Night shift is not an easy task for a pharmacist. How do you stay alert and attentive all night long, and thus minimize the negative effects of sleep deprivation?
Coffee and strong tea
Caffeine is an excellent stimulant that helps to fight drowsiness, stay focused and concentrate. However, it is important to be careful. Too large a dose of this stimulant can not only negatively affect your well-being, for example, cause palpitations or headaches, but also provoke ricochet syndrome. Once the effects of the doping wear off, you will want to sleep even more than before. To prolong the effects of caffeine, experts recommend consuming it in small doses at regular intervals. You should not take caffeine in pills or drink energy drinks. A safer and more rational choice is a few cups of coffee or strong tea drunk throughout the night.
Bright lighting and screen glow
The sleep hormone melatonin is actively produced in the dark, so dim lighting can aggravate drowsiness. Bright light, on the other hand, prevents you from falling asleep and helps you feel more awake. Stay awake all night will help and electronic devices. It is known that the screens of TVs, laptops, tablets and phones emit blue light with a wavelength of 450-480 nanometers, which most of all inhibits the synthesis of melatonin.
Night shift with exercises and showers
In general, regular exercise during the day helps people sleep better at night. However, experts recommend avoiding strenuous exercise three hours before bedtime. Those who need to stay awake should warm up during the night: stand up, squat, wave your arms, bend your body forward and sideways. Such a short series of exercises will restore energy. The night shift will be more invigorating if you take a cool shower or at least wash your face with cold water.
I need to take a nap
A review prepared five years ago by scientists at the State University of New Jersey (USA) showed that people who work night shifts benefit from a short nap. Although it takes some time to recover afterward (it is called sleep inertia, during which cognitive functions are still inhibited), a 20-30 minute nap between 00.00 and 03.00 generally makes a person feel better and remain more alert and focused. The same conclusion was reached by the Joint Commission studying healthcare worker fatigue and patient safety, which recommended that healthcare facilities incorporate scheduled periods of short naps into staff night duty.
Before and after the night shift
The most important thing in the night shift is to plan and adjust your schedule in advance. Thus, it is advisable to sleep at least 2-3 hours before the night shift, and when you come back from work, have a good rest. Try not to accumulate “sleep debt”, and pay off your body as soon as possible. Of course, it is not easy to fall asleep during the day. However, it is still possible to adapt to such a regime. To facilitate the shift of your sleep schedule, hang dark curtains in the bedroom, close the door and window, use eye masks so that neither light nor noise interfere with your rest. In any case, the day after a night shift should be set aside solely for relaxation. Cancel appointments, postpone household chores, and never drive a car after a sleepless night.
