The media and researchers love to talk about shift work, but it’s often not overly positive. The issues surrounding sleep and the impact sleep deprivation can have, often paints a very unhealthy picture of the traditional shift worker.
So is it really possible to stay healthy and work shifts, including night shift? While we’re not a scientist or research PHD student, we are shift workers and there are products we have used and behaviors adopted which are essential to getting the most from your each and every day.
Here are the tools we recommend you use to stay healthy and feel great despite working non-traditional hours.
- SuperGreen TONIK Green Juice
- Physix Gear Compression
Socks - King Athletic Jump Rope via Amazon.com
- TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller via Amazon.com
We by no means have dodged ever becoming unwell when working shift work. But we want to show you the tools we use and recommend which will help clear the brain fog, keep you fit and prevent unnecessary using sick leave.
SuperGreen TONIK Green Juice
In Australia, our motherland, there is a popular rule to eat 5 veg and 2 fruit every day. And we’re guessing, in your respective countries, the guidelines are pretty similar.
How are you currently going in this department?
Shift workers are already behind the 8 ball when it comes to our health. We often work against our body clock which may not seem like a big deal but it affects almost everything we do. Therefore, we need to support out health and give it a little love.
SuperGreen TONIK Green Juice “fills the gaps” in my diet where I might have come up short.
It’s a powered green juice combination of 15 ingredients and 18 vitamins/minerals which have had all their water removed, forming a powder consistency.
Sounds strange I know but most fruits and veggies are made primarily of water, so in theory, when you remove this you’re left with all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in a dry form.
This is the stuff we want to fuel our tired bodies after a long run of shifts!
Why we love and recommend SuperGreen TONIK Green Juice is:
- Taste. It’s minty but not overpowering thanks to the right amount of Stevia.
- Texture. Once stirred you cannot feel pulp or residue in your mouth.
- Dairy and soy free. No artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and no added sugar.
- Made from organic ingredients. I don’t have to search for strange, unnecessary components.
- Included nootropic brain ingredients which makes it stand out from the crowd.
- No side effects besides making me need to pee more!
- The company kindly donate $1 of every sale to Vitamin Angles who support mothers and children under five at risk of malnutrition.
- 365 day money back guarantee…which is abnormally long but excellent for us!
- Premium, professional-looking tub with a full 30 day supply inside – you won’t be short-changed
- Free shipping within the USA
Read our review HERE.
If you want to try SuperGreen TONIK use “othershift10” for 10% off your entire order
Get your own tub of SuperGreen TONIK HERE
Compression Socks
Before we discovered compression socks, our legs were sore and achy after even an 8-hour shift. Now this is not the case.
The thing to remember about compression socks is don’t be distracted by the pretty colors and look at what you’re actually getting.
- Is the size right for you? If not, your socks will either cause more damage due to lack of circulation or they will fall down annoying the heck out of you.
- Is the material user-friendly on your skin or do you find it itchy and irritating?
- Do you get too hot and refuse to wear them?
For these reasons, we recommend the Physix Gear Compression Socks via Amazon.
Em got fitted at work in the ER a few years ago and these are still her number one. While she have tried numerous other options like the popular Copper Compression Socks via Amazon.com
The Physix Gear pair are a little thicker than dress socks, have 20-30mmHg compression rating and have amazing customer support. Before you buy, give them a call and check what size you need. However according to thousands of Amazon reviews, and in our experience, they fit “as expected.”
Jump Rope
As we mentioned earlier, a quick workout is a good workout and jumping rope provides us with exactly that.
There are so many different types of ropes you can get and to be honest, you can’t really go wrong. It just depends on the material of the rope and handles.
We recommend the King Athletic Jump Rope via Amazon.com. Not because it is the “fastest rope” or even the nicest looking in terms of colors, but because it just felt the best.
The grips are comfortable, the rope didn’t whip us when we messed up and we could dictate the speed. It also comes with 2 instructional eBooks which gives you some direction when working out. We found these particularly helpful after waking from night shift when our brains were not yet functioning properly.
If you’re a little more advanced and are ready to take your skipping to the next level the Crossrope Get Lean Jump Rope Set on Amazon.com is epic. We used this rope a couple of times while taking a boxing class and you can really feel the difference in the weighted rope. With this product, you also get an extra rope, but you do pay a little extra for it.
Just a note for the girls who have some body parts that can get in the way, the Lorna Jane Women’s Superior Support Sports Bra
Crossrope weighted rope
Foam Roller
You might be wondering why we are recommending a foam roller.
When working permanent nights in an office, the foam roller was the hottest accessory going round for Dan’s staff. There was ALWAYS somebody rolling around on the floor. It was a great time out from your work mentally, still allowed you to continue conversation in the same room and most of all, worked out muscles and joints that tightened up from sitting too long.
But for Em, as there is no time to foam roll at work (and even if there was she is not going anywhere near the hospital floor), it is used watching TV at home.
Foam rollers don’t look like much but they promote blood flow and help release sore points. Em found it helped relieve pain in her calves after a long shift.
We recommend the TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller via Amazon.com. While it is a little more expensive than the AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller which is wildly popular, we prefer the contoured pattern and firmness rather than one with “give” and smoothness.
We also like the hollow center and the size.
