
6
Jul
2017
For many of us, getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night is an ongoing challenge. While we know sleep is important for our health, work and family responsibilities can mean our resting time gets cut short.
Unfortunately, this can be even harder for people with jobs that involve shift work, such as hotel staff, hospital nurses and any other role that requires 24hour service. On average, shift workers get two to three hours less sleep than people who work regular hours[1], and can often find it difficult to rest during the day due to unfavourable conditions such as sunlight, noise, distractions and temperature.
This ongoing sleep deprivation may affect mood, health and safety.
If you work around the clock, then you are probably familiar with the challenge of obtaining adequate sleep daily.
Shift workers may often find it difficult to balance sleep, work and life commitments. . However, because getting enough restful sleep is so important for well-being, here are five tips to help you get a better sleep, no matter what time of day.
While shift work can throw off your sleep-wake cycle, getting enough quality sleep should still be a priority.
References
[1] The Better Health Channel – State Government Victoria. ‘Shiftwork’. <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/shiftwork>. Accessed 18 June, 2017.
[2] The Australian. ‘For a better night’s sleep, you’ve got to really work on that core (temperature)’. Feb 2016. <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/health-wellbeing/for-a-better-nights-sleep-youve-got-to-really-work-on-that-core-temperature/news-story/34fa8c4fa2a795d0cc447cabc24d9606>. Accessed 16 June 2017.