More information about caffeine

I recently came across some posts on caffeine -- by far the most widely used drug used by shiftworkers (and everyone else, by the way) to maintain alertness.

1) Wikipedia -- I think you're probably pretty familiar with this site. Generally good information here.

2) Too Much Caffeine -- This page on the MedSafe site discusses the physiological effects.

3) Mama's Health.com -- This is a page on caffeine that's fairly general and basic but may still be useful.

The drivers of human alertness and sleep

Your alertness is the result of nine elements, what Dr. Martin Moore-Ede in his book The Twenty-Four-Hour Society termed the nine switches of alertness. Knowing these elements can help you better manage your environemtn and behavior to improve your alertness or help you sleep. The nine elements are:

1. Interest, opportunity, or sense of danger -- when you are mentally engaged or threatened in some way, your body rises to the challenge by increasing alertness.
2. Physical activity -- when you are physically active, you increase your alertness. This effect can last for a while, making sleep difficult after intense exercise.
3. Time of day on your circadian clock -- if your body is telling you it's night time, your alertness will drop. You can reset your circadian clock (as evidenced when you travel across time zones) but it takes time and careful attention if you're a shiftworker.
4. Your sleep "bank balance" -- if you have gotten inadequate sleep over the past few days, your alertness will suffer.
5. Ingested nutrients and chemicals -- caffeine and other substances have a stimulating effect while tryptophan and sleeping pills will encourage sleep.
6. Environmental light -- bright lighting wakes you up and dim lighting tends to make you sleepy.
7. Temperature -- warm and stuffy rooms make you sleepy while cold, bracing increases alertness.
8. Sound -- loud, erratic noises increase alertness while soft sounds and white noise reduce it.
9. Aroma -- This last one, aroma, has somewhat less research to support it, but there is at least some evidence that certain aromas have a stimulating effect while others have just the opposite. Scents like lemon and peppermint have been found to increase alertness.

Keep these factors in mind and use them to your advantage.

Drowsy driving quiz -- for shiftworkers, and everyone else

Drowsy driving is considered by many to be a safety concern as great as drunk driving -- but there's far less awareness and community action about it. To help build awareness of this issue and understand what does and does not improve your alertness behind the wheel, we're bringing you this quiz.

1. Coffee overcomes the effects of drowsiness while driving. (T or F)

2. I can tell when I'm going to go to sleep. (T or F)

3. Rolling down my window or singing along with the radio will keep me awake. (T or F)

4. I'm a safe driver so it doesn't matter if I'm sleepy. (T or F)

5. You can stockpile sleep on the weekends. (T or F)

6. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. (T or F)

7. Being sleepy makes you misperceive things. (T or F)

8. Young people need less sleep. (T or F)

9. Wandering, disconnected thoughts are a warning sign of driver fatigue. (T or F)

10. Little green men in the middle of the road may mean the driver is too tired to drive. (T or F)

11. On a long trip, the driver should never take a break but try to arrive at the destination as quickly as possible. (T or F)

12. A microsleep lasts four or five seconds. (T or F)


Answers
1. FALSE . Stimulants are no substitute for sleep. Drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee or cola, can help you feel more alert' lout the effects last only for a short time.

2. FALSE . Sleep is not voluntary. If you're drowsy, you can fall asleep and never even know it. You cannot tell how long you've been asleep.

3. FALSE . An open window or the radio has no lasting effect on a persons ability to stay awake.

4. FALSE . The only safe driver is an alert driver. Even the safest drivers become confused and use poor judgment when they are sleepy.

5. FALSE . Sleep is not money. You can't save it up ahead of time and you can't borrow it. But, just as with money, you can go into debt.

6. TRUE . The average person needs seven or eight hours of sleep a night. If you go to bed late and wake up early to an alarm clock, you probably are building a sleep debt.

7. TRUE . One of the warning signs of a drowsy driver is misjudging surroundings.

8. FALSE . Young people need more sleep than adults. Males under 25 are at the greatest risk of falling asleep. Half of the victims of fatigue-related crashes are under 25.

9. TRUE . If you are driving and your thoughts begin to wander, it is time to pull over and take a break.

10. TRUE . Seeing things that are not there is a good indication it is time to stop driving and take a rest.

11. FALSE . Driving, especially for long distances, reveals a drivers true level of sleepiness. To be safe, drivers should take a break every three hours.

12. TRUE . During a "microsleep" of four or five seconds, a car can travel 100 yards, plenty of time to cause a serious crash.

How'd you do? Any surprises? Any other thoughts?

