Stay Alert on Third Shift
Being alert all the time is not easy to do. Staying alert when working long, late, or odd hours can be especially challenging. Forming some basic habits can help.
Contents
Steps
- Adjust your life to your hours. This means you will be on a different cycle, but that can be rewarding, as you will be shopping without crowds and long lines. Make sure you factor your social needs and other habits into your schedule.
- Work hard at making a buddy who has the same hours as you. This can help provide you with social opportunities at times when your other friends and relatives are working or sleeping.
- Spend the morning or evening with family and friends, so you do not miss them.
- Make sure you get enough sleep. You will understandably need to sleep at "odd" hours, since you're working at night, but make sure you still get the sleep you need. Don't skip your precious rest time just because others are up and about. To help you sleep during the daytime, install 'blackout' shades and curtains in your bedroom. Use ear plugs if you are a light sleeper.
- Add a little extra to your exercise routine. Something as small and quick as a couple of sets of ten-pound curls will give your body an extra boost, and you will feel less tired.
- Pay attention to your dietary needs. This matters any time, but "graveyard shift" employees can get sidetracked and start eating merely out of habit and convenience. Consume plenty of vegetables, fiber, and all the other elements you know are part of a healthy diet.
- Avoid energy drinks and most supplements unless your doctor gives you the go-ahead. Our bodies sometimes "crash" when we run low on proper nutrients, and that can be draining.
- Avoid a big meal at work. Employers usually allow one long break period for a meal, because it's the law, but you can actually adapt the whole break schedule to help yourself. If you eat part of your meal at each short break, your lunch period can become either a planning period or exercise time. Do not let labels dictate your health.
- Take an interest in your job. Others might dislike the work and be negative about it, but that is their choice. If you are there, and you are earning money, do the best you can. You might notice that certain tasks are not being performed adequately. Volunteering to lend a hand is the right thing to do, as long as it doesn't interfere with the performance of your own duties. Volunteering might add to your on-the-job experience and even garner you a good reputation with your superiors.
- Talk to your supervisor if you're having trouble staying alert. If your supervisor is wise, ask him or her for help. S/he might have a task that needs doing that would get you up and moving during your shift.
- Tell the supervisor about any obstacles you see in performing your job. Suggest a solution before it can become a serious problem.
- Don't get too stressed. Understand that very little in life is perfect. Learn from any hurdles at work instead of getting angry.
- Smile, dance, and sing at least once a day. There may not be a direct and obvious link between these activities and being a better person, but they can't fail to make you a happier individual. That's half the battle at any time of the day.
Tips
- Talk to employees who have been on your shift for a period of time. They probably have good suggestions for coping with the experience.
Warnings
- Your personal life might be a little lonely at first. Remember that the people who matter miss you. Reach out to them whenever possible. Watch for them to do the same.
- Do not overstep yourself at work.
- Be aware of any issue that arises. It might be there for a reason.
- Ask questions during breaks.
- Be very careful not to insult anyone's work ethic.
