How are you supposed to get decent sleep and do a proper physical job without getting a bit flaked out (especially if you are a non sleeper like me) if they don't give you enough time to wind down, faff about, and go to sleep? I'd really love a good nights kip, say 6-7 hrs before doing it all again but can't seem to manage it. I'm rubbish at sleeping, always have been. I suppose it is the norm, I defo need some kev-time in between shifts but sometimes I'm expected just to go sleep & go work again. bollocks! isn't it 11 hrs or sommat that's H&S required in between shifts?
Not sure bout the regs but I do 730 to 7am, seven on, seven off.
Found it hard sleeping a decent amount of time. Ended up getting blackout blinds and a sleep mask, the latter helped a lot!!
Usually in bed for half eight and up between three and half four depending on how busy it's been.
Depends whether you signed out of the regs! IT is not 0300 and I have been at work since 0800 yesterday morning, I am then expected to be back at 0800 this morning potentially as I have signed out of all these working directives! MMMM could be an interesting morning tomorrow!
I used to find it easier to go to bed when I got in and set my alarm to have my 'me' time before work when I did 12 hour shifts[nights]
I now do 10's and go to bed about 20.30 as I have to get up at 04.30, some times fall asleep quickly sometimes don't, always wake up several times a night sometimes not getting back to sleep, for instance this morning I woke at 01.30
shifts kick your ass no matter what you do I think, I used to get stressed about it but now realise if I don't I normally get a better sleep so if I don't get one I just smile and lie there in bed trying to remain calm listening to my ipod or something
If you've got insomnia it makes no difference. I did some work at 3am today, who the hell gets up at 3am to write emails? Me. That's who.
You cannot sign out of the working time directive on time off between shifts - which is 11hours. This can occasionally be breached IIRC in exceptional circumstances. However it should not be a regular thing to breach this requirement
Munge chick - yo should be getting " compensatory rest" to make up at some point - if not the next day then soon after
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workingtime.htm
http://www.tuc.org.uk/tuc/rights_takeabreak.cfm#Take_a_break
ditto tj: if you get 'compensatory rest' you can 'legally' work till late and start early. Doesn't really help much in my experience because the rest of your life (particularly children!) gets in the way of your 'rest' day/morning and you don't really rest. If you finish a shift late and really 'buzzing' (in a good or bad way) then a bike ride as opposed to car journey home is good. Uusally busy main roads are ace at 11.30pm when they are deserted too :D.
Julian - not in any circumstance and not simply for your employers convenience
Too many people fail to enforce their rights under the WTD
In sleep medicine we talk about sleep hygene and the need to maintain a routine in order to avoid poor sleep habits
[u]Personal Habits[/u]
[b]Fix a bedtime and an awakening time.[/b] Do not be one of those people who allows bedtime and awakening time to drift. The body "gets used" to falling asleep at a certain time, but only if this is relatively fixed. Even if you are retired or not working, this is an essential component of good sleeping habits.
[b]
Avoid napping during the day.[/b] If you nap throughout the day, it is no wonder that you will not be able to sleep at night. The late afternoon for most people is a "sleepy time." Many people will take a nap at that time. This is generally not a bad thing to do, provided you limit the nap to 30-45 minutes and can sleep well at night.
[b]
Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime[/b]. Many people believe that alcohol helps them sleep. While alcohol has an immediate sleep-inducing effect, a few hours later as the alcohol levels in your blood start to fall, there is a stimulant or wake-up effect.
[b]Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime[/b]. This includes caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and many soft drinks, as well as chocolate, so be careful.
[b]
Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bedtime.[/b]
These can affect your ability to stay asleep.
[b]Exercise regularly, but not right before bed[/b]. Regular exercise, particularly in the afternoon, can help deepen sleep. Strenuous exercise within the 2 hours before bedtime, however, can decrease your ability to fall asleep.
[u]Your Sleeping Environment[/u]
[b]Use comfortable bedding.[/b] Uncomfortable bedding can prevent good sleep. Evaluate whether or not this is a source of your problem, and make appropriate changes.
[b]
Find a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping and keep the room well ventilated.[/b] If your bedroom is too cold or too hot, it can keep you awake. A cool (not cold) bedroom is often the most conducive to sleep.
[b]Block out all distracting noise, and eliminate as much light as possible.[/b]
[b]Reserve the bed for sleep and sex.[/b] Don't use the bed as an office, workroom or recreation room. Let your body "know" that the bed is associated with sleeping.
[u]
Getting Ready For Bed[/u]
[b]Try a light snack before bed.[/b] Warm milk and foods high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as bananas, may help you to sleep.
[b]Practice relaxation techniques before bed.[/b] Relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing and others may help relieve anxiety and reduce muscle tension.
