We understand that the schedule of a healthcare worker can be hectic.
Doing nightshifts can interfere with the body clock making
We have put together some quick tips to help you sleep better at any time of day.
⦿ Schedule Your Naps
The average human sleep cycle takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Sleeping for 20 minutes allows the napper to get light sleep to boost alertness without entering deep sleep.
Waking up from deep sleep can cause grogginess and worsen sleepiness.
So try to stick to a nap schedule of either 20 minutes or 1 hour and 30 minutes
⦿ Make Caffeine Your Friend
At the start of a shift, caffeine is an effective way to help get you through the day.
However, it says in your system anywhere from four to six hours.
Avoiding caffeine 6 hours before going to sleep will make sleeping later on much easier!
Work with it, not against it.
⦿ Find A Wind-Down Ritual
This could be a bath, reading a book, meditation, or listening to music.
You could even try some new ones like painting, going for runs, or baking.
Whatever works for you - spend some time to quieten your mind before going to sleep.
⦿Turn Down Blue Light
If you are coming back from a night shift, on the way home you can start to limit light exposure by wearing sunglasses.
Switching to dark mode or sleep mode on your phone whilst you wind down will reduce your level of blue light exposure.
A reduction in blue light triggers the body to produce more melatonin (the hormone that causes sleep) and helps your body prepare for sleep naturally.
Author = Jasmine Ahern