EATING AT NIGHT
Healthy from the Start Resources for Shiftworkers
Being awake and eating outside of traditional hours can lead to digestive issues for shiftworkers, so it’s important to eat your main meals during traditional waking hours, and limit how much food you eat overnight. If you are hungry during the night, you can try small snacks, which can sometimes help with issues like ‘nightshift nausea’ as well. For some people though, eating during the night makes nausea worse, in which case there are some simple remedies that may help.
Due to circadian disruption, which is partly caused by eating during the night when your body is not primed to digest food, shiftworkers often experience digestive issues. Eating during the night can contribute to nausea, constipation, or abdominal pain, and can sometimes mean you’re consuming more energy than your body needs, particularly if you’ve been eating during the day as well (25-27).
As much as possible, try to eat your main meals during traditional (daytime) hours, and limit how much you eat overnight.
If you are hungry overnight, you can try having small snacks – pick things that are low in added sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Some examples may be a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit, high-protein yoghurt and crackers, or a low-sugar protein shake.
Nightshift nausea is a common experience amongst shiftworkers. For some people, snacking during the night can help them to manage the nausea, but for others, eating can make the nausea worse. In this case, some other things to try include (28,29):
● Peppermint gum
● Ginger tea
● Sips of cold water
● Getting some fresh air
If you are experiencing ongoing digestive issues, it’s important to seek professional advice. You can speak with a dietitian to review your approach to nutrition or discuss the issues you’re having with your general practitioner. While symptoms may be caused by your non-traditional work schedule, there could be other health issues at play.