FALSE! We know a lot more now about the effects of lack of sleep on our health and the news is not pretty. First I have to recollect my own years of night shift nursing and the toll it took on me. Fighting to stay awake all night when my circadian rhythm was telling me to sleep, not thinking clearly enough during the night due to fatigue which could possibly lead to miscalculations, forcing me to take a sleep med daily so I could "sleep the daylight hours away", overwhelming desire to fall asleep as I drove home from work, and the disruption in my home and social life with me gone every night.
When you really spell it out, working nights is not healthy, puts nurses at great risk and we don't receive full disclosure of the risks when we take the job!
Did you know that there are a lot of quality of life benefits from getting a good night's rest?
- Cell renewal and rejuvenation
- Management of stress hormones
- Gut health
- Weight management
- Chronic disease prevention
- Cognitive functioning
Seems like sleep is pretty important, don't you think? On the other hand, this is what happens when you don't get enough sleep.
Shift Work and Long Hours
Shift work and long work hours increase the risk for reduced performance on the job, obesity, injuries, and a wide range of chronic diseases. In addition, fatigue-related errors could harm patients. Fatigued nurses also endanger others during their commute to and from work. Negative Impacts of Shiftwork and Long Work Hours : Rehabilitation Nursing Journal
Women who worked on rotating night shifts for more than five years were up to 11% more likely to have died early compared to those who never worked these shifts. Those working more than 15 years on rotating night shifts had a 38% higher risk of dying from heart disease than nurses who only worked during the day. Rotating night shifts were linked to 25% higher risk of dying from lung cancer and 33% greater risk of colon cancer death. The increased risk of lung cancer could be attributed to a higher rate of smoking among night shift workers.
The population of nurses with the longest rotating night shifts also shared risk factors that endangered their health: they were heavier on average than their day-working counterparts, more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure, and more likely to have diabetes and elevated cholesterol. Shift Work: Night Shifts Linked to Early Death | Time
When I worked full-time nights it was the only job available so I did not have a choice. But I never knew how at risk I was for health issues. My mother was a full-time night supervisor for over 30 years and her life was shortened by heart disease, diabetes and obesity which fits the above profile.
So how do we counter this situation? First step is to recognize we have a problem. To their credit, the ANA has a position paper with institutional recommendations. But the one that stands out for me is the recommendation that YOU have control over.
Employers should encourage nurses to be proactive about managing their health and rest, including getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day; manage stress effectively; develop healthy nutrition and exercise habits; and use naps according to employer policy.
This is where WELLNESS comes in, which is my life's work. I wonder if it is because of seeing my mother suffer from the health consequences of night nursing and I didn't want to go down that same path.
How To Get Better Sleep When You Work Nights
STEP 1 Assess whether you are a "night owl" or not and pursue the work hours most in line with your circadian rhythm.
STEP 2 Negotiate 8 hour shifts rather than 12 hour shifts. Negative Impacts of Shiftwork and Long Work Hours
STEP 3 Try to achieve uninterrupted sleep of 7-8 hours by:
- Darkening the room really dark
- Wear a mask over your eyes
- Turn on a white noise machine (like gentle rain) to drown out sounds that could wake you up
- Use Melatonin, your body's sleep hormone if you need a sleep aide
- Prepare for sleep by stopping caffeine 4 hours before you go to bed
- Indulge in a nice warm bath before you go to bed
STEP 4 Set a schedule for nighttime eating where you eat every 2 hours. Bring to work 2 healthy snacks and a big salad that is loaded with fresh vegetables, some fruit and protein (chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, cheese, etc). Stay away from processed foods and follow a low-glycemic eating plan to prevent weight gain. Here's a great website.
STEP 5 Enhance your nutrition with high quality supplements to give you more energy. Include multivitamin/multimineral combination, pure fish oil, vitamin D.
STEP 6 Drink 8 glasses of water during the night. The exercise you get going to the bathroom several times will keep you awake.
STEP 7 Create an exercise routine that you "love", energizes you, and you will do every day after you get up from sleeping. (Walking, Cardio, Stretching, etc.)
STEP 8 Meditate or do a moving meditation like Yoga or Tai Chi daily to get centered and reduce stress. Check out Tapping or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) which you can do in the night to manage stress.
STEP 9 Add fun to your day even at work to help your body release endorphins and you will feel better.
STEP 10 Write down everything you are grateful for at the end of each shift to ensure that you appreciate your accomplishments and start shifting your energy from stress and negativity to a more positive outlook - and that will help you sleep better too!
So what are you willing to do to get a better night's sleep? Or what are you already doing that is working? Please share.
