Sleeping during the day can be very challenging for some nurses. This article is filled with tips and ways I have been able to decrease the time it takes for me to fall asleep and increase the quality of sleep. Sleep is critical for your function and I hope one of these tips will make the difference for you.
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Night shift can be hard on our ability to get a high quality sleep. Sleeping during the day can inhibit our ability to sleep deeply with the extra light, distractions, and noises we may have to contend with. I have been a bedside nurse for the last decade and four of those years have been night shifts. I typically sleep from 9 a.m. or 930 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 330 p.m. in the afternoon. On your days off it can be a difficult to get your sleep patterns back to normal so you are able to enjoy your time off more and not be up at 4 a.m. wide awake while your loved ones are sleeping. Today, I want to share with you five ways to get your sleep pattern back to a normal one as quickly as possible.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
First and foremost make sure you are eating right by consuming whole foods and minimizing the processed food in your diet. Minimize your emotional stress and have a consistent exercise routine as a part of your health program. This will allow your body to be more resilient to the stress placed on it by not sleeping during the day.
Go to bed once you get home
I know it is tempting to stay up and get things done once you get home from work but my experience has shown me the longer I stay up the more difficult it is to get to sleep. Don't be tempted to start doing things just because you "feel" awake. Go ahead and lay down and allow your body to prepare itself for rest and you should fall asleep shortly after that. If this is not the norm for you, it may take a few times for you to be successful at this.
No exercise after your shift
For some this may be a great time to exercise but it is bad for the quality of your sleep. I think quality of sleep ranks highly over exercising in the first place. They really are both essential but without proper sleep you will eventually not be able to exercise effectively. Exercise actually speeds up your resting heart rate and you want it to slow down which will enable your body to prepare itself for sleeping. I exercise when I get up in the afternoon around 4pm. I usually will go for a walk and soak up some sun rays and then do some weight lifting at home or the gym before I go to work. This will allow you to feel alert and energized going into work. Exercise has also been proven to help you sleep better in general.
Minimize coffee and any liquid after 5am
Personally, coffee does not affect my ability to be able to go to sleep but it does affect my ability to stay asleep. Also, it will make me very likely have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the day. This can inhibit the quality of your sleep and make it likely for you to stay up due to not being able to go back to sleep. Make sure when you wake up in the afternoon that you drink eight to sixteen ounces of high quality water to rehydrate your body.
Minimize use of sleep aids
It is tempting to depend on pharmaceuticals for helping us to go to sleep at our convenience. I would encourage you to not use drug sleep aids since they are really only for short-term use and will not work eventually. Also, the quality of sleep you receive is questionable. Just because you are "out" does not mean your body is in a deep, restoring level of sleep. You can try to rub some lavender essential oil on the bottom of your feet and this may help as a more natural sleep aid.
Some other things you can do are keep the room you are sleeping in between 68 and 72 degrees. Wear a comfortable eye mask and make sure your room is as dark as possible. Have a quiet environment to sleep in with no pets in the bed with you. Keep off the electronic devices before trying to go to sleep in the morning. Finally, let your friends and family know it is important for you to not be disturbed while sleeping and to respect that. They can wake you but only if totally necessary. Following these principles has allowed me to be able to go to bed around 1030 p.m. to 11 p.m. the night after my last night shift. In other words, I slept during the day about six hours and am able to fall asleep a decent time that night and awaken refreshed in the morning. Long-term the best thing would be to switch to day shift but that has its draw back and inconveniences I know.
Hope this helps and would love to hear what has worked for you.
