Tag Archives: can’t sleep through the night

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Can't Sleep Through The Night? A Shift Worker's Biggest Mistake!

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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Can't Sleep Through The Night? A Solution That Is Ridiculously Simple!

Now those two words “can’t sleep” are certainly synonymous if you’re a shift worker. Whether it’s because you can’t sleep through the night, or if you work night shift, then it’s because you can’t sleep during the day. Either way, at some point in time we’ve all struggled to get enough sleep.

But what if there was a simple solution? One that could help improve your sleeping habits substantially – would you be interested in knowing what it is?

Well getting a good night’s sleep, especially if you’re a shift worker, is as simple as making sure that your bed is comfortable.

Sound a bit obvious? You bet, but what’s extraordinary is how many people neglect to consider their own sleeping environment when it comes to finding ways to improve their sleep. Many people tend to keep their mattresses, pillows or doonas for far too long. All of them get worn out eventually, and when they do, they become less and less comfortable.

It’s a terrible thing to go to bed and not even feel comfortable.

As doonas and blankets get older, they also become less efficient so you may need to buy a new one or put a blanket or rug on top. During the night your body temperature gradually falls and it is at its lowest around three or four in the morning (now that explains why I struggle to get out of bed for my early shift at 4:00am!)

So make sure that your bedding is warm enough to keep you comfortable, because you don’t want to have your sleep interrupted because you’re waking up in the middle of the night from being too cold.

So it’s time to do an audit on your bed. Check your pillows, the doona, blankets and the mattress. If they’re starting to look a bit old and ratty – then it’s time for an upgrade.

Think about it this way, if you checked into a luxury hotel for a weekend, would you be happy to sleep in the bed you see now?

Most people can only afford a night in a luxury hotel on very special occasions – but you sleep in your own bed almost every night. It is much better value to spend the money on your own bed than blow it on one extravagant night – even if you do have to save up for a while.

I’m sure you’ve stayed in a hotel at some point, where the linen was beautiful and crisp, the pillows soft and fluffy, and the bed so comfortable that you wanted to stay in it all day long!

So try and aim to get your own bed and bedroom as close to that ‘luxury hotel feel’ as much as you can. I promise you will really notice the difference when you’re sleeping in a super comfy bed!