Sleep Disorders
Assessing your Fatigue
Your personal safety, and the safety of those around you, is dependent on three factors when it comes to fatigue: recognition that you are feeling fatigued;understanding the potential consequences of an accident whilst doing the task; andtaking action to manage your fatigue. You may be able to do some tasks during times of fatigue if……
Is shift work detrimental to health?
There is a body of evidence that supports the statement that shift work can detrimentally impact on health, as well as, other factors that impact on human wellbeing and safety (i.e. alertness, fatigue, cognitive performance). It concludes, “that we have sufficient knowledge to conclude that shift work may indeed have detrimental consequences for health, despite……
Who is responsible for your fatigue?
Fatigue affects everyone, at some time or another!…making US ALL responsible! When someone is fatigued, who is the first person to experience the effects? That’s right…you are! You will experience the adverse effects of fatigue long before you have a fatigue-related incident. Anyone who has fallen asleep at the wheel will have felt the effects……
What is fatigue?
Fatigue is not a condition, but rather a symptom of many different situations, illnesses or conditions and can be defined quite simply as a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy. The presentation of fatigue can be unpredictable and its causes diverse, making its management difficult. One thing is for sure: that each and……
When should I sleep?
Our levels of alertness and attention are influenced by our circadian rhythms, as shown in the figure below. Circadian rhythms allow us to feel more alert during the day and less alert during the evening. This is the primary reason it is difficult to stay awake at night and why we may struggle to sleep……
Food quality & fatigue
You are what you repeatedly eat! The food that you eat provides the fuel for your body to do everything it needs to do, every second, of every single day. Your daily energy levels, therefore, are only going to be as good as the fuel you put in your body; your food. For example, a……
Optimising sleep for night shift
In a 2018 article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2018;360:j5637 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5637 [Published 1 March 2018]) the topic of optimsing sleep for night shift was covered with the aim to provide sleep management skills for the individual. The article presents the best evidence from trials, guidance material and expert opinion, but outlines the limited……
What are the signs and symptoms of fatigue?
Some of the key signs to look out for are listed below. Drowsiness is an impaired awareness associated with a desire to sleep and signs include:errors in familiar tasksrepeated yawningdifficulty keeping eyes open, head nods, microsleepsirritability or impatiencememory loss or forgetfulness (e.g. not being able to remember the last 5min driving)difficulty concentrating/Dream-like thoughtsblurred visions, heavy……
Meal type and fatigue
It is often promoted that foods high in carbohydrate make you drowsy because they increase the uptake of the amino acid tryptophan by the brain. Tryptophan is a chemical that can work together with another important brain chemical called serotonin, to help promote a calming effect and sleepiness. Foods rich in protein, however, increase production……
Mealing timing and fatigue
Our bodies perform best when given a regular supply of food throughout the day rather than one large meal. This means that to start maximising your energy you need to have a good think about when you eat your meals, and how much you have. Once you find a good pattern of eating you will……