Shift Work and Healthy Eating Patterns

Feeling tired is not new to shift workers but the broader health consequences of shift work may go unnoticed or be a lower priority. Irregular work hours and shift work can lead to disrupted eating, sleeping and movement routines. Without being managed properly, this can result in poor immunity, poor mental health and put you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and more work-related incidents.

Staying alert, focused and safe while on shift relies on your brain and body getting enough energy; through food! For this reason, eating patterns play a crucial role in your health and ability to do your job.

Irregular meal patterns can not only cause exhaustion but also:

• Affect sleep quality
• Cause erratic hunger, fullness and food cravings
• Increase gut symptoms including indigestion, reflex, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation
• Over time, it may slow your metabolism and contribute to weight gain

Does this sound like you?

• Skipping meals during shift and feeling ravenous afterwards, then eating a big meal quickly and having disrupted sleep?
• Eating on the go or whatever you can find while on the road (opportunistic eating)?
• Reliance on high calorie food to get you through and keep you awake?
• Comfort eating or viewing food as a reward for working hard over night?

Did you know?

The production of hunger and fullness hormones (leptin and ghrelin) rely on adequate sleep. This means if you are a shift worker, you are more risk of either not feeling hunger or getting very hungry very quickly!

Extra Eating Tips for Night Shift:

1. Try having a larger main meal before you start, then rely on smaller, low GI* and high protein snacks through the night to keep your energy levels stable and prevent an upset gut. Foods high in sugar or fat overnight might be more likely to make you feel exhausted or bloated.
2. Try having a small snack before bed to avoid waking up hungry. A large meal right before bed will force your gut to stay active and might keep you awake or increase constipation!
3. If you like your coffee, have it early in your shift and ease off towards the end (this will help you to have the best energy and sleep quality)
4. Sip on a sleepy (herbal) tea or other non-caffeinated warm drink and stretch before sleeping to relax.
5. Get the rest of your night shift team on board to share snacks and remind each other to eat regularly.

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