It\u2019s\u00a0usually the night carer\u2019s responsibility to\u00a0perform\u00a0routine\u00a0checks, respond to\u00a0resident\u00a0calls, change\u00a0catheters,\u00a0assist with\u00a0mobility\u00a0and incontinence,\u00a0complete\u00a0admin work, clean and\u00a0get\u00a0the home ready for the day shift.\u00a0Whether you\u2019re on a rotating shift pattern\u00a0and are getting ready for your first\u00a0night\u00a0or you\u2019re\u00a0starting a permanent night shift job, here are our top\u00a0seven\u00a0tips for\u00a0enduring\u00a0the night.<\/p>\n
1. Prepare yourself<\/h2>\n
Jumping into the deep end and tackling\u00a0your first\u00a0night shift\u00a0without preparation\u00a0is\u00a0entirely\u00a0possible\u00a0but there\u2019s a good chance you will become exhausted by morning.\u00a0Ideally, you will want to have as much sleep as possible\u00a0before your shift starts\u00a0but snoozing\u00a0during\u00a0the day doesn\u2019t come naturally to\u00a0a lot of\u00a0people.\u00a0It\u2019s something you have to adjust to\u00a0but can be achieved relatively quickly.<\/p>\n
Beginning\u00a0this transition process one or two days earlier\u00a0by\u00a0trying to stay awake throughout the night\u00a0is\u00a0common practice. This\u00a0extra time\u00a0allows you to\u00a0train\u00a0your\u00a0mind and body\u00a0to become accustomed to a new sleep pattern\u00a0before your big day so you benefit from being well-rested. If you have the luxury of doing this, this is your best bet at\u00a0minimising burnout\u00a0before\u00a0completing your\u00a0night shift.<\/p>\n
2. Avoid energy drinks<\/h2>\n
For quick bursts of energy, most of us turn to caffeinated\u00a0drinks\u00a0like tea and coffee. There\u2019s also a wide range of cheap and flavoursome energy drinks to choose from, which on the surface, seem like the most effective\u00a0way to stay\u00a0awake. However, we don\u2019t recommend stocking up on these before your\u00a0night shift.<\/p>\n
Due to the sugar and caffeine, sweet energy drinks\u00a0can become addictive to the point where you\u00a0believe\u00a0you need to keep drinking them to\u00a0function properly. And when consumed in high amounts, these beverages\u00a0can have\u00a0negative\u00a0side effects. They\u2019re usually very high in calories, leading to weight gain,\u00a0and can cause your energy levels to crash after a couple hours leaving you feeling even more tired and dehydrated than you normally would.<\/p>\n
Getting headaches and feeling groggy isn\u2019t how you\u2019d want to spend the day\u00a0shift, so\u00a0stick to\u00a0drinking plenty of plain old water and moderate amounts of tea or coffee to get you through the night.\u00a0Caffeine can stay in your system for 5-10 hours so\u00a0plan your drinks accordingly\u00a0if you\u2019re\u00a0approaching the end of your shift and\u00a0are\u00a0planning\u00a0on\u00a0sleeping anytime soon\u00a0after.<\/p>\n
3. Take healthy food with you<\/h2>\n
When you\u2019re working a\u00a0night shift, you need to give your body and mind the right kind of fuel for the job which involves making healthier choices.\u00a0Fruit, veggies and slow-releasing energy foods like\u00a0proteins\u00a0(meat, fish, oats),\u00a0ordinary\u00a0carbohydrates and grains\u00a0are the best options for generating and managing healthy energy levels over long time periods.\u00a0Although\u00a0\u2018meal deal\u2019 foods and vending machine snacks\u00a0are convenient and tasty,\u00a0there are a lot of\u00a0downsides\u00a0to eating them.<\/p>\n
For example, snacks which\u00a0contain\u00a0refined carbohydrates, like biscuits, cakes, white rice,\u00a0white\u00a0pasta,\u00a0white\u00a0bread, sweetened cereal, pastries and fizzy drinks, don\u2019t have much nutritional benefit at all. They lack fibre,\u00a0can lead to weight gain, can leave you hungrier and cause your blood sugar levels to spike.\u00a0Even salty foods like crisps can contribute to dehydration and headaches.<\/p>\n
