Managing Shift Work Sleep Disorders Through Lifestyle Changes

There are a variety of natural remedies that can effectively help you to adjust your sleep cycle, enabling you to enjoy a complete and restful sleep without depending upon artificial sleep enhancers and suffering their associated risks. What’s more, most natural sleep remedies help you enjoy better sleep by helping to trigger the body’s natural sleep cycles rather than inducing an artificial sleep state.

As a shift worker, making some specific lifestyle adjustments and changes to your routine can have a significant impact on the quality of your sleep.

Establish a Regular Routine

Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is fundamental to achieving your goal of a sound period of restorative sleep. Whatever routine you choose, consistency is the key, as this helps to tell your subconscious that it is time to prepare for sleep.

Your bedtime routine should involve limiting dietary and mental stimulants like caffeine and television at least an hour before bed (if not more). Caffeine is a mild stimulant and the world’s most popular drug. A natural ingredient it is not only found in coffee, but is also present in significant quantities in tea and many types of cola, as well as in some root beers.

Small quantities of caffeine (two or three caffeinated drinks a day) will not do you any harm but, if taken in quantity, or too close to bedtime, you will find it difficult to get to sleep and, once asleep, will enjoy a lighter and less refreshing quality of sleep.

In addition, avoid anything that is likely to play on your mind such as balancing your check book, reading through a draft report in preparation for an important meeting or arguing with your partner.

You might also try taking a warm bath, using aromatherapy or listening to soothing music to help you relax and to induce the body’s natural urge to sleep.

Creating a restful, dark and cool bedroom environment is another component of a consistent, healthful sleep routine. In order to effectively manage your body’s circadian rhythms and sleep soundly during daylight hours, you need to make sure that your sleeping area is free from visual and aural stimulants like televisions, stereos, computers or radios (although an alarm clock is fine, of course!). You will also need to make sure that your bedroom is as dark as possible. Placing heavy drapes, combining both curtains and blinds or even hanging heavier blankets or window coverings may be necessary to obtain conditions that are as close to night-time as possible. If it proves difficult to shut all of the light out, then consider wearing eye shades.

If you have children or other family members at home during the time that you need to sleep, make sure that your bedroom is far enough away from the most active areas of the home – especially children’s play rooms or living rooms. You might even go so far as to establish “quiet hours” during the time that you need to sleep. Consider such things as switching off the phone and disconnecting the doorbell during this time and let friends and neighbors know your quiet hours so that they won’t be tempted call. Another useful aid can be the use of ear plugs or a “white noise” machine, such as a fan, to mask the noise outside.

Eating before you go to bed is fine, as long as you stick to a light snack that will satisfy your appetite and prevent you from waking through hunger. Avoid overeating though and steer clear of heavy or greasy foods that can cause digestive problems.

Also avoid exercise before going to bed. While exercise is excellent for your general health and fitness, it also stimulates your body and should not be undertaken within at least two to three hours of going to bed.

When to Sleep

One question that you may well be asking is just when you should sleep. Should you sleep straight after you finish your shift, two or three hours after finishing or as late as possible so that you wake up just in time to start work?

The simple answer is that it depends upon what works best for you and this is something that you will need to experiment with. The important thing to remember is that, whenever you choose to sleep, you should ensure that the environmental conditions are as good as you can get them and that you will be able to enjoy a full and uninterrupted period of sleep.

One point to note is that if you are ending a period of night shift work and moving back onto days it is generally best to take advantage of a full night of sleep prior to your day shift. In this instance therefore you should try sleeping for just a short period as soon as you come off nights and then stay awake all day, going to sleep again at your regular nightly bedtime.

The disruption to your sleep pattern brought on by shift work can be very marked and, despite your best intentions, taking the odd nap here and there might simply be unavoidable. If you do find that you need to take a nap then you should aim to nap for at least twenty to thirty minutes and ideally for about forty to sixty minutes. Naps of less than twenty minutes are likely to make you sleepier rather than help you through your shift.

Also, remember to allow sufficient time to wake up from a nap before attempting any sort of hazardous work. Finally, keep your napping to a minimum and don’t be tempted to use napping as a replacement for your routine period of sleep at home.

Let's move on to look at 7 tips for keeping alert at work. >>>