Today, there are plenty of professionals out there who work during the night shift, whether it is doctors, nurses, police officers, call centre executives or even fire fighters. Their job expects them to be present at any time of the day or night. It’s true that your body and mind need to put in more effort to practice healthy living and perform during the night hours since they are accustomed to getting rest during those hours. That’s why those who work during odd hours may suffer from issues such as sleep disorders, poor digestion, heart disease, diabetes and obesity, among others.

But the good news is that you can have a healthy living and minimize the damage caused to your body and mind by keeping these simple yet effective techniques in mind:

1. Eat your meals at the same time everyday. We suggest you try this out because when you eat your meals at the same time each day, your body gets used to a certain rhythm and that gives your body a lot of energy to work and concentrate.
2. Have six small meals everyday. Instead of wolfing down three big meals, we recommend you break them down into six smaller meals so your energy intake during the day and/or night remains consistent and your body has the nourishment it needs to work long hours.
3. Carry a light snack or a meal from home if you are working the night shift instead of eating from a canteen or restaurant.
   When you work long hours, you need proper nourishment; so the next time you have that night shift, carry some healthy home made food with you instead of eating a plate of noodles from the canteen.
4. Carry fruits, dry fruits and energy bars (preferably the ones not loaded with sugar). Instead of eating a bag of chips, we suggest you eat a handful of nuts, which will give you instant energy and won’t add to your carbohydrate intake. You may also carry a fruit or an energy bar on days when you get bored of eating nuts.
5. Drink enough water during the day.
   It’s something we tend to forget during our busy schedules and hamper our healthy living pattern, but we can’t emphasize enough on how important it is to keep your body hydrated.
6. Cut down on your caffeine consumption.
   Caffeine is dehydrating so we suggest you keep your caffeine consumption to a minimum.
7. Replace cold drinks with fresh juice or buttermilk.
   Too much sugar will keep you wired and you’ll have trouble concentrating. Plus, sugar is just plain bad for the body. Instead, drink a glass of fresh juice or buttermilk when you get thirsty.
8. Do not go to bed empty stomach.
   Busy schedules can lead to us skipping our meals, but we suggest you never go to bed empty stomach and at least drink a glass of milk, if nothing else.
9. Try and sleep for at least 8 to 9 hours at a stretch.
   We know how hard this can be for people who work long hours, but you need enough sleep to have the energy to work hard.
10. Exercise daily for a minimum of 30 minutes.
    Your body needs to stretch and move in order to stay strong and healthy so despite your crazy work schedule, don’t forget to exercise.
11. Avoid stress for a healthy mind and body.
    It’s important to keep the mind calm so your body remains healthy too. On days when stress really starts to get to you, you may try meditating for 15-20 minutes to collect your thoughts and move forward.

If all these suggestions seem too much to start with, we suggest you pick four or five things out of the list and begin right away because healthy living can lead to healthy mind and healthy body.

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