SIMPLE WAYS TO HAVE EXCITING SOCIAL LIFE WHILE WORKING NIGHT SHIFT

By Collins Onyango

 
How can you maintain a healthy social life when your work schedule is exactly the opposite of most people around you?
At some point in his or her career every nurse will have to encounter night shift challenges.

While some enjoy the more patient-based shift with its lack of administrators and clerical work, others find it hard to get into the rhythm of being a night owl.
Even as you do night duties, chances are that you have plenty of non-medical professional friends who won’t keep the same schedule as you. So how do you sustain a normal social life while you work the night shift?

Check out these six helpful tips

1. Plan ahead. Know your schedule in advance, so you can realistically plan ahead with your friends  for anight out at your free conviniet hour. You can for example have an early dinner before if your shift  stars at 7:30 PM.
2. Plan your diet and eat adequately. You are what you eat. During night shift activity of your digestive system is significantly limited. You may have indigestion, heartburn and constipation. Try having two meals at the regular times and a light meal in the middle of the night shift. Consider having the largest meal of the day after the day-sleep. Avoid meals heavy in calories or with a high fat content because they take longer to digest and may make you feel drowsy. Limit the amount of coffee intake towards the end of your shift, as coffee can keep you awake when you are trying to sleep at home. 
3. Control your caffeine intake. For coffee lovers, it can be tempting to consume cup to get through heavy and long night shifts, but it may distort your sleep rhythm even more and make you lose out on social functions with friends and family during days off.
4. Manage your sleeping hours like jet lag. When coming from night shifts into days off,  try having a short sleep on reaching home, and go to bed earlier that night. A good sleep at night quickens your body back to normal clock. Get short naps at first to build up some energy and then keep  awake during rest of day until bed time. This will hasten your transition back to a normal sleep schedule.
5. Accumulate your night shift offs together. This will ensure that you can have longer stretches of days off or daytime shifts and provides plenty recreation time, fun hours, errands sessions with friends and family. This also guarantees you a better overall health!
6. Know your coworkers well! Ty to create trust, rapport and friendship with like minded professional colleagues. Bond with them socially and professionally. If for example you enjoy swimming, invite and schedule a convenient time for it during your offs. You can also bond professionally by trying to coordinate procedural training, or going to conferences and professional development events together.

The night shift doesn’t need to be boring, routine or unhealthy. With right plannng, you can still have fun and socialize effectively.
Even with shifts you can maintan a positive outlook and have normal socail life while keeping up with colleagues and those beyond your professional circle!

Adopted from fortus healh care resources