Losing sleep over shift work

by NADEEM BADSHAH

LIE-INS AND SKIPPING MEALS BEFORE BED MAY FIGHT INSOMNIA HEALTH RISKS

DOCTORS and night-shift workers should have a lie-in at the weekend and avoid eating takeaways before bed to prevent insomnia, according to health experts.

Sleep disorders have been in the spotlight since it emerged that ITV newsreader Tom Bradby, a guest at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Mar­kle in May, had taken time off work due to insomnia.

Weekend lie-ins could help avoid an early death, according to research published earlier in the year. Stockholm University found individuals who man­aged a few hours’ sleep each day during the week but had a long snooze at weekends had no raised mor­tality risk compared with those who stuck to six or seven hours a night.

NHS staff, taxi drivers, restaurant workers and fac­tory employees are required to work in the evenings or overnight, which can increase the risks of weight gain, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF) has urged people who work late shifts to take naps dur­ing the day and improve their quality of sleep by avoiding eating late and not look at computer and phone screens before bed time.

Dr Mahendra Patel, senior member of the SAHF, told Eastern Eye: “It is about going to bed roughly at the same time when you feel sleepy, in a quiet envi­ronment. It is important to lie-in to catch up on sleep at the weekend, for example.

“Having a nap just before the start of the shift is also fine but the body can find it difficult to sleep in daylight. But it’s important to exercise regularly to get a sleep pattern, what they call undisturbed ‘good sleep’. Keep coffee and energy drinks to four-five hours before sleep so you don’t need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Also, having a hot bath helps.”

Dr Patel, from Huddersfield in Yorkshire, added that over-the-counter herbal supplements could help people who have difficulty nodding off, but cautioned that people should check it does not clash with other medicines they are taking.

The NHS recommends adults sleep on average between seven and nine hours every night.

Research organisation Rand Europe found an av­erage of fewer than six hours sleep a night in the long term puts people at a 13 per cent higher mortality risk than someone getting seven to nine hours.

Dr Kailash Chand, honorary vice-president of the British Medical Association, told Eastern Eye: “In­somnia is a rapidly growing global health issue. Dis­turbed sleep affects all aspects of an individual’s daily life functioning.

“Chronic insomnia can be best treated by using non-pharmacological techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapies or reviewing sleep hygiene.

“For the acute symptoms of insomnia, hypnosis can be an effective therapeutic measure.

“A doctor who has no sleep during the day leading into a shift will have gone 20-25 hours without sleep. This could reduce their [mental] performance to the level of someone with an alcohol level of 0.10 per cent – the legal limit to drive is 0.08 per cent.”

The number of night-shift workers has risen by more than 250,000 in Britain in the past five years, according to the TUC union, due to rising living costs.

Ruhul Tarafder, from the Bangladesh Caterers As­sociation based in Kent, believes restaurant opening hours have become easier for staff in recent years.

He said: “With the night economy a lot of people suffer, even myself, to an extent, as sometimes I sleep at 3am.

“But before restaurants stayed open till 2am, now workers finish around 11pm as the patterns have changed for diners.

“Restaurants were packed on Friday and Saturday nights till late, that trend has decreased.

“A lot of restaurants close during the morning. Previously they opened between 11am and 3pm, because staff dictate more and you cannot get the staff these days. Bosses offer perks like only opening from 6pm. A lot of takeaways don’t open during the day as otherwise it is long hours.”

Tarafder, who owns takeaway Jhal Chilli in Kent, added: “With a lot of Bangladeshi workers they lead unhealthy lifestyles – too much smoking, lack of ex­ercise, bad diet, it’s a bad combination that impacts on sleep. There needs to be more awareness.”

Professor Dinesh Bhugra, former president of the World Psychiatry Association, said recent studies looking at sleep patterns of individuals who work in shifts suggest their physical and mental health are likely to be affected.

He added: “It has been shown that erratic patterns of sleep may lead to depression and bipolar disor­ders. It is, of course, possible that these shift patterns and reduced or poor exposure to sun may also cause vitamin D deficiency.

“It is important that body gets rest to recover. Sometimes lack of sleep can cause a ‘manic’ re­sponse which is described as a defence mechanism so that the individual can carry on dealing with stressful situations.

“Hence it is important that adequate and proper rest is available to all those who work in night shifts to give the body and mind a chance to recover.”