7 tips to surviving night duty

After years of shift work I have been lucky enough to be able to say goodbye to night duty 🤗

I’ve done permanent nights, split nights, 12 hour nights, 8 hours nights, mummy nights and it doesn’t matter how you do them, they are a killer! 😴

But unfortunately for some of us nights are part of our reality. So here are my hot tips on how to get through night duty, whatever that looks like for you...

1. Water 💦

If you’re not drinking plenty of water on night duty you’re setting yourself up for failure. Dehydration leads you fatigue as it impacts the flow of oxygen to our brain and causes your body to work harder to oxygenate the rest of body making you feel tired and less alert. So drink plenty of water throughout the night. Also hot tip, drink some lemon water 🍋💧as soon as you wake as this helps to combat the dehydration caused during sleep.

2. Caffeine ☕️

I know caffeine is pretty much a necessity for night shift workers! I LOVE 💕 coffee so I wouldn’t dream of saying NO COFFEE 😳 However, there is a right way to do it. Firstly if you’re going to have caffeine avoid combining it with sugar. Sugar will add to dehydration and cause your blood sugar to be unstable and cause a quick burst of energy following by a big crash, not ideal. So avoid fizzy caffeinated drinks as these will play havoc with your blood sugar and ultimately cause increased fatigue. What you want to achieve is the lasting effect of the caffeine. The best way to do this is by combining it with good fats. When fats are added to the caffeine the body can only actively metabolise the caffeine as fast as it can metabolise the fat. This prolongs the metabolism of the caffeine causing the effect to be longer lasting and more stable. Some suggestions on how to do this by adding full cream milk or even MCT coconut oil to your coffee. Also be strategic about when you drink coffee. Avoid having any caffeine towards the end of your shift as this will mess with your much needed sleep!

3. Sleep 🛏

You don’t just need sleep, you need good quality sleep. There a few ways to achieve this, first plan to decrease the risk of interruptions to sleep. Let loved ones know you are are on nights and will be sleeping, have a back up plan for emergent calls, divert your phone to someone who can take the calls for you if someone needs to get hold of you (like if you have kids tee up the grandparents, nanny, partner, friend) and put a sign on your door “night shift worker sleeping (although I’ve found this less of an issue as most people don’t stop by unannounced anymore). Second, prepare the optimal sleeping environment, block out curtains, perfect temperature (optimal sleeping temperature is around 20 degrees), noise reduction (earplugs if necessary), and face mask (if the light is still to much). Also, its important to set yourself up for the perfect sleep and eliminate blue lights. The blue light from tablets, phones, TV’s will stimulate you and cause you to have an interrupted sleeping pattern as it cause havoc with your circadian rhythms, so try to avoid looking at these immediately before sleeping.

4. Food 🍎

The type of food you eat is really important and can have a big impact on your ability to get through nights well. Sugary and foods high in carbohydrates will cause your blood sugar to be unstable and create crashes in energy throughout the night so avoid these types of foods. Your body isn’t use to eating during this period of the day so it may not like anything to heavy. Try keeping it light and full of whole foods, this will be easier to digest. Avoid inflammatory foods such as spicy foods or fatty foods as they may lead to indigestion, bloating or discomfort. Eating a good meal full of good fats, protein and carbohydrates prior to your shift will limit your cravings to snack and give you the energy to get through the night. Its also important to plan and prepare your meals prior to starting night shift. When we are tired or unmotivated we tend to make poor choices and reach for foods that will take even more energy from us rather than give us energy.

5. Movement 🤸‍♂️

Now I am the first person to admit that the idea of hitting the gym during night duty makes me tired just at the thought of it. While this definitely works for some it has never been something I could motivate myself to do. However, it is beneficial to add some movement to your day when on night duty to help boost your energy levels. The best way to incorporate some movement that you are most liking to do it by creating your own movement menu. A movement menu is a list of inspiring movement options for different fitness/energy levels and time constraints. When you have an inspiring menu of options for movement ready and in view (on your refrigerator or), you are far more likely to get moving. So pick your favourite types of movement and start making a list. Some example from mine include yoga, walk outside, swimming with the kids, dancing in the living room with the kids or even housework (although this was very rarely one I chose on nights).

6. Fun 🤹🏻‍♀️

This is by far one of the biggest keys to making it through night duty! Have some fun! Whatever that looks like for you, incorporate it into your day between sleeping and working. If all you are doing is working and sleeping for days on end you will find yourself feeling unmotivated and lethargic. It is important to add the things you value the most into each day to maintain your flow, this is never more important than during nights. So catch up with friends for a movie, a bit of shopping (much easier now that the shops are generally open later) even online shopping works for some, play games wiht the kids, have a date night with hubby (although it may need to be a early bird special), board games with the family or even a BBQ with friends will help to keep you uplifted and in a state of flow.

7. Avoid alcohol 🍷

Alcohol will lead to increased dehydration which is what we want to avoid during nights. Although it may be appealing to try it to help you sleep it will ultimately do the opposite. Alcohol has shown to lead to disruption in the REM cycle causing disruption to effective sleep patterns causing fatigue. So while it may help you to fall asleep quicker it won’t help with your overall sleep quality. If you want to have a drink, save it for when you are finished your night shift as a little celebration.