Stay Awake to Stay Employed

By Jordie Papa

image courtesy pixabay

I was reading a blog on Nurse.com this morning that caught my attention.  In it, a male home healthcare nurse was accused of allegedly falling asleep on the job by a family member of a patient.  While the nurse denied the allegation and no one other than one family member witnessed the incident, he was nonetheless fired, and the firing was reported to the state board of nursing.  Even though nobody was harmed in the incident, the nurse in question has a long and costly road ahead if he hopes to ever again be hired to work in the healthcare industry.  

With that in mind, I thought I’d take a look at the best ways to deal with the strain of long shifts and how to stay awake and alert.

Napping Nurses & Drowsy Docs

The problem with long shifts isn’t limited to nurses.  Hospital residents routinely pull shifts as long as 28-hours and up to 80-hour work weeks.  These marathon shifts can take a toll on anyone.  While a resident is permitted to catch a catnap from time to time, their efficiency at the end of their shift is far less than it is at the beginning.  Napping nurses and drowsy doctors do not make for optimum healthcare.  The problem is, how can healthcare workers safely stave off the Sandman? 

      1.      The Java Jolt – While getting a caffeine kick from coffee is one way to rouse yourself, guzzling the stuff isn’t the best way to go about it.  That’s because the effectiveness of a Java jolt isn’t related to the amount of caffeine ingested.  Far from it.  Clinical studies have shown that downing a shot of coffee every hour is a far superior way to reinvigorate a drowsy shift worker, then downing an endless stream of the stuff.  The way caffeine works is by blocking the adenosine receptors that tell the body to get sleepy.  Once the receptors are clogged, neurotransmitters like dopamine trick the brain into believing that adenosine levels are reduced.  But this deception only works for a limited time, which is why coffee drinkers sometimes come down hard when the caffeine wears off.

     

Image courtesy flickr

2.      What if you’re sensitive to caffeine? – If coffee gives you the jitters, there are other pick-me-ups that are caffeine-free.  Did you know that peppermint can pep you up?  Whether you prefer peppermint gum, lozenges or a dab of peppermint oil on your wrists, the energizing effect of peppermint has been proven to increase alertness, enhance performance and even stave off headaches.  In a study conducted by Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, an associate professor of psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University, it was revealed that even the smell of peppermint decreased levels of frustration, anxiety and fatigue in drivers exposed to the smell every 30 seconds over 15 minutes.  While the study didn’t say whether peppermint could cure road rage, one thing certain was that what works to keep drowsy drivers from nodding off at the wheel can certainly work to keep doctors and nurses more alert.

      3.      Can water wake you up? – Yes, it can and in more ways than one.  Anyone who has ever felt a tension headache coming on or detected the onset of fatigue knows how a wet compress applied to the forehead or back of the neck can help ease the tension and bring one back from the brink.  But what you may not be aware of is the fact that the simple act of drinking more water can also revive, resuscitate and rejuvenate you for hours on end.  Drinking lots of water during a long shift increases blood oxygenation that helps ward off drowsiness.  In fact, dehydration can easily be responsible for making you feel run down.  Shift workers are particularly susceptible to dehydration, since they tend to mold their schedules around their shifts.  This means they are more likely to skip both food and drink much more often than other workers.  One way to find out if you’re dehydrated is to count the number of glasses of water you consume during the day.  If you’re drinking less than 10-12 glasses, chances are you’re dehydrated.  If you struggle to wake up in the morning or fade fast once you get to work, try drinking more water.  You could be surprised at the results.

      4.      Stay stimulated to stay alert – Another problem that plagues shift workers (particularly those who work the night shift), is boredom.  If you routinely experience times of the day or night where you have little to occupy your mind, don’t be surprised if you suddenly begin to feel drowsy.  Just like a lot of other autonomic functions that take place in your body without your being consciously aware, if your brain idles too long, it could decide the best way to fill the void is to schedule some nap time.  The cure for this conundrum is to make sure you fill the void by providing a stimulus to let your brain know it has better things to do than sleep.  While things like reading a book or working on word puzzles work well to stimulate the mind, so do job-related tasks like reorganizing the supply closet or reviewing patient charts.

Image courtesy vimeo

      5.      Keep moving to keep alert – If you feel your eyes begin to close and your head start to nod, then it’s time to get up and get moving.  It’s pretty hard to doze off while you walk around the ward or do some calisthenics in the supply closet.  There’s nothing like doing a few squats in the dead of night to get your blood pumping and your energy levels rising.

Just as your car won’t run if the gas tank or radiator is empty or there is no air in the tires, by making sure the vehicle that is your body is properly fueled and maintained, you’ll find your energy levels will increase and your frustrations will abate.  Suddenly, it won’t be such a chore to stay awake and stay employed.

Jordie Papa is owner of Uniform Destination with four locations in North Florida offers scrubs and medical accessories, including stethoscopes.