How to Deal with a Job That Requires Night Shifts
There are several jobs requiring employees to work at night. Often associated with night shifts and graveyard shifts are jobs related to emergency response, healthcare, manufacturing, safety and security, and customer service jobs at call centers, where seats should be manned 24/7. Although these jobs usually get higher pay because of night premiums, there are several health and safety risks that make people think twice about getting a night job. If you are one of them, and jobs are hard to find these days, here are a few tips that should guide you in dealing with your job to minimize the risks.
Create a routine and stick to it
If your workplace policy allows you to choose fixed working hours at night, talk to your boss about getting a fixed night shift for an entire month or for good, if possible. Variable shifts, or constant adjustment in working hours, were found to contribute to worker’s ill health and frequency of work-related accidents. Whenever a new work schedule is given, the body’s natural rhythm gets disrupted. Working at night already wreaks enough havoc to your circadian rhythm; hence, you need to at least get a fixed schedule so your body won’t have to experience constant readjustment.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle to tone down health risks
Your body is made up of interconnected systems, which are naturally programmed. Disturbing that rhythm adversely affects your mental and physical well-being. People who work night shifts usually suffer from fatigue and poor sleep quality. As being fully awake at night hinders the cardio-pulmonary system, endocrine secretions, and wake-sleep cycles from operating normally, you may be at risk of diseases related to these body functions. What you can do is exercise regularly, increase your water intake, and eat healthy. Regulate the consumption of fatty food and maintain a diet that’s high in fiber.
Improve your sleeping condition
Too much light and noise makes it harder to get good quality of sleep. You can try simulating nighttime in your room by getting dark window shutters and muffling sounds from outside. Unhook your phone if necessary.
Since it’s not always easy to get a day job, you can at least lessen the health and safety risks associated with night jobs. To cope with working at night, you must try to stick to a routine, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and improve the quality of your sleep. You can do this by giving your room a nighttime feel and exert effort to reduce disturbances.
Photo Credit : Jacob Botter
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Well, this article really helps me a lot, coz i usually work on a graveyard shift,and nowadays, im getting heavier,i gained lots of weight already..I guess,this is due to body adjustments since i get used to dayshift work before..its been only two years when i joined BPO company which requires me to work late at night..i dont normally go to gym or do some exercise, i cant find time doing all those things. Now since i red about things that will result to unhealthy problems in my body which i can get working on a graveyard shift,i will see to it that i have to maintain a healthy lifestyle and have a good sleep that will keep me going everyday, as well as eating the right foods. Now,I need to find time cooking good foods as part of a healthy living..i would like to share this article to my fellow call center agents too…. this is now the start of a HEALTHY LIVING LIFE for us…stay healthy!!!..;))