Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: working + diet + nightshift  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)

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What's the best diet for working nightshifts?

 Shift workers' bodies are having to work against a daily rhythm of biological activity that has been programmed into our bodies over thousands of years.

It means that you may still feel disorientated and 'jetlagged' even if you get the normal eight hours sleep out of 24. Women's monthly hormonal clocks also depend on a regular daily cycle, so it's quite common that periods can be affected.

As you point out, on top of all this there's very little information on how to eat to make the best of a potentially health-sapping situation. But there's no doubt that nourishing your body well will enable you to cope, so I hope the following tips help.

Firstly, it's really important to make sure you have a good meal before you go to work. This is the equivalent of everybody else's breakfast, but as for you it is in the early evening, you may want to make it a more substantial meal. Because you are fighting a natural tendency to go to sleep, it's also a good idea to make sure the pre-work meal is largely protein based - i.e. including meat, fish, poultry pulses or tofu - as protein encourages the production of energising brain chemicals such as dopamine.

When you are actually at work, try if you can to eat little and often through the night to keep up your energy levels. Choose foods that will keep your blood sugar gently raised over a prolonged period, rather than taking a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. To do this, snack on foods such as fruit, wholemeal sandwiches, pasta salads and wholemeal fruit buns rather than sugary drinks and sweets.

Drinking plenty of water is also really important, as even a small amount of dehydration will markedly affect your energy levels, and you are more likely to notice this effect at night.

Finally, make sure to eat a east five portions of fruit and vegetables a day as they contain important antioxidants to combat the free radials your body produces through the physiological stress of night working. You may find it easier to do this with fresh soups and juices if you don't feel like eating boiled carrots at three in the morning.

Before you go to bed, try a bowl of cereal with milk as a quick nutritious supper. It will still help to relax you, but it may feel psychologically better than drinking hot chocolate or a glass of alcohol mid morning.