The science of sleep
You have an internal clock in every cell of your body which is controlled by the light levels in your surroundings. Many night shift workers feel out of sync because the daylight and their body clocks tell them to stay awake when they feel most tired.
It's not just about "rest". We can't survive without sleep. It serves other important functions such as: Anabolic and metabolic processes:
- Build repair, restore.
- Learning and memory consolidation
- Central nervous system waste disposal
- Some areas of the brain are particularly active when we sleep
When we get out of sync with our circadian rhythm (body clock), we can experience difficulties with sleep and other biological processes, such as hormones. This kind of disruption is similar to the experience of 'jet lag'.
1) Chronotype
It's in your genes! Everyone has their own chronotype - the body's system that decides when it is the best time for you to sleep. Your chronotype will influence how easily you can adapt to working nights. Knowing your chronotype will help you understand and explain your experience of working night shift. Your chronotype changes with age - it moves later when you are a teenager and begins to revert back after 21. By 55 your clock will be the same as when you were 10 years old.
Being an evening type has been connected with creativity and being an extrovert - these people tend to like socialising and are less keen on spending time alone.
Being a morning type has been associated with conscientiousness and agreeableness - these people tend to be vigilant, duty focused, well organised and kind.
Men are more likely to be extreme evening types.
The effects of working night shift might be alleviated by exposing yourself to bright light at the start of and during your shift. Getting some sleep just before the start of your shift can also help. You could do this by sleeping in two blocks, which is thought to be better for night shift workers:
Have your first sleep straight after getting home from your shift
Wake up and spend time doing things during the day.
Have your second and ideally longer sleep in the late afternoon, waking shortly before work.
Because of how our body's sleep cycles work, your 2nd sleep block should ideally be either 90 minutes or 3 hours long to give you the best chance of waking feeling refreshed.
2) Environment
Improve your sleep quality by making your own sleep haven and following a sleep routine. To get the best quality sleep possible, make sure that your bedroom environment is right.
Follow a few simple rules and your sleep should improve. Make sure you don't get overstimulated before it's time to go to sleep.
The blue light from phones and screens can keep you awake, so keep your space free of electronic devices.
If you can't sleep don't lie in bed frustrated - follow the quarter of an hour rule. If you are't asleep within around 15 minutes of going to bed, get up, move to another room and go through your wind down routine until you are feeling sleepy and ready to return to bed. Don't clock watch though, just estimate a quarter of an hour. If you find that your mind is racing when you head to bed try writing your thoughts down to get them out of your head and practice relaxation exercises.
For people who find it really hard to sleep:
- Establish a proper wind down routine
- Set time aside, ideally around 90 minutes for doing something relaxing and enjoyable
- Get into night clothes
- Relax and read
- NO blue light
- Do progressive muscle relaxation exercises
- Listen to music
- Only use bed for relaxation, sleep and sex!
Ideally your sleeping space should be as dark as possible. We sleep better at slightly cooler temperatures, so the space should not be too hot. Getting the light, temperature and comfort levels right are all very important.
3) Light
You have an internal clock in every cell of your body which is controlled by the light levels in your surroundings.
This system affects your body and mind - from your blood pressure to your heart rate, to your hormones, behaviour and mood - EVERYTHING! The main sensors for light levels are in your eyes which automatically communicate to whole body, through the brain.
Blue light is the end of the spectrum that wakes you up - emitted by sunlight, but also mobile phones and computer screen. Orange light is the end of the spectrum that will encourage sleepiness.
4) Mental Health
Not getting the sleep we need can have a major impact on our well-being and outlook on life. If you notice that your mood and motivation aren't great, try working on your sleep.
About 1 in 4 adults in the UK are currently struggling with symptoms of insomnia, trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep or waking up too early.
Learning to identify these responses is key to changing them and getting things back on track. Healthy sleep is crucial to ensuring that we are able to function at our best, both emotionally and physically. When we're sleep deprived, we often find it more difficult to manage life's challenges effectively, and can respond in ways that may further increase the problem. This in turn, can affect our ability to 'switch off' and get the sleep we need.
The relationship between sleep and mental health is complex, but we know that consistently disturbed sleep can put a strain on our bodies and minds and lead to both physical and mental health problems.
Around 1 in 4 night and rotating shift workers are likely to experience symptoms of excessive sleepiness when they are awake, or insomnia when trying to sleep.
Daily exercise is good for sleep and mental health. However, when we're feeling low in mood or motivation, or are sleeping badly, it can be hard to make ourselves exercise. Keep up the exercise and it will help things stay on track. People with insomnia are 10 times more likely to have clinically significant depression and 17 times more likely to have clinically significant anxiety than those without insomnia.
Most of us wouldn't ignore symptoms of physical health problems. However, many of us feel like we need to 'stick it out' when it comes to poor sleep. If you notice that your sleep is affecting your mood and functioning, seeking help is a sensible thing to do.
5) Diet and exercise
Eating specific foods may increase your levels of sleepiness or help sustain your energy to stay awake. Choosing the right time to exercise can make a big difference to managing night shifts.
Exercise can be beneficial for sleep, as well as general health. Exercising before sleep might make you more tired, and aid sleep, or might energise you and make sleep more difficult. The best time for exercise will vary by person, so try it at different times to find out what works for you!
However, try to introduce 30 minutes of light cardio (walking or jogging) every day. Ideally do this exercise before work as this can stimulate your body clock and make you feel more alert.
Understand the effect of and limit your consumption of stimulants to improve sleep quality. Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours - do not drink this towards the second half of your shift. Learn where the 'hidden caffeine' is and avoid it. Caffeine is in tea (including green tea), chocolate, energy drinks, cold and flu remedies, fizzy drinks, decaffeinated coffee/tea, some workout supplements/bars, coffee/chocolate flavoured items (including cereals).
Foods such as walnuts, milk, peanut butter, bananas, broccoli, chicken and cherries can be used to make the darkness hormone melatonin that induces the body to enter a rest state. Foods that contain serotonin can help us feel more relaxed and fuller for longer. Good choices would be sweet potatoes, brown rice, porridge oats, baked beans, wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta, shredded wheat and oatcakes.
Learning to eat the right things at the right time can make a significant difference to your long-term health. Digestion can top you sleeping, so eat light meals and foods that may promote sleepiness for your final meal before bed after work. Think wholegrain cereal with milk and banana. Or peanut butter on an oat cake.
Night working affects the hormones in your body, making you crave sweet, fatty and high energy foods in the middle of the night when your body is least able to deal with them.
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