Surviving the night shift on a diet

culled from:tescohealthandwellbeing.com

Dieting is difficult for most people, but if you add to that the extra burden of fatigue, irregular sleeping and eating patterns, it can seem a daunting task.
When working the night shift there are two main aims from a nutritional point of view – to keep energy levels high during your shift and to avoid foods that will prevent you sleeping when your shift is over.

Exercise

Exercise improves sleeping patterns and boosts those endorphins that keep you feeling more alert.
Exercise before you go to work rather than after. Exercising just before sleeping can promote wakefulness due to the release of hormoones which increase the heart rate.

Eat little and often

You'll feel more sluggish and less alert if you have a big meal - energy is being used for digestion and less is available for the brain and muscles. Eating several smaller meals will also keep blood sugar levels more stable and will avoid the highs, which result in extreme alertness, and the lows, which result in fatigue and lack of alertness. Nuts, seeds, sandwiches, fruit, smoothies, soup all make quick and easy snacks.

Eat protein

Proteins tend to promote alertness, therefore eating high protein foods (like meat, fish, eggs, cheese and beans) during your shift work will keep you alert. On the other hand, if you are trying to sleep after your shift, have a small carb snack like toast or cereal.

Avoid sugar

These include chocolate and sweets, sugar in tea and coffee and highly refined and processed foods. These foods are very quickly metabolised and absorbed into the bloodstream. Blood glucose levels rise very quickly and within a very short time of ingesting these foods, you may feel quite alert and energetic. But the effect is very short-lived. Within an hour, blood sugar levels will decrease due to a rise in insulin levels and you will feel more fatigued than before.

Sample night shift snacks

• Soups
• Fruits, vegetables, salads - including bananas, apples, oranges, grapefruit, pears, berries etc.
• Yoghurt, milk (skimmed or semi-skimmed) and low-fat cheeses.
• Rice cakes, crackers, pretzels, bread sticks.
• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Toast, bread rolls, scones, pancakes, bagels

Sample night shift meals

• Baked potatoes (with cottage cheese, beans, cheese etc)
• Stew, shepherds pie, casseroles
• Sandwiches
• Salads
• Soups

Drink water

Drink lots of water. Sufficient water in the body improves alertness, while lack of water causes thirst, headaches, hunger and induces fatigue. Keep a bottle near you and sip it throughout your shift. This will hydrate you and keep you awake without the side effects of caffeine.
If you are having trouble staying alert, have a cup of tea or coffee. However limit your consumption to 1 or 2 cups per shift and try not to drink for a few hours before you are due to go to bed. Caffeine can interfere with your sleeping pattern.
Reduce your intake of liquids for the last 2 hours before the end of the night shift so that you have less need for elimination when you want to sleep during the day.