Getting Enough Sleep – A Constant Battle For Shift Workers Around The World.

Getting enough sleep when you’re a shift worker can certainly be an uphill battle. Achieving that good quality, restorative sleep can so often elude the already sleep-deprived shift worker.

So what can you do to help ensure that you are getting enough sleep?

Well the most important bit of advice that I can give you is actually often the most overlooked, and it’s called making your bedroom a sleep sanctuary. Some simple tips include the following:

1. Your bedroom environment should calm you. That means no computers, televisions, mobile phones, violent reading material or dirty clothes – all of these can make you feel anxious and keep you awake.

If you must keep some electronics in your bedroom, make sure you turn them off before bedtime and keep them out of your sight.

2. A slightly cool room can help enhance your sleep – about 18 degrees is considered a good bench mark. This is because it matches what occurs deep inside the body, when the body’s internal temperature drops during the night to its lowest level.

3. In addition the darker it is when you sleep, the better your melatonin production and the better the quality of your sleep. So to block out light from outside, always draw your blinds or curtains and turn those brightly lit digital clocks around so you can’t see them.

Getting enough sleep if you’re a shift worker is certainly hard to do, but it’s important to realise how your bedroom environment plays an enormous role in both the quality and quantity of your sleep. And the good news for shift workers is that this is something that you can change quite easily.