Making small changes to your diet, like switching to wholemeal (also\u00a0called\u00a0\u2018brown\u2019) bread,\u00a0 wholegrain rice and wholegrain pasta,\u00a0can\u00a0help introduce more fibre, vitamins, minerals, protein, antioxidants and plant compounds into your body, keeping\u00a0you alert and healthier. Choosing fruit, berries, nuts, seeds and vegetables over junk food can also save you money in the long run.<\/p>\n
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4. Get fresh air<\/h2>\n
When possible, most-likely on your break, try to go outside and stretch your legs.\u00a0Deep breathing and getting fresh air\u00a0increases\u00a0our\u00a0blood\u00a0oxygen levels,\u00a0causing us\u00a0to become more alert and refreshed.\u00a0When we work,\u00a0breathing isn\u2019t something we tend to focus on\u00a0\u2013 that\u2019s why\u00a0we can feel fatigued\u00a0after being stuck indoors for long periods of time\u00a0even when we haven\u2019t been doing anything strenuous. Being outside is also a chance to step away from work and bring our stress levels down.<\/p>\n
If you must remain inside, keep your space well\u00a0ventilated\u00a0by opening windows and doors. Being in a warm, stuffy environment can quite easily cause you to\u00a0feel drowsy, especially if you\u2019re going through a quieter\u00a0period.<\/p>\n
5. Stay active<\/h2>\n
Caring for others is a very demanding job. More often than not you are\u00a0on your feet\u00a0for hours before you get a chance to\u00a0properly\u00a0sit down. Just because you\u2019re on the\u00a0night shift\u00a0it doesn\u2019t mean it will be\u00a0any\u00a0easier. However, if you do find yourself in\u00a0a\u00a0moment of rest, that is also likely to be the\u00a0time\u00a0you start flagging as your adrenaline starts decreasing. Staying productive\u00a0or performing\u00a0simple exercises\u00a0such as\u00a0stretching\u00a0can help you power through so you don\u2019t lose too much momentum.<\/p>\n
6. Work-life balance<\/h2>\n
Remember, you\u00a0still need time before or after your shift to enjoy yourself.\u00a0Falling into a cycle where\u00a0the only things you do are\u00a0work and sleep can\u00a0badly\u00a0impact on your mental wellbeing and end up affecting your\u00a0performance.\u00a0Just like\u00a0being on\u00a0the day shift,\u00a0allocating a couple of hours before or after your shift\u00a0for self-care and\u00a0things that make you feel good\u00a0can work wonders.\u00a0Because\u00a0of the unsociable hours,\u00a0it\u2019s important to\u00a0catch\u00a0up with family and friends\u00a0regularly\u00a0in the small windows of opportunity you\u2019ll have.<\/p>\n
7. Set up your bedroom just for sleeping<\/h2>\n
When you\u2019re back home, after a bit of downtime\u00a0you\u2019ll want to\u00a0rest.\u00a0The first few\u00a0days\u00a0might not be too easy if your body isn\u2019t used to this new routine.\u00a0To\u00a0give yourself the best chance of\u00a0dozing\u00a0off\u00a0faster, your bedroom should be a relaxing environment that you associate\u00a0with\u00a0sleep. If you eat meals, watch TV, listen to\u00a0loud\u00a0music or do any activities that cause you to become more alert,\u00a0it may\u00a0make\u00a0switching off your mind\u00a0more difficult.<\/p>\n
Even if you don\u2019t watch TV or\u00a0use\u00a0your computer\u00a0but have\u00a0the equipment close\u00a0by, this\u00a0can\u00a0subconsciously\u00a0work against you because your brain doesn\u2019t connect that\u00a0activity with what you\u2019re trying to accomplish.\u00a0Making your space cosy and\u00a0positioning your electronics out of sight will\u00a0help you\u00a0break this link.<\/p>\n
On a normal\u00a0night having\u00a0a\u00a0TV\u00a0near your bed\u00a0might not be a problem. But\u00a0after a\u00a0night shift\u00a0you\u2019ll also be battling the\u00a0sights and sounds of the world happening outside your window, so\u00a0any small changes you can make could be the key to a\u00a0great\u00a0day\u2019s\u00a0sleep. It\u2019s also a good idea to\u00a0prepare yourself by\u00a0buying\u00a0ear plugs, eye\u00a0masks and blackout blinds or curtains\u00a0to\u00a0help protect you from\u00a0any distractions outside\u00a0of your control.<\/p>\n
