Working rotating shifts and/ or night shifts as a travel nurse, travel LPN, or travel CNA can disrupt not only your sleep schedule, but your mental and physical health. You might feel exhausted, and even get sick more often. Whether you’re working days, nights, rotating shifts, or a combination of all of these, read on to find out why it’s important to maintain healthy sleep, and how to do just that – even if you’re working at all hours of the day and night.
Practice
It might sound silly to practice sleeping, but, as it turns out, switching your sleep schedule a day or two ahead of time can help. Here’s what this might look like:
- If you’re currently working days and will be working nights the following week, push back your bedtime on your off days. Pushing your bedtime back by even half an hour will give your body time to adjust to the switch.
- If you’re working rotating shifts, try to rotate your shifts clockwise (meaning you start each shift at a later time.) It’s easier on your body and mind to go from a day shift, to an evening shift, to a night shift, rather than rotating the opposite direction, or rotating without any rhyme or reason.
- Adjust your sleep and wake time gradually whenever possible. If you change your sleep and wake times for three days prior to your shift, you’ll experience a smoother switch. If you’re rotating clockwise, this means that you should postpone your sleep and wake times by about an hour or two each night (depending on the new schedule).
Schedule sleep, but be flexible
It might seem straightforward that you need to sleep and should do it at a certain time of day or night, but when you’re working varied times and days as a travel nurse, it can be hard to get your body to cooperate. Even when you do your best to sleep whenever you are able and for as long as you can, sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. Here are some tips to help with this problem:
- If your body is asking for sleep, let yourself sleep. By forcing yourself to stay awake so that you’ll sleep later (and closer to your next shift), you may be getting poorer quality sleep, which isn’t helpful for anyone.
- When you just can’t fall asleep, remember that resting is important as well. Lie down in a dark, quiet environment with your eyes closed. You may not fall asleep, but at least you’ll be giving your body some time to recuperate.
Nap
Try taking a short two to three-hour nap after the last night shift you work. Two to three hours may not seem like very long, but it will give you just enough sleep to keep you going for the day. Once you’re awake up, try to keep yourself busy – clean your house, exercise, organize paperwork – whatever will keep you up and awake. You might still feel tired during the day, but this will make it easier to reset your sleep schedule and fall asleep that night.
Stay healthy and hydrated
A healthy body makes for healthy sleep. When our bodies are well-nourished and in good physical condition, it’s easier to get good quality sleep. Here are a few tips to keep your body as healthy as possible:
- Take time for self-care. It can be challenging with a demanding work schedule to take time for yourself, but even a few minutes each day to focus on your breath, meditate, or do something you really enjoy can go a long way toward a healthier mind and body.
- Good nutrition and regular meals and snacks are also important. Junk food and sugar, with their fast-burning carbohydrates, leave you feeling tired. Try keeping healthy snacks with you, especially those that are high in protein, which will keep you feeling full and energetic for longer.
- Stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause you to feel sleepy. Drink plenty of water and, if you feel you need caffeine, it’s best to drink green tea instead of coffee or soda. The caffeine amount is lower, but it has other health benefits as well.
- Exercise. As with self-care, a little movement can go a long way. Take a brief walk around the block when you get home from work or walk during your breaks.You could also try some gentle yoga or short exercise videos.
Set the mood to sleepy
Part of good sleep hygiene is setting a routine. This helps you relax and wind down, and also trains your brain to expect sleep. Here are a few ideas to incorporate into your pre-bed routine.
- Use blackout curtains
- Take a relaxing bath
- Avoid blue light (produced by electronic devices and many household light bulbs) for at least two hours before bed, as it can interfere with the production and secretion of melatonin and other sleep hormones.
- Meditate and/or do some deep breathing exercises.
- Use natural sleep aids such as melatonin.
Travel nursing is a rewarding career, but it does have its challenges. With a little planning and knowledge, though, you can rest easy.
