Working in night shifts- the horror story
PICTURE this: A bustling call-centre bang in the middle of the city. Swanky interiors, well-lit corridors, smart, friendly, vigilant workers who have just come in the night shift. The shift begins briskly enough, and things are quite gung-ho till about midnight. The unending traffic soon dies down, the silence disturbed only by the occasional blare of a horn. A slight drizzle wets the concrete pavement and a cop whistles on his lone beat. In the nearby cemetery, an owl hoots as if on cue. The office is suddenly beset with unearthly happenings. A shift-worker starts moving around in zombie-like daze. Monitors flicker eerily in front of seemingly comatose individuals.
Vague, vibratory noises that sound suspiciously like snores emerge from isolated air-conditioned cabins. Failing to appreciate the differences between a vending machine and the copier, a few dingbats throttle the hapless piece of machinery in the ludicrous hope of getting some coffee. Danger lurks in innocuous corners as supervisory vampires glide past in ghostly silence, hoping to catch victims unawares...
This may be a highly exaggerated piece of fiction from a hyper-imaginative mind, but for millions of workers who have to contend with unearthly work hours, the fine line between wakeful vigilance and glaze-eyed stupor tends to diminish after a few hours in the graveyard shift. According to one report, 10- 20% of night shift workers report falling asleep on the job, usually during the second half of the shift. Understandably, they find it hard to fight the natural sleep-wake pattern and stay alert through the night.
Sleep, after all, is more than just "beauty rest" for the body; chronic sleep deprivation damages a person's health, on-the-job safety, task performance, memory and mood. (Can hardly blame the poor souls who throttled the copier- thank heavens it was not the computer operator!)
Here are some tips to make it through the night without actually turning into a ghostly... Oops... ghastly sleep-deprived android.
Take short breaks throughout the shift. Breaks help you cut out the monotony and shake off the sleepiness trying to creep up on you. If you do drink a caffeinated beverage (coffee, tea, colas), do so early in the shift - before about 3 a.m. for the night worker. (Studies prove that people who choose to have their coffee/ cola breaks early on have a greater capacity to distinguish the fine disparities between inanimate machinery and comatose co-workers, thereby resulting in fewer accidents)
Get some exercise during breaks. Use the employee lounge, take a walk, or climb the stairs. You could also try punching an airbag to work-up some energy and relieve tension, unless of course the airbag happens to be your supervisor!
Try to work with a "buddy." Talking to co-workers will keep you alert. You can watch out for signs of drowsiness in each other (and for supervisory vampires on the prowl)
Preferably have two meals at regular times and a light meal in the middle of the night shift. Eat healthy snacks, avoiding foods that may upset your stomach. (Spicy food, oily burgers and fried stuff are best avoided) Do not leave the most tedious or boring tasks to the end of your shift when you are apt to feel the drowsiest. Nightshift workers hit their lowest period around 4 a.m. (Reserve that time exclusively for bedtime prayers.) Exchange ideas with your colleagues on ways to cope with the problems of shift work.
Set up a support group at work so that you can support and learn from each other. (With enough support and backing, you could successfully hoodwink your boss into thinking that the office is a beehive of activity while you catch your forty winks!)
Well, no one said working in night shifts was easy. All the money, perks and exclusive benefits of working in the graveyard shift do not hold a candle to the joys of snuggling into bed at nighttime and snoring away to glory. The only thing we can do is cross our hearts and offer condolences to those poor souls chained to their nocturnal workstations.
BINDU SRIDHAR
faqs@cnkonline.com
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