Staying up late can be tough on the body, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. In 2017–2018, about 16 percent of Americans worked a nondaytime schedule, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While the graveyard shift comes with the territory for some occupations, such as doctors and nurses, first responders, security guards, and factory workers, it doesn’t make staying up late any easier.
“The difficulty of working the night shift is that it forces you to sleep against your body clock. It’s a mismatch between your internal body clock and your external environment,” says Michelle Drerup, PsyD, a psychologist and director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Cleveland Clinic.
Your sleep schedule is dictated by your circadian rhythm — a 24-hour cycle that influences when you’re alert, sleepy, and even hungry. When your sleep-wake cycle is going against this rhythm, you’re exhausted, fighting the urge to go to bed, Drerup says.
Shift workers and those working overnight tend to be continually sleep-deprived, as they struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep while their bodies send alerting signals to wake up during daytime hours. Because of this, they also lose out on deep, restorative sleep, Dr. Drerup warns.
While your body and brain are hardwired to relax and reset at night, there are ways to safely get through the graveyard shift without too much fatigue. Here’s a look at the top tips from experts.
1. Establish a Fake Daytime Schedule Overnight
Flip the average daytime schedule around to accommodate your waking hours, says John Cline, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Cheshire, Connecticut, who specializes in sleep medicine.
When you wake up, consider how you’d start the day. Maybe you’d freshen up with a cold shower, cook a hearty breakfast, and have a cup of coffee before heading into work.
Develop a post-work routine, too, Drerup says. Instead of immediately going to bed after getting home from work, some people sleep better if they stay up for another hour or two.
You may want to take a breath, meditate, read or catch up on your favorite show, just like you would if you’d finished a daytime shift. “This way you’ll wake up closer to the time when you start the next night shift,” Drerup says.
2. Keep Your Sleep Schedule Consistent
To successfully maneuver through the night shift, you unfortunately have to stick to your nocturnal schedule on your days off, Dr. Cline says.
“It’s hard advice, but it’s immensely helpful to keep your sleep schedule consistent,” he says. That means that if you’re going to sleep at 8 a.m. and waking up at 4 p.m. during the work week, that routine should hold on the weekends, too. You don’t want to disrupt the sleep-wake cues you’ve built up and restart again.
This can be disruptive for social events, taking care of kids or other responsibilities, but you should have your family on board to support you, Drerup says.
3. Aim for 8 Hours of Deep Sleep
When it’s time for slumber, give your body its best shot for accumulating deep, restorative sleep, says Colleen Carney, PhD, an associate professor and director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory at Ryerson University in Toronto.
“You’re fighting against biology. You’re trying to sleep when your alerting signal for wakefulness is rapidly ascending. It’s stronger during the day so you can’t have proper sleep architecture,” Dr. Carney says.
Furnish your bedroom with blackout curtains to block out sunlight seeping in and invest in a noise machine or earplugs you’re comfortable wearing so you can tune out the day’s events happening around the house.
And aim for as close to eight hours of rest as you can to mirror the slumber you’d get if you were on a daytime schedule.
Some people find it easier to follow a split sleep schedule, Drerup says. This involves sleeping several hours after getting home in the morning and then sleeping for several hours before your next shift’s start time.
4. Take a Power Nap
If you can eke out a 30-minute power nap during your lunch break, this will do wonders for the rest of your shift, Cline says. If your schedule allows it, getting some bedrest before your shift starts helps, too.
A nap of just 10 to 20 minutes is ideal because you won’t enter deep sleep and feel excessively groggy when it’s time to wake up, according to research.
You could even strategize with a pre-shift “coffee nap,” according to the Sleep Foundation. Drink a cup of coffee before your shift and take a short nap. By the time your alarm clock rings, the caffeine should be taking effect, so you’re ready to get started with work.
5. Stay in Bright Light
Light has a powerful effect on your internal clock, and bright light can temporarily fake the body into thinking it’s not yet time for bed. A study published in 2018 in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that even a short burst of bright light helped night shift nurses heighten their alertness while reducing their symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Your circadian rhythm has connections to your eyes, so bright light can help reset your internal clock, Carney says.
In other words, keep your workspace well lit to help your brain and body register that you’re in daytime mode.
6. Stock Up on Healthy Snacks
Staying awake all night has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and other health issues tied to the body’s metabolism, according to the National Institutes of Health. It may be because sleep deprivation affects food choices: night-shift workers are more likely to crave calorie-dense carbs, sugary food, and salty snacks, according to an article published in 2019 in BMJ.
Healthy eating isn’t exactly the top priority during a busy overnight shift, too, says Carney.
To avoid heading to the vending machine for your overnight lunch, it’s crucial to prepare healthy meals and snacks.
Try to eat a healthy meal before your shift, with whole grains, complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and plenty of fresh vegetables to energize you before work. If it’s your first meal of the day, this could be eggs, with whole grain toast, sweet potatoes, and a side salad, Carney says.
After that, bring snacks like fruits — fresh or dried — nuts, hummus, and veggie sticks or yogurt and granola with you to keep you fueled throughout the night. Coming prepared for the night will make sure you steer away from sugary and salty snacks.
An improved diet will be better for your health — and, in turn, your sleep as you navigate the overnight shift, Carney says.
And make sure you stay hydrated, aiming for eight glasses of water daily. Dehydration can make you feel fatigued because it affects the flow of oxygen to the brain, making your body work overtime to pump oxygen to your brain, according to the UK National Health Service (NHS). Make sure you’re drinking water to keep yourself alert and energized.
Remember: Staying up late on purpose, whether it’s to catch up on work, party, or binge-watch TV, isn’t a healthy habit.
But if it’s mandatory because of your work schedule, tending to your newborn baby, or other obligations in your household, there is a healthy way to go about it so your overnight shifts won’t wreak havoc on your mind and body.
