Tips on managing fatigue as a night worker
- March 16, 2020
- 0
Fatigue isn’t just feeling like you are drowsy or lazy, it’s more than that. Fatigue in the context of a workplace and especially a night worker is a state of mental or physical exhaustion that lessens your ability to work productively. The reason why fatigue occurs isn’t a definite one. There can be many reasons like repeating tasks, not using your mind enough, too much workload, and due to sleep loss or more.
When it comes to fatigue in the workplace, it can be very dangerous for the person. This is because many different accidents can occur due to a lack of attention and negligence. It would affect your ability to drive a vehicle in the workplace, doing tasks that require high levels of concentration, focusing within the night shift, and it may even negatively affect their health.
To reduce the risk of fatigue and to manage it, there are a few tips that one can follow. You can also buy a proper work gear to prevent accidents like for premium steel blue work boots.
- Organization’s policy
Many businesses that hire people for the night shift usually have policies related to that. This is why you should find out whether your organization has this policy and implement it for your benefit.
- Rest
You need to rest. Our human body has a nocturnal clock which is meant to sleep at night. You need to reverse that when doing the night shift. This is why you need to take ample amounts of rest within the day, you need to sleep a proper 7 hours and need to keep your body rested when you come to work.
- Medical advice
If you feel as though the fatigue is getting in the way of your work too much, then the best thing to do is to take medical advice. At times, the fatigue can be caused by underlying medical disorders which can be fixed through medication.
- Fitness before work
Instead of diving into work and not caring about your health, you should assess whether you are fit enough to do the work. If you feel as though the exhaustion is too much to handle and you do not feel you will be productive, taking the night off is the best solution. This will give you a break and get you refreshed.
- Monitor your level of alertness
Instead of falling prey to fatigue again and again, monitor yourself consciously. This will keep you aware of your alertness and productiveness. When you start feeling the fatigue, you can either refresh yourself with snacks or water or even change the task to have a change of pace.
- Take breaks
Instead of working the full shift altogether, it’s best if you take breaks. If you know that fatigue comes after a few hours of work, take a break, nap, eat food, and change the task. This will help you remain focused.
- Avoid driving
If you feel like you are fatigued and your concentration level has dropped, then avoid driving as this could be a risk to someone else’s life as well as your own. This could be something like a forklift or even your car.