How to take care of your health for shift workers

How to take care of your health for shift workers

Shift work is a type of work found in many industries, such as medical services, public transportation services, work that requires coordination with foreign companies, including employees in industrial and service factories, etc. Occupations with such work characteristics all have an effect on the health of workers, resulting in disruption of the body clock (circadian rhythm), the process of driving the cycle of waking and sleeping in a 24-hour period of humans is not appropriate. Therefore, it is necessary for employees and employers to have knowledge, understanding and methods of behaving in such work. The nature of shift work (shift) includes:

• Working with a schedule other than the hours of 7 am to 6 pm
• Working more than 8 hours and 30 minutes/day or a total of more than 40 hours/week, regardless of whether the work is paid or not.
• Work in shifts (duties) that rotate indefinitely

                    Although shift work focuses on the risks of such work, if workers understand the nature of their work and have ways to manage the risks, workers who have to work in the evening or late at night may be satisfied with such work and feel that this type of work may be suitable for their life.

Before starting work 

1. Regularly check your physical readiness and chronic diseases to see if shift work affects your disease and medication management so that you can inform your supervisor.
2. If possible, before starting a shift (work shift), especially on night shifts, taking a short nap of about 20 minutes will help you feel alert before starting work.
3. During the first half of the shift, consider using natural light or light bulbs to help the body wake up.

While working 

1. Taking breaks every 2 working hours, such as stretching or light exercise, can help reduce the risk of accidents or errors during work.
2. On night shifts, exposure to bright light can help increase alertness, especially during the first half of the shift. However, exposure to excessive light should reduced during the second half of the shift, unless the worker is very sleepy. Which case bright light can help increase alertness while working.
3. Napping for about 15-30 minutes can help you feel more alert while working. It is recommend to find a suitable place to work. Using an eye mask and ear plugs will help make napping more effective.
4. Between midnight and 6 am, try to avoid eating to a minimum. If you must eat, eat nutritious foods such as vegetables, salads, eggs, fruits, yogurt, etc. Avoid foods high in starch or sugar because they will make you drowsy.
5. Reduce the amount of natural light and electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones, and televisions at least 2 hours before bedtime.
6. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages at least 2 hours before bedtime.

After work 

1. Observe your body’s warning signs that you are about to fall asleep, especially during important times such as driving. Such signs include frequent yawning, frequent blinking or rubbing of the eyes, a heavy feeling in the head or eyelids, difficulty โปรโมชั่น ufabet opening the eyes, and loss of concentration while driving. If you experience these symptoms, stop driving immediately to protect yourself and others Who may affected, such as using a taxi, asking someone else to drive for you, finding a place to take a 20-minute nap, drinking a caffeinated beverage such as tea or coffee, or doing both because drinking caffeinated beverages requires the body to wait for it to absorb into the bloodstream. Which takes about 30 minutes. When you wake up from a nap, you will feel refreshed immediately. However, getting enough sleep is the best thing to do.
2. When you get home or your accommodation, try to go to bed as soon as possible in a room with an environment suitable for sleeping. If you feel hungry, eat a small meal to help you sleep. Avoid high-fat and spicy foods.
3. A suitable bedroom for sleeping should be as dark as possible (hands should not be visible with normal vision while in the room). Try to minimize the amount of light from outside, or use a sleep mask, turn off your phone, or use earplugs to ensure that the noise does not disturb you while you sleep.