Shift work, tough work for the busy convenience store clerk
Two feet that hurt, going insane
She's mad at some lad
Drove off and didn't pay for his gas and he won't be the last
'round the clock pain
Work seven to three
Three to eleven
Eleven to seven
Talking about a bunch of shift work
A big ol' pile of shift work
Seven to three
Three to eleven
Eleven to seven
Well i work, shift work,
Ten years man, i hated that work
Then I made a break with the money i saved
It took me to the beach to have a beer by the edge of the sea
And this 'round a clock place
I drank my money away
We partied
Seven to three
Three to eleven
Eleven to seven
Talking about a bunch of shift work
A big ol' pile of shift work
Seven to three
Three to eleven
Eleven to seven
Desperate for Sleep?
Scientists say – Try Tart Cherry Juice
Researchers from University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester and VA Center of Canandaigua report that adults who drank eight ounces of tart cherry juice in the morning and at night reported significant reductions in the severity of insomnia.
The researchers suspect tart cherries’ benefits could be due to their relatively high content of melatonin, which helps moderate the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin, produced naturally by the human body, plays a role in inducing sleepiness at night and wakefulness during the day (shift workers often produce less melatonin – read more). Russel J. Reiter, Ph.D, a biomedical scientist at the University of Texas Health Science Center and one of the world’s leading authorities on melatonin, quoted in E Science News says, “When consumed regularly, tart cherries may help regulate the body’s natural sleep cycle and increase sleep efficiency, including decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep,” says Reiter. “And, because cherries are so rich in other antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, you get other important health benefits.”
We’ve previously written on the benefits of eating and drinking red, and this is another example of how red toned food and drinks can improve shift workers’ health.
Looking for tart cherry juice? Try R.W. Knudson, Old Orchard, or Cheribundi (this was the brand used in the study).
Is Time Alone Good for You?
Our contact with shift workers indicates that they tend to spend a lot of time alone. The schedules shift workers are on are often not conducive to a lot of togetherness with family and friends. We often write about the need for shift workers to stay in touch and find time for recreation with others. Recently there have been several studies about the importance of time spent alone. Solitude has been linked with creativity, spirituality, and intellectual insight for decades. Now studies are showing that we remember things better when we are alone. Taking time for self-reflection is a good thing; being surrounded by others can hamper a person’s efforts to figure out what he or she really thinks of something. Perhaps shift workers’ time alone allows them time to know themselves more truly than other do.
We’ve reported on this in the past……however more information is available. According to a new study in the Feb. 2 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, during sleep the brain preferentially retains the memories that are most relevant. Researchers set up two experiments to test memory retrieval. In the first experiment, people were asked to learn 40 pairs of words and in the second, participants played a card game where they matched pictures of animals and objects. In both groups, half the volunteers were told that they would be tested in 10 hours. However, all participants were tested later on how well they recalled their tasks.
It turned out that the people who slept and knew a test was coming had substantially improved memory recall. Sleep was critical to memory enhancement. There was an increase in brain activity during deep or “slow wave” sleep in those volunteers knew they would be tested for memory recall.
This should interest managers caring that employees retain on the job and other training. Safety, human resource, and facility managers might consider fatigue management training to ensure employees are fully aware of the benefits of sleep for themselves and the workplace.
The researchers think that the brain’s prefrontal cortex focuses on memories viewed as relevant while awake and the hippocampus consolidates these memories during sleep.
This is another study that points to the importance sleep to memory retention – something shift workers and their managers should really care about.
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