help nightshifts!

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RoSiulia
RoSiulia Posts: 20 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone,
I'm new in this beautiful community and i apologize in advance if i didn't post in the right section.
I become member tonight to ask for an advice on my life change. I found a very good job, with high salary, and it comes with very high opportunities but one, a healty life. I will work in the next months only night shifts,5 times a week, from 23:00 to 7:00, and i don't know how to create a plan to follow, such going to the gym, rest enough to have energy all night, and have healthy meals during my night shift.
Any advice will be welcomed!
P.s. i'm a female, 19 years. Sorry my bad english, i'm romanian :).

Replies

  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
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    In my experience with working night shifts, it's about moving your body clock. It's hard. So hard. Humans are not nocturnal by nature and that's why so many states have rules about paying overnight workers a higher wage.

    My advice would be to treat it like your days are backwards. This might mean sacrificing social time, but working overnights will do that anyway. If you start at 2300, that's like my 800. Treat it like a morning. eat breakfast, bring snacks. Are you the kind of person who prefers morning or night workouts? If morning, do a workout before work. If night, do one at 700.

    IT takes time for your body to switch to handling overnights like this. Don't get frustrated with it, and don't bite off more than you can chew.
  • weavernv
    weavernv Posts: 1,555 Member
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    In my experiance with working night shifts, it's about moving your body clock. It's hard. So hard. Humans are not nocturnal by nature and that's why so many states have rules about paying overnight workers a higher wage.

    My advice would be to treat it like your days are backwards. This might mean sacrificing social time, but working overnights will do that anyway. If you start at 2300, that's like my 800. Treat it like a morning. eat breakfast, bring snacks. Are you the kind of person who prefers morning or night workouts? If morning, do a workout before work. If night, do one at 700.

    IT takes time for your body to switch to handling overnights like this. Don't get frustrated with it, and don't bite off more than you can choose.

    ^^^^ This ^^^ My ex husband used to work night shift and we set him up on that schedule. It was the only thing that worked for him.
  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
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    Exactly what shadowfender said. I have been working nights since October of last year and I have lost a little over 40 pounds (I did not start tracking at my highest weight).

    What's even worse for me is that I work 8 and 12 hour shifts, no days are the same, and my days off range from one to four days, which means I have virtually no time to readjust or plenty of time to readjust.

    Planning is key. I will admit that, for me, getting enough calories on my night shift is difficult, but I do the best I can. I workout in the evenings before work. On days off, I workout whenever it suits me. I rarely have the energy to do a decent workout after a night shift.

    Packing your own lunch is very important. Whole wheat bread, low fat lunch meat, fruits, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, soups, small salads, pasta/rice, beans, chicken, etc. Have a big lunch box and plenty of plastic containers to pack your food.

    It can be done. :)
  • ScorpDX
    ScorpDX Posts: 93
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    There's nothing "unhealthy" about working nights. I've worked nights for about 12 years now. I just treat my days as a complete flip. I eat dinner after work and wind down a little bit. Then go to bed. Get up before work and do breakfast and gym then.

    Room darkening blinds/curtains and ear plugs can be a huge help in trying to sleep through less than courteous people.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The most important thing is to make sure you get enough good sleep. Pack something to eat during break time/lunch time at work.
  • mandikerr
    mandikerr Posts: 8 Member
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    I worked a very similar shift for two months, 23:30 to 7:30. I concur with the first person who commented, try and adjust yourself to living in a reverse of your normal schedule, and invest in some dark curtains to help you sleep during the day!
  • LittleWingedBirdy
    LittleWingedBirdy Posts: 4 Member
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    You'll definitely need to live your life backwards, getting plenty of rest and make sure you get some exercise. When i used to do night shift i used to snack 5 times for my meals. Breakfast after getting ready for work, morning tea 2nd hour into shift, lunch on my break, a piece of fruit when i started to get tired with a cup of tea and something very light when i finished. I used to do 10 1/2 hour shifts thought. No social life for about a year then i was lucky enough to get of night shift, very happy about the change.

    But yeah, everyone advise above is pretty awesome.

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