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.
1. If you can, try to get on a schedule. I know with shift work sometimes this is impossible. But the more you can get onto a schedule of bedtime at 10 pm and waking up at 6 am each day, the easier it will be for you to quickly drift off.
2. Keep your bed and your room just for sleeping. Do not lie in bed while on the computer. Do not watch TV and try to “fall asleep.” Read in a comfortable chair before bed, but not in the bed itself. You have to train your body to know that when you get into the bed, it is time for rest.
3. Journal in the evening. It’s helpful to write out a Journal in the evening. Getting it out onto paper gets it out of your minds.
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