How to overcome shift work sleep disorder?
Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) is a common health issue seen in today’s youth and middle aged due to the change in sleep patterns, which is a result of working in rotational shifts as a part of their profession. The industrial revolution and later the technological revolution brought about a drastic change in people’s time table. The biological clock or circadian rhythm of human beings are set to follow sleeping at night. But many industries worldwide function 24 hours and there need to be people available to make it running. This will gradually disrupt their sleep cycle and cause shift work sleep disorder.
Symptoms of SWSD
Shift work sleep disorder is usually faced by people working in night shifts or rotational shifts, which include IT professionals, media persons and laborers working in various industries like manufacturing, transport and logistics. The symptoms of SWSD include insomnia, daytime sleepiness, difficulty in concentrating, focusing and memory retention, irritability or mood swings, reduced level of motivation and enthusiasm, depression and troubled relationships.
Gradually, the symptoms can become worse and lead to complications that affect your mental health and overall well-being. It may affect your efficiency at workplace and cause serious risks like road accidents while driving.
Find your best timing – Even though you can’t have good night’s sleep due to the shift schedule, you can choose the best time that will help you to get a sound sleep continuously for up to 7-8 hours. You will need to alert others not to wake you up during this time. Also, remember to put your mobile phones away during this period. Don’t take up any other engagements during this period and let others know that it is your sleep time.
Set your bedroom – The setting of your bedroom can have a great impact on your sleep, especially when you are sleeping on a different time schedule. Prepare it well to make it sleep friendly. Maintain it neat and clean. Closing the doors and windows of the bedroom and curtaining it well during your sleep hours will be helpful to keep sound and sunlight away, which may disturb your sleep.
Food and workout – Make sleep your first priority and follow your schedule so as to get good sleep. This includes having a sleep friendly diet that is low in spices, salt and fat. Such foods usually disturb the sleep by keeping your abdomen working hard to digest. Make your diet rich in fruits, vegetables and protein. Having a cup of warm milk before sleep is beneficial. Workout daily to keep yourself healthy. You can also practice some yoga, meditation and breathing exercises to reduce tension and induce sleep hormones.
Say no to gadgets – People are today addicted to gadgets like mobile phones and laptops and spend too much time browsing on internet and social media. But this has a very bad effect on your health, especially sleep. So, it’s advisable to stay away from them as far as possible, at least one hour before going to sleep.
Choose good mattress – The quality of your mattress is another factor that can make or break your sleep. So, choose a good mattress that will offer complete support for your body and allow you to sleep comfortably for a continuous period. There are a wide variety of mattress available such as pocket spring mattress, memory foam mattress, gel mattress, latex mattress etc that are comfortable and durable.
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