February 28, 2019
Staying Healthy While Working The Night Shift
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t turn off after dark. There is a need for continued coverage for all types of services throughout the night whether it be for an emergency or even just a late night craving at a 24hr coffee shop. The reality is that there will always be a need for people to work the night shift.
Working the night shift is unfortunately hard on your body in many ways. It contributes to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. It also disrupts the circadian rhythms and depletes vitamins as well as taxes the adrenal glands. Working nights is also associated with increased rates of breast, skin and gastrointestinal cancers in women and colon, pancreatic, lung, bladder, prostate and rectal cancers in men.
By paying attention to eating habits and nutrition as well as taking certain vitamins could help you ensure you remain healthy and can also be beneficial to your job performance.
Vitamin D
Considering that a shift working does not see much sunlight this is important to replenish. Vitamin D deficiency can be a serious threat to the health of night shift workers. The D vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps regulate calcium metabolism and normal calcification of the bones in the body. Not only does it work with calcium to promote strong bones, but it is also involved in cell production, immune function and reduction of inflammation. Low levels of D may be linked to colon, prostate and breast cancers. On days off try getting outside to enjoy some sunshine, you really only need about 15 minutes to get your Daily Requirement Intake of Vitamin D. Daily Recommended intake of vitamin D is 600 IU for all adults and good food sources for Vitamin D fish, fortified milk, egg yolks, butter and liver.
Melatonin
The hormone that regulates wakefulness, can be carcinogenic if suppressed. In people not working nights, melatonin increases a few hours before bedtime when the body is preparing for sleep. Levels remain high at night, decreasing in the morning and remaining low for the rest of the day. If you are exposed to light during the evening or night, your body’s ability to make melatonin can be suppressed. This type of disturbance in melatonin production can cause result in disturbed daytime sleep, decreased nighttime alertness and productivity as well as contributing to other health conditions. Taking melatonin supplements about a half hour before you go to bed is beneficial for night workers due to the low melatonin production during the day and can help to adapt our bodies to this sleep cycle. Should you not consistently work a night shift, allow your body the chance to produce its own melatonin on your nights off by ensuring you are winding down properly and not exposing yourself to anything that might hinder this natural melatonin production.
Multivitamins
Taking a high-quality multivitamin may be a good supplement to your diet. They provide at least the daily value for most nutrients although may not provide enough vitamin D for night shift workers. With doctor permission, you can take both a multivitamin and vitamin D supplement.
B Vitamins
They are required to offset the effects of the night shift. Vitamins B6 and niacin help the body to produce tryptophan which is necessary for the creation of melatonin, so a deficiency in any vitamin can affect your sleep, your work performance and your overall health. Taking a combination of B vitamins before your shift will help you stay alert without the need to drink caffeinated beverages which could cause its own slew of problems. Try to avoid caffeine if at all possible.
Healthy Meals and Snacks
When it comes to your meals, make sure meals are free from saturated fat, trans fats and sugar, including high-fructose corn syrup. Pack healthy snacks such as cut-up fruits and veggies, that you can crunch on when you have the urge to hit the vending machine.
Take steps to ensure that you have proper vitamin supplementation, healthy nutrition and nutrition schedules as well as maintaining a good level of physical activity will help your body stay healthy as well when working the night shift.
