"Shifting" your Workload

Disturbed sleep may pose as a humungous problem for those who aren’t used to it.
Adequate amount of sleep is one thing that one needs to check in this day and age where pay scales are rather decent. Disturbed sleep can cause havoc in your day-to-day routine life, especially if you are in a position where every day and every quarter counts. Working in rotation has its benefits as well as its demerits. Your body clock including other things is likely to get most affected.

Shift work and you body clock
Similar to jet lag, working in shifts not only gives you the pleasure of working in a silence zone but also attaches rewards in the form of dark circles and irritable behavior. Despite all the sleep that you might want to catch up on, its difficult to get the kind of sleep that you’ve been used to.

Despite your best efforts to make your night shift more pleasant, because your body is accustomed to a particular type of sleep patterns, it’s difficult to make ends meet. Your fatigued self can cause quite a stir especially if this is prolonged for longer durations. Of course you get used to a particular life style, but in the long run you tend to find yourself running after your health and utilizing the same hard earned money that you made in abundance through your shifts.

Most call centers ask for young and energetic out of college grads for this reason. Since this is a lucrative profession, it’s good for students who make an extra buck. You’ll find most companies looking for students who aren’t tainted with work experience. At times what may seem really difficult gets into your system, making you like your job, thanks to the handsome salary attached to it. So what really occurs when you work in shifts? Well, for one you find yourself hunting for some thing to lean on. Whether is the coffee that you gulp down in gallons or the alcohol that keeps you up, you are sure to be hooked on to something!

At most times if you notice, the HGH, or human growth hormone gets released during the dead of the night putting you into deep sleep. You’ll notice that partygoers and people who swear each night by the pub tend to put in their best in beauty parlors, in order to look fresh. For those who work in shifts this is far beyond thought. Most people have this tendency to take up medication of some sort to help them through this problem. If you really can’t help but work in shifts here’s what you can do to live through this situation.

Getting back on track
Firstly avoid a situation that makes you work in shifts. If you can’t make sure that you you’re your meals on time. At least you can avoid huge acidic pangs that run through your body.

Try using your mental faculties in making you believe that this is how a normal day is. For most people it’s most difficult to train the mind. If you’ve got that in order, then the world’s your stage.

Drink lots of water. Generally as the eating patterns changes in the night, you tend to eat a lot of junk and avoid liquids simply because it doesn’t strike you that you have to. Try drinking a lot of juices instead of tit bits or snacks. At least you are sure not to get your bodily cells dehydrated.

Take short breaks and try desk exercises, it keeps your mind fresh.

If you can take a cat’s nap in between or do some palming exercises, you can protect your eyes from getting destroyed slowly. Simply place your palms on your eyes and count ten. Wait up and repeat. This exercise makes your eyes less tired and does not induce the feeling of being fatigued!

As far as possible if you can get rid of the shift routine, make a sincere effort. All the best!

By Prerna Salla
Published: 12/6/2005
 
Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.
Your Comments:
Your Name:
Use the form below to email this article to your friends.
Recipient Email Address:
 Separate multiple email addresses by ;
Your Name:
Your Email Address: