ≤9 hours shift duration.
Many times, though, switching to the night shift just takes practice. It's a skill like anything else, and the more you do it the easier it will become.
Go straight to bed after work.
As soon as your shift is over, make plans to go straight to bed. One of the triggers that keeps people awake is light, so it helps to decrease your light exposure at least 30 minutes before trying to sleep.
Natural rhythms. Poor scheduling, combined with unhealthy attitudes about the need for sleep, can cause major problems for night workers. That's because working at night runs counter to the body's natural circadian rhythm, says Charmane Eastman, PhD, a physiological psychologist at Rush University in Chicago.
Stick to a routine
Adhering to a routine benefits anyone when creating new habits. It's especially useful for night-shift workers when adjusting their body clock. Your circadian rhythm will only adjust well if you're consistently sleeping during the day and staying awake at night — this includes during your free time.
Due to sleeping during the day, night shift workers have to sleep during the normal rising phase of the circadian rhythm, and this prolongs the period of feeling wakeful. Environmental conditions such as lighting, and noise can also further disturb sleep and exacerbate the period of wakefulness.
The healthiest shift to work is the first shift.
That doesn't mean you'll always be unhealthy if you work the second or third shift, it's just far more difficult to create healthy rhythms with these schedules.
All three methods highlighted increased age acceleration per each year of overall or night-specific shift work, with the strongest association for ≥10 years of NS work.
During the shift, eat high-quality foods such as vegetables, salads, vegetable soups, fruits, wholegrain sandwiches, yogurt, cheese, eggs, nuts, and green tea.
It takes about 10 days for the body to adjust to night shift work. However, it is common for night shift workers to revert to daytime routines for a day or two during days off, which tends to make the circadian rhythm unstable. The amount of hours (8-hour versus 12-hour shifts) is also controversial.
Most healthy adult night shift workers, still require the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep despite working non-traditional hours.
Keep The Lights On During Your Night Shift
Melatonin levels rise while it's dark, as this is when we are supposed to sleep and fall during the day when the sun is shining. Night shift workers are confusing this fine-tuned routine, so we need to keep the lights on to trick the melatonin into thinking it's day time.
Having trouble getting that ideal 8 hours of sleep? So is everyone else. But there's some good news — you may only need 7 hours of it. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) have issued a new recommendation, saying seven is the magic sleep number for most healthy adults.