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Good luck! You\u2019ll be great<\/h2>\n
Changing your sleep pattern\u00a0and adjusting to a new routine\u00a0will be the biggest challenge.\u00a0Avoid\u00a0falling\u00a0into any traps\u00a0that would make you behave differently\u00a0to\u00a0if you were working the day shift (i.e. developing a bad diet\u00a0or social life and\u00a0avoiding exercise).<\/p>\n
With a little preparation and\u00a0by looking after\u00a0your physical and mental\u00a0wellbeing\u00a0you should naturally adapt\u00a0easier to working nights.\u00a0Once you\u2019re at work, the job at hand will keep you motivated and on your toes\u00a0but there may be brief\u00a0moments in the earlier hours of the morning\u00a0where you feel yourself getting tired.\u00a0Stay\u00a0focused and\u00a0alert\u00a0by keeping yourself\u00a0busy\u00a0and before you know it your shift will be over\u00a0and you will be able to rest!<\/p>\n
Using CareDocs<\/h2>\n
CareDocs has\u00a0several\u00a0benefits and features\u00a0that\u00a0support\u00a0care workers through their\u00a0night shift.\u00a0Our digital care management system\u00a0is most well-known for\u00a0removing time consuming admin<\/a>\u00a0tasks from the care process,\u00a0allowing\u00a0care staff\u00a0more time\u00a0to focus on providing an accurate and effective service.<\/p>\n Administrative tasks are among the\u00a0routine\u00a0responsibilities\u00a0which\u00a0can cause\u00a0us\u00a0to flag because it\u2019s generally not stimulating work.\u00a0Relying on\u00a0paper systems<\/a>\u00a0can slow you down and increase the chances of human error \u2013 especially when\u00a0feeling\u00a0tired.<\/p>\n CareDocs enables\u00a0you to record\u00a0chart<\/a>\u00a0entries\u00a0directly into our software,\u00a0forms<\/a>\u00a0can be completed on screen and\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0are automatically generated from previously entered data.\u00a0Any care staff member can create\u00a0a\u00a0handover report in seconds to see what events have taken place over a certain time period for an instant update on their residents.\u00a0There\u2019s no fussing with searching for\u00a0or transporting\u00a0physical files, folders\u00a0or stationery.<\/p>\n Our comprehensive and person-centred\u00a0Care Plan<\/a>\u00a0contains\u00a023\u00a0care\u00a0sections including\u00a0Elimination, Dementia, Skin Integrity, Mobility, Breathing, Nutrition\u00a0and\u00a0Hydration. You can find the\u00a0best plan of care for a resident in a matter of moments\u00a0on\u00a0mobile devices<\/a>\u00a0and record your care remotely using\u00a0the powerful point of care\u00a0platform\u00a0CareDocs Cloud Portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Strong communication\u00a0is a crucial component<\/a>\u00a0in delivering consistent\u00a0and\u00a0outstanding care. All staff have access to our\u00a0Message Centre<\/a>\u00a0feature, allowing you to send secure and instant messages\u00a0through\u00a0the system to notify your colleagues on different shifts of anything they should be aware of. Your message will appear\u00a0on the recipient\u2019s screen immediately after they have logged into CareDocs.<\/p>\n For more information on how CareDocs can digitally transform your business, please\u00a0book a demo<\/a>, contact us on 0330 056 3333 or email\u00a0sales@caredocs.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s a common misconception about working the night shift in care homes and nursing homes. Some might assume that because residents are going to be sleeping there\u2019s less to do. However, often there\u2019s just as much work, and the shift itself comes with its own unique challenges \u2013 most understandably fighting the urge to fall asleep. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":13014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,26],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n