Living on processed food every day is the fastest way to accelerate your shift work fatigue when you work irregular hours.

Consuming foods provided by Mother Nature on the other hand, is the fastest way to boost your energy and help fight off that overwhelming feeling of exhaustion.

When my husband and I “discovered” this concept some years ago (our household was made up of 2 very exhausted shift workers at the time) – our life took on a completely different direction.

This 180 degree shift in our eating habits inspired us to establish our very own organic vegetable garden full of Green Super Foods, along with preparing daily vegetable juices.

In fact as I type this article, the kitchen bench is over flowing with green spinach and lettuce – harvested straight from the vege patch this morning.

So why green? What has turning green got to do with overcoming shift work fatigue?

Well it’s actually quite simple.

You see when you consume dark green leafy vegetables – particularly in the form of a juice, it’s very easy for the body to absorb which means it’s able to reap the benefits much more quickly.

Green vegetables also contain chlorophyll which is Mother Nature’s most effective energy booster giving you instant, long-lasting energy.

They’re also high in alkaline which helps the body to work more efficiently – as opposed to most processed foods being quite acidic.

Quite simply, an efficient body means more energy for you!

Think about it? Have you ever seen a burger grow from a tree or a vine?

If it’s not designed by Mother Nature, chances are it’s not good for you. In fact it could actually be quite detrimental to your health. Goodness knows what’s in half the fast food that we see in food outlets around the world today.

So the next time you’re feeling tired, exhausted and sluggish – think green. Besides having a good night’s sleep it’s certainly the next best thing for helping overcome shift work fatigue.

And I’m not talking about consuming a whole packet of green M&M’s!

If you’re a shift worker who feels tired all of the time, then sleep deprivation can certainly be one of the main causes – but not the only one. In fact it may actually be stress that is causing you to feel so tired all of the time.

Because whenever you’re feeling stressed, it affects both your mental and physical well-being which can lead to an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion.

What is interesting is that we all react differently to stress. One scenario may feel extremely stressful to one person, however prove insignificant to another. It all depends on your beliefs and your own perception of a stressful situation.

The key to minimizing the effects of stress is to try and control the level of stress that you experience every day. You will also need to establish what causes stress in your life and make the necessary changes.

Working shift work alone is stressful – no question. Just getting up in the middle of the night or the very early hours of the morning is adding a lot of unnecessary stress on your body.

But if you can’t change the erratic hours that you work, what else can you do to help reduce stress in your life?

Step 1 – Find a hobby or get involved in some other relaxing activity.

Step 2 – Exercise regularly - it can help relieve any tension that you may feel.

Step 3 – Stop worrying! Because 90% of what we worry about never happens, so let go of these kind of thoughts for good.

Step 4 – Accept change - it’s an integral part of life. Stressing about something that you can’t change is only going to add to your fatigue.

Step 5 – Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people. They will help uplift and energize you, instead of making you feel even more tired.

So stop stressing and start relaxing, because when you do – your days of constant fatigue and tiredness will become a thing of the past.