Tag Archives: sleep deprivation

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Why Choosing Caffeine Over Sleep is NOT a Good Idea.


I’m not going to be very popular for sharing this post, but I’m going to share it with you anyway, because I do what I do because I CARE.

This means telling you things that you don’t necessarily WANT to hear, but NEED to.

So, if you’ve got into the habit of relying on caffeine to ward off your tiredness, in lieu of prioritising your sleep, over time, this can lead you down a very slippery slope.

A slippery slope towards developing a chronic disease like Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM).

One of many health conditions, sadly, that shift workers are prone to developing.

This can be due to myriad of reaons, but I’m going to touch on TWO KEY AREAS.

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Shift Work Burnout – Ten Tips To Help Reduce The Debilitating Effects.

When you work a 24/7 roster which encompasses some pretty ruthless hours, shift work burnout is going to be inevitable.

Considering sleep deprivation is often unavoidable and many employees have to work harder in today’s economic environment – burnout is becoming increasingly common amongst employees around the world.

But can you reduce the effects of shift work burnout?

You bet. And it all begins by watching out for the symptoms.

These may include things like headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, back and neck pain and even skin rashes.

They are basically warning signs that your body is not at its optimum.

In fact when you suffer from shift work burnout you can become more susceptible to viruses and other infections.

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Do You Experience Sugar Cravings?

Do you experience sugar cravings?

Given sleep deprivation triggers the body to seek out sugar as a source of fuel for the brain, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that you’re raising your hand right now 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️.

This is because your body is always acting on your behalf, not only to help you to survive but to thrive.

It knows instinctively that it can break down carbohydrates into a useable form of energy very quickly, much faster than protein and fat.

But what else contributes to sugar cravings?

Nutritional deficiencies.

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Does Your Workplace Have A Lollie Jar?

I was speaking at a conference on the weekend, and I asked the attendees the following question:

“Do you have a lollie jar stashed in a drawer at work? There were quite a few nods in the room, and one guy even said they have a Lollie Locker!

Whooska. Well, at least he was honest.

The thing is, they’re pretty much in every shift working workplace on the planet.

Incredibly, (but not surprisingly), they line the drawers of most hospital wards … but don’t get me started about the food in the hospitals. I’m going to save that for an entirely different email!!

Anyway, I digress.

Getting back to the lollie jar. Does your workplace also have those “fundraising choccies” that make several appearances throughout the year??

It’s for a good cause, right?

Well … yes, I’m not going to disagree with that, but at what cost to those who are consuming these sugar-laden treats?

You see, when we’re constantly sleep-deprived our bodies are essentially in a state of ‘fight or flight’ which leads us to crave sugar.

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HSW 83: How Better Sleep Leads To Weight Loss

In today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about how better sleep leads to weight loss because there’s always so much emphasis and focus around nutrition and exercise when it comes to weight loss, and rightly so – however, sleep is often the missing link.

We discuss:

  1.  How sleep deprivation and disruption messes with our appetite-regulating hormones.
  2. Why our bodies instinctively crave sugar (or carbohydrates) instead of healthy fats and protein when we haven’t had enough sleep.
  3. Why sleep deprivation is a form of stress on our body that impairs fat burning.
  4. Three things that you may be inadvertently doing that is worsening your sleep disruption, in addition to the shift work itself, which is going to have a negative impact on weight loss.

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