If you’re a shift worker who is struggling to sleep through the night, then you’re probably walking around in a zombie like state of extreme exhaustion.
Of course there are many reasons why this may be so, but have you ever looked closely at your eating habits?
Because if you can’t sleep through the night, a shift worker’s biggest mistake can often be from consuming an excessively large meal before going to bed.
Eating a big meal is going to interfere with your sleeping mechanisms as a large meal requires a lot of energy for it to be digested properly.
In fact the absorption of possible stimulating agents in the diet plus the release of hormones in the intestines after the heavy meal can keep you awake for the greater part of the night. It can also alter the quality of the sleep that you have which is certainly not good news if you’re a sleep-deprived shift worker.
Some shift workers may even experience vivid dreams following a heavy meal at bedtime and are more likely to wake up feeling hung over and heavy.
So if you can’t sleep through the night, the best solution is to eat a very light snack of salad as the last meal of the day.
If you feel you must have something before going to bed try:
1. A glass of water
2. A vegetable juice or
3. A herbal tea
As any of these three drinks are probably the best and safest snack to have at this time of the day (or night) – depending on your roster.
In this way, not only are you giving your body and brain a rest, but your gastrointestinal tract is given a rest as well allowing for a more restful night’s sleep.
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