If you’re working through the night, or in the graveyard shift, as it is commonly called, there are many side-effects you have to deal with. Working in these shifts plays havoc on the body and mind. Your sleep cycle is disturbed, so you tend to snooze through the day.
Ask Rehmat Shah, an advertising professional, she sometimes works continuously for four days together, “I might catch about two to three hours of sleep in between, but when there is a shoot or film on hand, it’s all work. That really tires me, physically and emotionally.” So what does one do with the ever-present long hours at work? “To pep oneself up, night shift employees spend all their money on shopping and treating themselves, creating a hole in the pocket. The body clock is definitely getting messed up and the emotional involvement with co-workers increases,” says Preeti Sethi, lifestyle therapist. The bright side of this scenario is that the employee has the entire day to himself to do what he pleases, after catching a couple of hours of sleep. “If they focus on their job, they can be in a better financial and emotional position compared to day employees,” adds Preeti.
The burnout rate of a night shift employee increases. Not only do these employees get involved in drugs, alcohol and smoking, but also their sexual behaviour becomes promiscuous, according to research.
Hemant K.M., employee of Barkley Card Bank, says, “The best way to release night shift stress is to ride my bike on an empty road while returning from work at 4.30 am! I keep my mind pre-occupied with other things like playing computer games. A bottle of coke, as unhealthy as it may seem, keeps me going through the night. I do not get proper sleep through the night, but if I eat right, I can sustain the pressure.”
According to most health professionals, if work hours demand 23 hour days, one needs to pack in enough rest and sleep while also doing some form of exercise to energise the body and soul. Where one gets the time for this is the “main” question. And your boss might not agree. But unless you’ve tried, you can’t complain can you?
With inputs from Khushali P. Madhwani