5 Night Shift Survival Tips
I hated working nights when I was a cop.
Sure, it could be fun at times. My first day working nights, the first 2 calls were a code 3 fight and a naked guy beating his roommate’s door down with a sword. The first time I ever did CPR was at 4am, as was my first barricaded suspect. Nothing beat watching the sun come up over the lake in the morning.
All of that didn’t make up for the fact that I was only able to sleep 3-4 hours per day and felt like garbage 100% of the time.
Humans weren’t designed to be nocturnal. When we’re up all night, our natural circadian rhythm gets disrupted, draining our energy, putting us at higher risk for obesity and other diseases, and impairing brain function. Not a good combination.
But someone has to do it. It’s not like police and fire departments can just shut down overnight and tell the bad guys to wait until the morning to do anything.
If you find yourself stuck working nights, or even prefer to work them, here are some strategies to maintain and improve your fitness:
Make It Easy to Make Good Food Choices
Fail to prepare and prepare to fail. Don’t go all night without eating. Keep beef jerky, trail mix, dried fruit, water, and protein shakes and bars in your bag. The only food open overnight is probably going to either be Mcdonald’s or a gas station. Surprisingly, Twice Daily has some decent salads and sandwiches, but other than that I never found any good food options.
Caffeine is Ok But Watch Where You Get It From
Go ahead and caffeinate. It’s tough to stay awake, I get it. But pay attention to its source. A cup of black coffee is a much better choice than an energy drink loaded with sugar. Coffee has minimal calories and antioxidants. If you drink energy drinks, you’ll crash after a couple hours and feel even worse. Then you’ll drink another energy drink and the cycle continues. Yes, sugar free energy drinks exist. Drink them if you want. Coffee is still a healthier option and is also easier on the wallet.
Hydrate
You’d think drinking water could cure HIV from how much it’s beat into you by training staff in the academy. Most people still don’t drink enough. The good news is that beverages besides water do help keep you hydrated.
Try drinking a bottle of water for every cup of coffee you consume. That’s not based on any science, it’s just an easy way to make sure you’re drinking SOMETHING all night. It’s much easier on the stomach than soda.
Get Up And Moving
Don’t sit in your car or at your desk all night. It’s tempting, but get up every hour or so and walk around a little or do a few pushups. You’ll be more alert.
Try to Maintain Your Sleep Schedule
Maintaining a sleep schedule sucks on your days off. I was usually up for 24-36 hours on the last day of my workweek/first day of my weekend. There’s stuff to do!
That’s not the best idea. If possible, go to sleep and get up around the same times. With family commitments, it may not be possible. Just try to stay as close to your normal schedule as you can. You’ll be more rested and better able to adjust back to nights when you go back to work.
Do all the things you’re heard like get black out curtains and keep the temperature cool. If you aren’t able to get a normal amount of sleep, at least set yourself up to sleep deeply.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me