Effect on metabolism of working nights

[Kasha]

Does anyone have any good experience combating the ill effects of working night shifts? I have a couple clients, nurses etc... who work night and sleep during the day. I'd like to give them advice but feel I can't because I lack experience.

If anyone has any advice I could make suggestions. Thanks :-)

[ginkgo]

My mother was a night person and always suffered from working a day job. I am also a night person and so I would drive a cab at night. So there is an individual preference. Note-- they are called larks and owls. But I would sunbathe on some days since you need sunlight. My advice is to try to get the shift that works best for you. Then just follow the rules of health that apply to everyone. There are also vitamin D supplements. The night is just like the day except for sunlight. In some places, like Alaska, it can be daytime 24 hours a day for 6 months and for 6 months be nightime 24 hours a day. I am a owl, not a lark.

The governor of CA used to work a night job so he could sunbathe during the day. Not only does the tan look better but the sunlight helps the body create more testosterone. Most people sleep at night but most Americans have trouble sleeping. So it is good to exercise, do yoga and meditation to help you to get to sleep easier. One nurse told me that she likes the night shift since people are sleeping and she can spend most of her shift reading. Getting paid over $25 per hour to read whatever you want isn't such a bad job. To increase metabolism drink decaf green tea (it contains EGCG) and build more muscle. They can try sunbathing on days off to create more testosterone

[vmiller]

Hi Kasha,

What kind of services do you provide? (you mentioned this being for clients)

I think one of the most important things for shift workers is to help them get quality sleep. Many experts believe that we're physiologically hard wired to get the most benefit from sleeping when the sun is down, so shift workers are starting off at a major disadvantage. As such, it's even more important for the to follow good sleep habits.

Since they normally sleep during daylight, it's important for them to do what they can to make sure their bedroom is completely dark. Blackout curtains are great for this. Although it's hard and often impractical for shift workers, it could also be helpful to have them follow as consistent of a sleep pattern as possible.

Another aspect to look into is light therapy and/or vitamin D supplementation since they're probably not getting much exposure to sunlight, and the artificial light that they're exposed to may not be intense enough or may not be full spectrum.

There's some specific information for shift workers in "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross which is an excellent book.

[Kasha]

I'm talking about clients of mine who do shift-work. I do personal (fitness) training...some of them are really in bad shape, circles under their eyes, flabby abs etc.

Thanks for all the advice :-)