It is 8’ o clock, your kids are busying finishing their homework and your wife and parents are enjoying the TV soap. The whole family is together and relaxing but you are getting ready to leave for the work and start your day.
Night shift is becoming a common phenomenon now a day. Gone are the days when people only used to work from 9 am to 5 pm. Today there are jobs which need the employees working in night shifts too. What is most neglected by these night shifts people is their health.
Problems with night shifts
Health issue is the main reason for people to abhor night shift. Our body clock is set to work in the day and sleep in the night. In night shift these body clock have to work in an opposite way. Many people find it easy to deal while others find difficulty in working in night shifts. There are number of problems which are common in every person who works in night shift.
Let’s have a look at the health problems which people working in night shift face.
- Sleeping problem: This is the most important problem to deal for those who work in night shifts. It takes lot of time to adjust body’s clock timing to sleep in the day and work in the night. Not all people find it easy to handle while the nocturnal won’t find any issues with it.
- Weight problem: Many people tend to put on weight due to over eating during night shifts. There is also set of people who find it hard to maintain regular weight because of erratic eating habits.
- Stomach disorders: Working in night shifts invites host of stomach related problems like stomach burn, digestion, constipation, acidity, heartburn etc. All these problems if once show there occurrences are difficult to deal with.
- Stress: A person working in night shift is constantly faces lot of stress. He has pressure to perform better, deal with family and managing health issues leaves him with lot of stress bothering him.
- Heart Diseases: Working in night shift can have very bad effect on the heart. Many research studies have shown that people working in night shifts are prone to heart diseases, blood pressure and diabetes.
- Emotional & Behavioral Problems: Nobody likes to work in the night when all the dear ones are sleeping. A person is bound to show behavioral problems because of his work pattern. He may also go through emotional stress if he fails spend quality time with his family members.
You cannot leave your job because you need to work in night shifts or grave yard shifts. Nobody likes having so many problems because of working in night shifts. The only solution to deal with the above problems is to act smart and learn ways to manage the above problems.
Managing Sleep Problem
Sleeping in the day time is not as easy as it seems. Our body has internal biological clock which makes us work in the day and sleep in the night. People working in night shifts have to do the opposite. We all are habituated to sleep in the night and work in the daytime. It is no doubt going to be difficult initially but then after few days you will adjust to your day sleeping pattern. But you can manage this with taking care of few things which are as follows:
- Whenever you sleep, ask your family member to make less noise. Ask children to watch TV with low sound.
- Also make it a point that no one enters the room when you’re sleeping or keep the entry into the room very minimal.
- You can create a perfect atmosphere by putting thick dark colored curtains, as we all are used to sleep in dark rooms. You can also use eye mask to avoid the light during day time.
- Make sure that you eat properly before you sleep so that you don’t get up in the middle of your sleep. A sound 6 to 8 hours sleep is very essential before going to the shift.
- If you have inadequate sleep, you will have headaches, irritation, poor concentration at workplace, acidity etc. So a good sleep plays very important role in keep in the mind fresh and to carry other body functions smoothly.
- Switch off your mobile phone as this can cause disturbance while you sleep.
- It is strictly not advisable to pop sleeping pills to get sleep without doctor’s prescription.