[b]Don't take your worries to bed.[/b] Leave your worries about job, school, daily life, etc., behind when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a "worry period" during the evening or late afternoon to deal with these issues.
[b]
Establish a pre-sleep ritual[/b]. Pre-sleep rituals, such as a warm bath or a few minutes of reading, can help you sleep.
[b]
Get into your favorite sleeping position[/b]. If you don't fall asleep within 15-30 minutes, get up, go into another room, and read until sleepy.
[u]Getting Up in the Middle of the Night[/u]
Most people wake up one or two times a night for various reasons. If you find that you get up in the middle of night and cannot get back to sleep within 15-20 minutes, then do not remain in the bed "trying hard" to sleep. Get out of bed. Leave the bedroom. Read, have a light snack, do some quiet activity, or take a bath. You will generally find that you can get back to sleep 20 minutes or so later. Do not perform challenging or engaging activity such as office work, housework, etc. [b]Do not watch television.[/b]
[u]
A Word About Television[/u]
Many people fall asleep with the television on in their room. Watching television before bedtime is often a bad idea. Television is a very engaging medium that tends to keep people up. We generally recommend that the television not be in the bedroom. At the appropriate bedtime, the TV should be turned off and the patient should go to bed. Some people find that the radio helps them go to sleep. Since radio is a less engaging medium than TV, this is probably a good idea.
[u]Other Factors[/u]
Several physical factors are known to upset sleep. These include arthritis, acid reflux with heartburn, menstruation, headaches and hot flashes.
Psychological and mental health problems like depression, anxiety and stress are often associated with sleeping difficulty. In many cases, difficulty staying asleep may be the only presenting sign of depression. A doctor should be consulted about these issues to help determine the problem and the best treatment.
Many medications can cause sleeplessness as a side effect. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if medications you are taking can lead to sleeplessness.
To help overall improvement in sleep patterns, your doctor may prescribe sleep medications for short-term relief of a sleep problem. The decision to take sleeping aids is a medical one to be made in the context of your overall health picture.
The goal is to rediscover how to sleep naturally.
^^^ Great post! Some excellent information there. Thanks.
your post is great and I've read lots of info in the past about sleeping, the biggest one I find is the regular sleep/wake times, the problem is though if you do shifts or strange hours its hard to do, for instance I go to bed at 20.30 and wake at 04.30 for work, to do this all weekend also would be both depressing and anti social for someone with a family etc
Agree with the good post and good information, most of which is common sense to most I would imagine. However what I find difficult is the not eating certain things or drinks 4-6hrs before bedtime when I get home around 7pm and out the door at 7am. Restricts your diet considerably as you cannot feasibly leave 4-6hrs after food and still get a "good" nights sleep.
These days, though we have a small child, my sleep patterns are much more regular (bed somewhere 10.30-00.30, up at 6.30).
I realise that I inadvertently do some of the sleep hygiene stuff Ben posted (no TV in the bedroom, generally don't drink, same bedtme routine).
When I worked in private practice, sleep was much more irregular due to the nature of the job (some days I'd get home at 8pm, some days I'd get home 2 days later having not slept in the meantime).
Generally, you adjust.
I leave work at about 9:45 on a Monday and arrive again at about 8:10.
cheers people. some interesting stuff here.is it legal to clock off at 10.30pm and clock on at 07.30am without my consent on days on a row. theoretically.
Hmm sitting hear at work on my lunch break just wondering how that post of Ben's is supposed to work for shift workers. I kind of see some parts of it but not convinced by much of it. Think a lot of it is very much down to individuals. I'll get home about 8am if I'm lucky to be finished on time. I'll be having no breakfast as I'll be too tired. May have a cup of tea or coffee in bed though. I'll then read my emails, do some early morning forum spam hunting and then try for sleep. If I'm lucky the Mrs might come up for some happy fun time once shes dropped the kids off at school.
I'll wake about 11am get up for watch some TV maybe walk the dog, clean the fire out, do a few chores and some web surfing. Then I'll probably try to catch up on work emails and maybe speak to my boss. About 4 if the kids aren't still hyper because Santa is coming I'll get maybe another 2 hours before getting ready for work.
I'm use to it. When I'm off I get maybe 5-6 hours a night. If I'm lucky I snooze during the day for 30 mins to boost myself when off. Its what works for me.
Shift worker here, this week I've worked 1800-0600 sunday, off monday, 0600-1400 tuesday, 1400-2200 wednesday, 2200-0600 today (at work and have been up since 0930) 1800-2200 friday! I'm supposed to be riding at midday, so will mean 3 and a half hours kip maximum unless I bail! Working Sunday night then early tuesday morning really screwed me up, and really need to get up early today just so I'll sleep tonight! 🙁