Shift workers, folks who do lots of call, MD's and Midwives

shoshi68

What do you to cope with sleep deprivation, call, stress?

I have gained 20 lbs since beginning to practice as a midwife 5 years ago.

I eat more when I am tired and stressed out, and that is kind of part of the job!

Any suggestions for eating better, dealing with stress, doing it better?

Thanks, much appreciated!

mea9

bump

LauraI7

Make sure to bring good snacks that will give you energy but aren't junk. I had a big problem with this when I was working nights. Nuts and healthy snacks like fruits and veggies give you the same boost that a soda will. Try to focus your stress into exercise. Let it be your way to get it out. As far as sleep invest in black out curtains and a sound machine. It really helps to give yourself the best sleep environment you can.

DrMan

I have found that planning ahead is the key. I always have something close by that is healthy to snack on. there are always junk around but if you have things that are better choices it helps a lot.

as for sleep deprivation,,,exercise works wonders for me...a little exercise then shower and bed helps me sleep really well.

ALL joking aside...Sex works wonders too...helps relieve stress and makes u tired...no joking

bonjour24

i do a small shop and take my food to work. i take things like cereal, sweet potatoes, tinned beans, philadelphia light, fruit, yoghurt and good snacks. then i don't take my cash card or any money. i work 4 days on 2 off usually, but on any shift (nurse here too). that way i can eat when i get the chance and my food is not the type of stuff to go off quickly or need refrigeration. and it's cheaper than take away, and i don't have to be that prepared.

NicRiv26

I am having the same problem. I am not a Midwife, (work for a the railroad as an extra, means I am call 24/7). Since I started I have gained 12pds. At first I would eat right before going to sleep, no more. (Now eat an hour before my shift is over,yogurt w/fruit or oatmeal. It will be digested when coming home to sleep). For dinner or lunch would pick up something, you know something soaked in fat. I now always keep a Lean Cusine and healthy snacks at work. (Like nuts ,even some 100 cal cookies, better that then going to a vending machine). You can keep certain stuff in the car. PLUS ALWAYS FRUIT, me I either have an apple or bannana with me. I sometimes work two shifts straight thru. I do that so I don't run to the nearest Bagel Shop or Fast Food place. As for working out, I personally can not get to the gym, so I bought an Elliptical Machine. I do that right when I wake up, get it over with. I will do that eveyday, well I try. When I work a double I will skip a day. Then on my days off I will either do my machine longer or lift some weights on my own. Been doing this for two weeks, so far so good.

Hope my little bit of info helps you. Good Luck!!!

supertracylynn

ALL joking aside...Sex works wonders too...helps relieve stress and makes u tired...no joking

^^This is true, it helps when my hubby's sleep apnea is giving him trouble.

dawester

I am also a railroad worker and I work 3rd shift then watch my kids during the day while my wife works. My sleep consisit of a series of naps whenever i can get them, usually a total of about 4 hours a day. It is tough to eat healthy when I am always tired and that is the main reason i joined this site. I try to have as much fresh fruit in the house as possible and whenever i am hungry I grab a large glass of water and an apple. It was tough at first since i was so used to going for a box of crackers or chips but once i started eating more fruit, I actually crave it now. Good luck, its tough without proper sleep.

pepperedmoth

I'm an RN and I rotate shifts (between two jobs, too). I'm also an EMT and run 12 hours of regular night duty a week (sometimes I can sleep through the night; sometimes I can't), plus a 36-hour weekend block once a month. You might say I'm familiar with sleep disruption . . .

On night shifts which I must remain awake for (as opposed to on-call shifts), I like to buy or make a BIG jug of unsweetened green tea. I sip on that instead of coffee all night long. The low level of caffeine keeps me awake, but I can still fall asleep at the end of the shift. Green tea is a gentle diuretic and prevents water retention and bloat. I put soy-milk in my coffee, which is obviously caloric, but I drink my green tea 'neat.' This helps avoid calories.

I need to eat mild, light foods on a night shift or I have indigestion. I like to pack one meal and several snacks to keep me going. Peanut butter and banana is one of my favorites- I just make sure I'm not hitting too many calories with the peanut butter.

I find that exercising around my night shifts is very important. If I go for a run BEFORE my shift, I can usually stay awake more easily through it and also fall asleep more easily at the end of it. Running manages my stress very nicely, and also helps to compensate for those insidious night-shift calories. Any exercise would of course help similarly. A little gentle stretching before bed is nice.

I agree with Laural7's suggestions for sleep. I wear a blindfold and have a white noise app on my iPhone. I take melatonin, as well.

As far as taking call, I try to stay on my ordinary sleep schedule as much as possible. It's not as if I've never slept until 1300 the day after . . . but I do try and avoid it. I'm often ravenous after coming back from a call in the middle of the night. Since I can't fall asleep again if I don't eat, I go ahead and have something such as a bowl of cereal. Then I simply eat less at breakfast.

I hope that this helps!

-Rosemary

dustyhockeymom

I am a rape crisis worker and in my job in addition to my 40 hour week day hours I have two or three nights a week where I am on-call graveyard to respond to the crisis line and area hosptials. Often on those nights I am up much of the night and then still have to be at the office in the morning. I have been doing that for 10 years and its definately contributed to my weight gain. Since I have been trying to eat better and exercise since February, it is very clear to me how those shifts impact me. I tended to be so tired that I didn't make good choices, I didn't make my lunch so I grabed something and then I was so exhausted that I didn't feel like cooking dinner either so its take-out and vegging on the couch for the night.

Now that I am trying to make better choices, I have to be very careful to plan around my on-call shifts. I make my lunch for the next day before I go on-call so I am not relying on making it in the morning like I usually do. I schedule either my rest days for the week or at least my light workout days around my call schedule so that I am not skipping a planned workout. I have found that if I am up all night the night before, if I come home and take a quick nap I usually have enough energy to get a light workout in which helps me sleep better that night.

This type of work schedule really does mess with your body and your mental edge, so it is not surprising that weight gain is something that we have experienced.