Travel nurses need adequate sleep to stay alert on the job.

Travel nursing tips: Habits that may be disrupting your sleep

While everyone needs sleep to function and remain healthy, a good night's rest is especially important for those working in travel nursing. Research published in Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses found that insufficient sleep can lead to poor job performance, cognitive problems and increased safety risks, and nurses working long shifts were more susceptible to these consequences. In fact, accident rates go up for nurses after working 9 hours and double after 12 hours.

These adverse effects of fatigue not only mean patients may not receive adequate care, but it can put nurses' health at risk, too. Sleep deprivation lowers your immunity, and travel nurses are constantly exposed to sick people on the job.

These consequences of tiredness make sleep all the more important for healthcare workers, but certain habits can hinder catching those much-needed Zs. Here are three habits that may be disturbing your sleep:

1. Shift work
Admittedly, as a travel nurse, there's really no avoiding the shift work that is so common in the healthcare industry, but it's important to at least understand how this type of schedule affects your sleep cycle. People who work outside the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. timeframe may experience shift work sleep disorder, a condition caused by a disruption to the body's natural circadian rhythm. In essence, SWSD causes difficulty sleeping and excessive sleepiness, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Fortunately, there are ways travel nurses can counter this sleep-disturbing factor. The Cleveland Clinic recommended shift workers squeeze in naps when possible, maintain a sleep diary to keep track of what activities help or hinder slumber, take measures to extend the amount of time they can sleep (like finding a faster way to commute) and limit their number of night shifts.

2. Drinking caffeine
It's certainly not unheard of for travel nurses to consume three or four cups of coffee by the end of their shifts. Healthcare jobs are demanding – you have to remain mentally alert to prepare for unexpected emergencies and speed walk from room to room to tend to patients, all while working long hours. While caffeine can help individuals in this profession do their jobs, it can cause problems when it's time to fall asleep.

Caffeine is a stimulant with long-lasting effects. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that taking 400 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of about two cups of brewed coffee, can cause significant sleep disruptions even six hours after consumption. As such, travel nurses looking to get a good night's rest should stop drinking caffeine at least six hours before bedtime.

To be sure, this recommendation would leave a lot of healthcare workers feeling sleepy on the job. However, getting enough sleep in the first place may help travel nurses remain alert. Plus, there are other ways nurses can put the pep back in their step that don't involve caffeine, such as talking to co-workers and moving around.

3. Poor sleep hygiene
While it may be tempting to lie in bed and watch TV, sleep in late and not stick to a regular bedtime, these habits can contribute to disrupted sleep. For travel nurses, the hour or two before bed may be the only time you have to check social media or catch up on your favorite TV shows, so you'll have to choose what's more important: posting a Facebook status or functioning the next day.

Sleep hygiene involves having an adequate routine for going to bed and waking up, and it's important for getting a good night's rest. Travel nurses may benefit from putting away their phones and computers well before bedtime and falling asleep around the same time each night.

Travel nurses need to be well-rested to care for patients properly, so it's important to kick bad sleeping habits to the curb.

One comment

  1. Great tips here. Sleeping while travelling is often a hassle for me, so knowing everything I can do to get good rest is important.

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