How should you eat when working shifts? Here are some simple tips to follow!

To be able to cope with shift work, it is very important to know how to manage your diet. The main causes of health problems related to shift and night work are disruptions to the circadian rhythm and too little sleep. This can in turn lead to, for example, fatigue, low mood, overweight, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Night-time sleep is extremely important for blood sugar control in the body. At night, the body is normally not set up for us to eat. Studies have shown that the more people eat at night, the worse it is for blood lipids and blood sugar.

But the problems can be partly counteracted by paying attention to what and when you eat.

The most important dietary advice for shift work

Timing: Eat at the same time every day, regardless of whether you work mornings, days or nights.

Meals: Maintain a normal meal pattern as far as possible (breakfast–lunch–dinner). But you can, for example, eat breakfast before going to bed if you have worked a night shift.

When: Eat a morning meal between 6–9 a.m., the next meal between 11 a.m.–2 p.m., and the main meal between 5–7 p.m.

Avoid eating at night: It can cause stomach problems and lead to weight gain. But you can eat something lighter later in the evening if you feel the need. Then it should be something light, such as hot soup, porridge, a sandwich or yoghurt, but avoid large meals. Between midnight and 6 a.m. you should try to drink only water.

Not everyone feels well if they don’t eat at night. Younger people in particular, because they have a higher energy requirement, may need to eat. If that is the case, you should choose something that does not raise blood sugar too much. This could be, for example, whole-grain bread, eggs, unsweetened soup and foods with a lower carbohydrate content, since the body has more difficulty handling carbohydrates at night; avoid sugar completely.

Caffeine: Everything we eat and drink has a chemical effect on the brain. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea and Coca Cola. Energy drinks also contain caffeine and/or large doses of similar stimulants. These substances wake up the brain, increase well-being, improve concentration and enhance memory. But it takes a long time for the body to break down caffeine. If you, for example, have a cup of coffee containing about 400 mg of caffeine at 10 p.m., you will still have 200 mg of caffeine in your blood at 4 a.m. At 10 a.m. you still have 100 mg of caffeine in your blood, which stimulates your adrenal glands to produce cortisol, a stress hormone that negatively affects sleep. The most common problems with caffeine are difficulty falling asleep, poorer sleep quality and more movement during sleep. It is therefore beneficial to consume caffeine in the early part of the shift.