The night shift usually isn’t the most coveted work schedule. But it’s necessary.
Most people associate night shifts with healthcare professions such as nurses, doctors, and emergency response workers. But night shifts are prevalent in many more industries. Between 3–6% of Americans burn the midnight oil. This workforce includes radio hosts, security guards, air traffic controllers, and postal workers.
No matter the industry, shifting to night work is challenging. You’re fighting against a biological and socially-influenced body clock. Becoming a night owl is a significant lifestyle change, and the transition can negatively affect your physical and mental health if you’re not prepared for it.
We’ll discuss how to adjust to night shifts to create a healthy work-life balance and explore six tips for working the night shift.
What’s the night shift?
The night shift (aka the graveyard shift) is any set of working hours that start when we’d typically go to sleep. You’ll work during the night and have the daytime free.
Night shift lengths vary by industry. Radio hosts and DJs tend to work in shorter shifts, usually 3–5 hours to keep material fresh. Air traffic controllers and security guards generally work more traditional eight-hour night shifts. Nurses care for patients overnight in 12-hour shifts, and emergency response workers often work 24-hour shifts with intermittent napping.
People who work for multinationals or have clients in different time zones, like financial traders, also often work rotating or flexible shifts.
How long does it take to adjust to night shifts?
Creating any new habit can start today, but turning it into an automatic behavior takes much longer — approximately 18–254 days, depending on the activity.
Adjusting your body to comfortably stay awake at night and sleep during the day is no exception. You’ve been building the habit of sleeping at night your whole life, so shaking this is tricky.
But transitioning to night shifts is more challenging than changing your habits. You’re also battling biological processes. When it gets dark outside, your body secretes melatonin, making you feel tired. Resisting melatonin’s effects can throw off your circadian rhythm and ability to sleep once the shift is over.
6 tips for adjusting to night shifts
While starting a new schedule changes your circadian rhythm over time, we’ll discuss several tips for adjusting quickly and healthily so you can stay awake during night shift work.
1. Stick to a routine
Adhering to a routine benefits anyone when creating new habits. It’s especially useful for night-shift workers when adjusting their body clock. Your circadian rhythm will only adjust well if you’re consistently sleeping during the day and staying awake at night — this includes during your free time.
Night-shift workers often feel overwhelmed by what they miss out on when away from work. Most people don’t work night shifts and are free to do things during evenings and weekends. If you’re sleeping during the day and working at night you might miss out on some lunch dates, movies, and concerts.
While maybe odd at first, once you’re in the groove you’ll find time to see your loved ones and entertain hobbies before and after work. The most important thing at first is to create a routine that keeps your physical and mental well-being intact.
2. Establish a night-shift sleep schedule
Shift work sleep disorder is a real thing and a legitimate concern for night-shift workers. Establishing a sleep schedule and sticking to it is integral to getting a good rest and staying awake during your shift.
According to the CDC, adults need a minimum of seven hours of sleep. Inadequate sleep can cause insufficient sleep syndrome and other medical issues ranging from hypertension and anxiety to heart attacks and strokes.
Optimizing your sleep environment is a great way to kick-start a daytime sleep schedule. Make your bedroom as dark as possible to replicate night-time by closing your blinds or using blackout curtains.
For extra protection from bright lights you might invest in an eye mask, and be sure to avoid blue light from screens and lighting an hour before bed. Blue light prevents your body from creating melatonin and reaching the deep-sleep cycle stages necessary for a good night's rest.
Keep your bedroom cool and distraction-free, and try to avoid non-sleep-related activities in your bedroom so your mind psychologically associates your bed with sleep. Ear plugs or a white noise machine can help remove distracting noise.
3. Moderate your caffeine intake
Coffee is a popular substance for staying awake. A moderate amount can improve focus, memory, and reaction times. It can also reduce the risk of diabetes, depression, and liver diseases.
But coffee only offers a short-time energy boost — the caffeine crash might make maintaining energy throughout your shift difficult. And drinking coffee toward the end of your shift could make sleeping during the day challenging.
Keep your coffee intake moderate and consider eating caffeinated food so your body digests it over a longer period.
Likewise, moderate your intake of stimulants, sugary foods, and energy drinks. Sugar increases energy production but also makes it harder to get a full night’s sleep with healthy REM cycles.
4. Set an end date
If possible, only accept night shift work temporarily. Negotiating with an employer might sound overwhelming, but you likely have legal rights to back you up.
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers can change a worker’s shift schedule without prior notice. But many states and cities have specific regulations about giving notice when changing shifts.
Likewise, check your contract, offer letter, and employee handbook. If you were guaranteed day shifts in these documents, your employer might be obligated to respect these conditions.
If you’re beginning a position on night shifts but want to transition to day shifts as soon as possible, make that known from the start. Provide good reasons for needing day shifts such as childcare or healthcare needs.
5. Invest in other healthy habits
Because night shifts disrupt your circadian rhythm, balance this negative health effect by prioritizing other healthy habits. Try incorporating the following things into your schedule:
6. Create a community with other late nighters
Humans crave social interaction like we crave food. Since most people work day shifts, night shifters are often left out of important celebrations and quality time with friends, family, and partners. People who experience social isolation are increasingly susceptible to depression, stress, and anxiety.
While it’s important to nurture current relationships despite schedule conflicts, building community with night-shift coworkers is vital to create a social network that works with your lifestyle.
Side effects of night shifts
Even if you integrate the above tips, disrupting your internal clock can increase your risk of certain ailments and conditions. These include the following mental and physical health risks:
Cardiovascular diseases
Researchers are still trying to determine why night shifts may lead to cardiovascular diseases, but the data is clear. Regular night-shift work can lead to serious heart problems, including atrial fibrillation (AF), hypertension, coronary heart disease, and myocardial infarction.
Depression
Working night shifts means your schedule is very different from your family and friends, which can make you feel isolated. Studies show that night-shift workers are 33% more likely to experience depression than more traditional workers.
Digestive problems
Our digestive systems aren’t programmed to work in the middle of the night, so eating at midnight can cause digestive issues — especially when transitioning. Studies show between 48–82% of night-shift workers experience gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Workplace accidents
Sleep deprivation directly affects our ability to focus, which can have dire ramifications for night-shift workers. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), night-shift workers are 30% more likely to sustain a workplace injury or experience a workplace accident than their day-shift counterparts.
Enjoying night shifts
Taking on night shifts is overwhelming. You’ll be adjusting physically, mentally, and socially. But with time, you’ll feel comfortable with this new schedule. You’ll also gain valuable skills like acquiring new habits and prioritizing sleep.
Don’t feel discouraged when roadblocks come up — this is inevitable. Growth and transformation take hard work, but the rewards of handling challenges better and setting boundaries to create a fulfilling work-life balance are invaluable.
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