Essential Tips For Interns To Keep Healthy And Rested Between Long Shifts

Being an intern in a new company can be one of the hardest things ever. You’re expected to do all the grunt work, all the boring paperwork and filing, and almost all the tasks no one else wants to do. In addition, you need to be learning all about your job from your seniors too. 

It’s even worse when you’re expected to do all this in long shifts or at unusual timings. People like young doctors, paramedics, guards, firefighters, and anyone who works through the night or longer suffers the most. With time, most even develop one sleeping disorder or another, from insomnia to excessive sleeping. 

All this exhaustion can cause you to fall behind on your work, and, most importantly, ruin your health and wellbeing. This is why it’s important that you find ways to stay healthy and well rested in between those long shifts. If you want to know how to do that, keep reading! 

Sleep Right 

When you’re not at work, make sure you catch up on all your sleep and don’t put it off or ignore it completely. If you’ve been having trouble sleeping, it could be because you’re using the wrong mattress for your needs. That’s the last thing you want on top of all your work taking a toll on your sleep schedule as it is! 

There are mattresses specially designed for different people, whether they’re stomach sleepers or someone with back pain. If you do a little research, you can find the right mattress for yourself and make your own life a lot easier. 

Once you’re sleeping on the right bed, you’ll notice a significant improvement in the quality of sleep, and be able to always wake up feeling refreshed and active. 

Keep Your Workstation Well-Lit 

Our body’s circadian rhythm is controlled by the light sensitive part of our brain. This means that if you’re exposed to enough light during the day,you’ll automatically feel sleepy as the sun sets. Of course, that’s not possible when you’re working longer shifts, but one thing you can do to manipulate those parts of your brain is to keep your workspace well-lit the whole time you work, and to make sure your bedroom is properly dark before you fall asleep. 

If you’re not sleeping in the proper conditions or just falling asleep in a well-lit room during the day, it would wreak havoc on your sleep routine. 

Get a Nap In 

If you can, squeeze in a nap right before you start working, and take naps when you’re working if you can. This way you’ll be able to feel refreshed and recharged while working, which is way better than trying to power through a sleepy head. 

Many offices with people working long shifts usually have a quiet spot or a designated nap spot where you can rest. If that’s the case, take advantage! 

Watch the Caffeine 

We get it – if you can’t get a nap in, caffeine is probably your best bet to make it through the shift, but be careful with it. Sipping your favorite caffeinated beverage is fine at the start of your shift, but as time goes on you might want to take it easy. 

If you keep the intake up well towards the end of your shift, you won’t be able to fall asleep even after your work is done! 

Not all jobs are the easiest, and internships are even harder, but when you’re on the other side of this ordeal you’ll be glad you went through it. Remember, you’re in it for yourself and your career, and put in all the hard work you can to make sure you get where you want to be in life.