Best Snacks for Night Shift

Welcome to my blog, Harmony Shift. I help shift workers feel better through proper nutrition, sleep, and other wonderful ways to get them through their day or night. We all know shift work takes a toll on your body. We are confused on what to eat, when to eat, when to sleep, and what to snack on that’s healthy and good. Well keep reading because I’m going to help you with the snacking now and future blogs will be on the other stuff.  

            Working the night shift may drastically alter your life in one way or another. The human body is meant to function during the day and relax or sleep at night. Frequent changes in shift work have a huge influence on one’s internal body clock. Particularly night shifts disrupt the body’s biorhythm. Working against your natural body biorhythms presents challenges that adds extra stress when you work night shifts. Eating a nutritious diet can help productivity and maintain focus at work throughout the night or early morning.

Shift workers need to pay closer attention to their mental and physical well-being which includes prioritizing getting enough sleep and eating nutritious foods and snacks.

Many studies have consistently demonstrated that people who work night shifts weigh more than people who work the day shift. An increase in weight is also linked to other health issues. But don’t worry; there are ways to avoid the unwanted weight gain. This blog has provided some healthy eating ideas for night shift employees to assist you in living a healthy lifestyle.

So as a rule of thumb I recommend three rules to follow. That way it is easier to remember and to write down on a little piece of paper to help you.

Rule number 1, Eat about 400 calories or less. Snacks should be less than 400 calories total. This way it will not interrupt your meal and will not add excess weight in the future. Rule number 2 is a no brainer, but I have to list it. Eat fruits and veggies. These are high in vitamins and minerals and help with digestion. Rule number 3 is consuming low sugar foods. I would avoid sugar free foods because of the unhealthy chemicals they use in place of sugar. It’s better to use low sugar snacks. I have a few ideas here that you can experiment with on your next shift.  

Tart cherries are a must-have for every fruit lover. Consider including tart cherries, such as Montmorency, or cherry juice, in your late-night snack alternatives. They will satisfy your taste senses.

They contain anti-inflammatory properties and provide protection against inflammatory illnesses such as arthritis and heart disease. Studies suggest that tart cherries are excellent for sleeplessness, which we all know is a big issue for night shift workers. Regular ingestion of tart cherry juice combats insomnia, resulting in an additional 90 minutes of sleep! Tart cherries contain trace amounts of melatonin, a sleep promoting hormone.

Some other healthy snacks include dark chocolates, popcorn, multigrain crackers, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds, oatmeal, any type of nuts, eggs, hummus (good with veggies, baked sweet potatoes (slices like French fries), and bananas. Hopefully this gives you enough of a list to give you some ideas on what to pack and eat on night shift. As you can see they are low in sugar, high protein, low fat and health alternatives than candy bars and Red Bulls. Each one of these snacks have health benefits and easy to buy, have on hand and are quick and easy.

I hope this helps you to change your snacking, have other options, and stay healthy. You never know it might even provide a little more energy and stamina to your night. Let me know what snacks you take and if it works. If you need assistance with anything please let me know.

As always, stay healthy and happy and until next time,

Darren