Shift work nutrition overview

Shift work nutrition is an increasingly important area of health and wellbeing programmes

Supporting shift worker health

There’s a growing body of research into shift work nutrition that’s required reading for anyone designing health and wellbeing support strategies for their shift workers.

Shift work nutrition is important because when and what shift workers eat or drink is significantly impacted by the nature of rotating shift work.

For example Bristol Medical School published a fascinating paper revealing the impact night shift working can have on how the brain regulates the hormones that control hunger.

In summary it found that daily levels of glucocorticoid hormones can fall out of sync with light and dark cues, creating an increased desire to eat more during inactive phases of the day.

It’s just one of many examples of scientific studies into how shift patterns and shift work can impact the bodies and minds of shift workers.

Why is shift work nutrition important?

Improving awareness and action around shift work nutrition should be a priority as our eating habits can have a significant impact on our physical health, mental health and performance at work.

It’s a complex and sensitive area. Every individual is affected differently depending on their dietary preferences, chronotype, genetic predisposition and other external factors such as exposure to light, sleep patterns and access to healthy options.

However, there is a growing body of evidence which suggests a higher prevalence of certain diet-influenced conditions amongst shift workers such as gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

It makes it important for employers to understand shift work nutrition and to embed it in health and wellbeing support programmes for shift workers.

Shift Work Health

The effects of shift work on physical and mental health are clear…so responsible employers need to provide shift workers with tailored support across sleep, nutrition, exercise and social issues.

optashift will help you deliver a programme that blends strategic, operational, practical and technical solutions that are designed in collaboration with your workforce.

What are the key elements of shift work nutrition?

This is a significant topic that we will continue to cover in more detail…but in summary there are several key considerations when it comes to shift work nutrition.

Employers may have the ability to influence some of these aspects during the hours of work, but ultimately it requires employees to make informed choices about what they eat and drink and when.

Understanding the topic is vital so organisations and their shift workers can find a way to collaboratively design and implement the best solutions that work for individuals, colleagues and the wider organisation.

The key elements of shift work nutrition which need to be considered include…

– Diet for shift workers: What’s healthy (or otherwise) when it comes to diet is pretty well understood, but for shift workers it’s often access to nutritionally dense foods that is a key issue. Making healthy choices becomes more difficult if on-site restaurants are shut, or vending machines stocked with products that are high in sugar or saturated fat. Likewise, many shift workers will understandably opt for speed and convenience rather than take time to prepare a nutritionally balanced meal from scratch before or after a 12-hour shift.

– Timing: The time of day or night when food is consumed influences how it is handled by the body (chrono nutrition). Consuming large meals later in the day negatively impacts the digestive system which is not optimised for processing food at this time. It can lead to unprocessed energy being stored as fat, which is compounded if the food consumed is not healthy. Timing of meals should be a particular focus for shift workers going onto, or coming off, a late or night shift. Employers should consider their catering provision, break scheduling/ discipline and guidance they give to shift workers to support choices made at work and in their home life.

– Regularity: Rotating shifts mean that many shift workers have irregular meal patterns. This can lead to them either missing meals or increased snacking and overeating. The issue is often amplified when shift patterns don’t have a regular underlying structure with appropriate rotations and rest periods. A lack of certainty over working hours makes it hard to plan meals, which increases the likelihood of falling back on convenient processed options, takeaways and fast food.

– Hydration: Hydration is essential for the brain and body to function properly. A lack of fluids can be a significant factor in shift work fatigue and concentration issues which impact productivity, decision making and general wellbeing. Water is by far and away the best option, but unfortunately many shift workers rely on the stimulation of caffeine or high sugar energy drinks to ‘power them through’ the night shift. Employers should consider what type of food and drink is made available on site to support energy levels and nutrition for night shift workers in particular.

– Sleep: Poor sleep hygiene or disrupted daytime sleeping often leads to shorter periods of sleep. This is thought to potentially increase appetite and calorie requirements and lead to more grazing and meal choices that are not nutritionally balanced.

What can employers do about shift work nutrition?

When it comes to shift work nutrition, it’s obvious that employers should neither dictate nor compel employees to follow best practice in terms of diet for shift workers and chrono nutrition principles.

However we passionately believe that responsible employers should help mitigate the potentially negative effect of shift work on health and wellbeing…and shift work nutrition is a key area where they can support.

How this is approached depends on the organisation and its shift workers, but there are three broad areas optashift advise our customers to look at…

1. Build understanding: Knowledge is power. It’s important that all stakeholders are aware of shift work nutrition, potential health impacts and encouraged to consider what strategies and tactics can be applied in their own roles and personal circumstances. This requires employers to be across shift work nutrition science and best practice and to synthesise, communicate and embed key information in the most appropriate and effective way.

2. Provide guidance: Where there is established shift work nutrition best practice, it’s important to provide shift workers with access to appropriately tailored information and guidance that empowers them to make informed choices and take action which supports their health.

3. Appraise approach: Employers should also look at their shift patterns, working environment and rostering processes to ensure these proactively support shift work nutrition and wider shift work health and wellbeing across other areas like sleep, stress, fatigue, physical exertion, light, social interaction etc. All these elements interact with one another, so it’s crucial to assess and identify areas where improvements can be made.

It’s also vital that employers look closely at any catering facilities they offer shift workers and see if there are opportunities to embed shift work nutrition principles and best practice regarding access, timing and availability of healthy choices.

This can span on-site cafeterias/restaurants, vending machines, the provision of storage and food heating facilities and hydration stations.

Shift Work Assessment

Optimising shift patterns and shift work delivers huge benefits…but complexity and competing priorities sees many organisations leave things as they are.

Our Shift Work Assessment is a streamlined process which quickly analyses all relevant operational and HR factors to give you a tailored plan for immediate improvement.

What next for shift work nutrition?

In our experience there is growing awareness of how shift work nutrition helps promotes optimal digestion and metabolism for shift workers…and therefore how it supports their wider health and wellbeing.

As understanding grows and demographics change, we’re seeing increasing demand for employers to create and maintain supportive shift work environments that help shift workers make healthier choices.

Aside from it being a strong fit with wider HR, Occupational Health and ESG commitments, a focus on shift work nutrition can positively impact productivity through improved health and energy levels and reduced sickness absence.

Get in touch if you’d like to know more about how we’re harnessing the latest scientific thinking to help embed best practice across shift work nutrition, sleep, physical/mental health and social aspects.

We’d love to share examples of some of the strategic, operational, practical and technical solutions we’ve helped create that encompass shift patterns, environmental conditions and human factors.

Don’t forget…you are what you eat…but also when you eat.