One of the greatest challenges that every nurse faces at one point in their career is lack of sleep. Working as a nurse, we are sometimes put on various shifts. We are asked to swing back and forth between days and nights. We get brought in for on-calls, which could be a random night shift mixed into a run of 12 hour days.
Not only does the professional staffing model of nursing create sleep disturbances, but own experiences as a nurse often adds fuel to the fire.
Nurses take care of difficult patients, observe death and pathology. Nurses work with challenging personalities. No wonder they have a lot on their minds! But sleeping, or not sleeping, in this way can lead to terrible problems. Mistakes can be made at work if concentration is poor or minds are foggy. Moods can swing as we feel irritable, exhausted, and overwhelmed. Illness can exacerbate as inadequate rest can lead to depression, weight gain, and decreased immune function.
So what do Nurses do with all of this? How can they ensure to receive proper rest? Well, there are a few things.
4. Do not eat or drink too close to bedtime.
5. Get activity and movement in each day. If you don’t do anything physical during the day that gets your heart rate pumping, your body isn’t really going to be tired or need any rest. It didn’t do anything! So get outside and get moving. Fresh air is a great way to charge up during the day so that you can rest well during the night!
6. Try aromatherapy or oils.
7. Create an environment conducive for sleep. Keep a dark, cool room. The worst thing is to wake up seating and hot. Turn down the lights to prepare for peaceful relaxation and quiet time.
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