Third Shift

FiftyFootClown

Twice a month i have to work at 1 am in the morning. I normally work first shift. Just wondering if I should not be eating until later in the the day or if I should eat like I regularly do for the work day. I am usually up the entire day anyways so is it really bad to eat more on those sundays as i am using more energy? Its like I eat twice the amount i should in a day. I'm not sure how to go about this or if it matters that much.

mfinney

IMO....

you more than anyone should eat every 3 waking hours starting as soon as you rise. eating smaller meals spread out will keep your metabolism in check when your sleep schedule gets thrown off. eating this way will also keep you from worrying about which "meal" you should/shouldn't have, etc.

if you're doing this already, then great. if you're not and this will be a normal routine for you, i strongly suggest you look into this further and make it your lifestyle. then the change won't make any drastic changes to what you're working for!

FiftyFootClown

That is what I have been doing, basicly small meals every 2 hours during the regular week except I stop eating like 4 hours before bed. But I was confused as to what to do about sundays. Thanks for your help!

QtPiJJ

I used to work swing shift, which is one week of first shift, then one week of second shift, then one week of third shift.... What I found was that if you eat smaller meals more often you feel more alert, more awake, and more energized. When you are transitioning back to a different shift, what worked for me was to slowly adjust. So if you have 3 days between one shift and another, stay up an extra 2 hours, then 4 hours, then 6 hours (or go to bed early, then earlier, then earlier...) and try to keep eating your meals every 3 or 4 hours while you're awake...