Our body’s natural clock tells us when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Working overnight throws this system off track. This can leave you struggling to get through your work and get the sleep you need. It’ll take some time, but you can adjust your body to your new work schedule…
Working Overnight: Adjusting Your Body
Light Management
Light sends messages to your brain to let you know when it’s time to be alert versus time to rest. Managing your exposure to light can help your body adjust to working overnight. Exposure management can help your body “make sense” of your new work and sleep schedule.
When you’re at work, keep yourself exposed to artificial lights to tell your brain it’s time to be awake. However, once your shift is over, you should limit your exposure to light to get ready for sleeping. Wear sunglasses and keep the blinds drawn once you get home to keep exposure to a minimum.
Regular Sleep Patterns
You might experience problems sleeping during the day when working overnight. This is due to your body still not feeling like it’s the “right” time to sleep. However, you can get your body to adjust to your new sleep schedule.
At first, you might find yourself sleeping in short bursts rather than continuously like you’re used to. However, this actually can help your body adjust. As you body becomes more use to being tired during this time, you’ll begin sleeping for longer and longer periods of time.
Wind Down After Work
As you finish working overnight, other people will just be starting their days. You might be tempted to join them and start running errands, or catch up on social media. However, it’s actually better to avoid doing these things.
Doing activities like these stimulate your brain and make it difficult to rest. You’ll want to keep your after-work routine to a minimum instead to promote better sleep. Keeping a regular, calming routine helps to let your body know you should be resting rather than active.
Adjusting to the overnight shift can be difficult even if you’re a night owl. A lack of sleep could put you at more of a risk for injuries, like overexertion for example. That’s why it’s important to have your body begin to adapt to your new schedule as soon as possible.