Source: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/topics/fatiguequiz.htm

Shiftworkers share what it's really like to work shiftwork

The experts have a lot to say that can be helpful to shiftworkers and 24/7 managers -- advice on sleep and napping, shift scheduling, fatigue countermeasures, caffeine, shiftworker lifestyle training, etc. But, a central goal of the National Shiftwork Information Center is to provide a place where shiftworkers of all types can exchange ideas -- shiftworker to shiftworker.

So, here are some additional quotes, from conversations with the shiftworkers in the U.S. National Weather Service. The question posed was, "tell us what shifwork is really like for you?" Here's what three shiftworkers had to say:

"Shiftwork is definitely not for everyone...it is hard on your body and you never seem to get enough rest. However, meteorologists are but a few of the career fields that rotate shifts, and the rewards of a job which is always different and presents new challenges cannot be overestimated. "

Another person said ...

"I would rather work an evening shift or a mid than days. It is so hard to get up early and I love having weekdays off sometimes. Also, we get enough weekends off to satisfy "weekend trips" that I need to take sometimes. Also, working 9 to 5 all of the time can get monotonous. "

Finally, we heard this ...

"Due to the fact that weather does not work a 9 to 5 schedule, having to staff National Weather Service (NWS) field offices around the clock is necessary. I don't know if there is a better solution at this time than rotating shifts. The few studies that I've read and agree with suggest that if you must work rotating shifts, then work a week or longer of the same shift and then rotate to the next shift. Our office rotates this way, as do many others in the NWS. After 3 years of shift work, I don't think I would WANT to go back to working straight day shifts from 8 to 5. I enjoy having weekdays off to get things done such as going to the post office, banking and the like. Sure, I may miss out on some social gatherings, but I would even if I worked straight day shifts. Shiftwork in the summer is great, in that you can often enjoy most of the daylight hours with the kids or other family before going in to work. "

As you can see, there are drawbacks and challenges but also many reasons people like shiftwork.

What is shifwork really like for you? Post your comment below.

Ed

Source: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/women/faqshift.html#shifts_and_kids

Canadian insurance adjusters increasingly on the job 24/7

Insurance adjusters in Canada are finding that with the help of technology, they are increasingly have to be on call 24/7, 365-days a year. Some people lament this development. Some hail it as progress that services that are being delivered on a more timely, more convenient basis. At the National Shiftwork Information Center we just see it as a reality that we want to help try to improve as much as possible.

As these Canadian insurance adjusters drive around, performing their duties, we hope they will avail themselves of the latest information to help them avoid drowsy driving and maintain their alertness by effectively managing their sleep, napping and usage of caffeine or other substances.

I've included below links to some of our recent posts that could be helpful:

* Drowsy Driving: http://shiftworkinformation.blogspot.com/search/label/drowsy%20driving
* Caffeine: http://shiftworkinformation.blogspot.com/search/label/caffeine
* Sleep: http://shiftworkinformation.blogspot.com/search/label/sleep
* Shiftworker Tips: http://shiftworkinformation.blogspot.com/search/label/shiftworker%20tips

Ed

Foods that help you stay alert or help you sleep

An important part of shiftworker lifestyle training is fatigue countermeasures and understanding how to manipulate your alertness -- both to maintain safe performance when you need it and to be able to get to sleep when you can.

When it comes to using substances to control alertness, we tend to think right away of caffeine, and perhaps some controlled substances, to maintain alertness and sleeping pills or melatonin to induce sleep. But there are many foods which also have alertness-increasing 0r -decreasing effects that you should be aware of.

Foods the reduce alertness
These foods have tryptophan or l-tryptophan and will help induce sleep.

• Bananas & Pineapple
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Ice Cream
• Lobster
• Meat (Beef)
• Milk
• Potatoes
• Turkey
• Valerian Tea

Foods that increase alertness
These foods contain tyrosine and/or caffeine and have stimulating effects.

• Avocados
• Beef (Aged)
• Cheese (Aged)
• Chicken & Fish
• Chocolate
• Coca Cola & Coffee
• Figs (Canned)
• Garlic
• Ginger Ale
• Horseradish
• Persimmon
• Pickled Herring
• Sour Cream
• Soy Sauce
• Sprouts
• Yogurt

Other recent National Shiftwork Information Center posts on shiftworker lifestyle training include:

• Shiftworker lifestyle training: fatigue countermeasures, sleep strategies, and more
• Shiftwork training to improve alertness and safety on the night shift

Have a good day, or night!

Ed

Source: The U.S. Navy (clicking on this link will oepn a PDF file on your computer)

Boost your alertness with coffee or a nap? Or both?

The December issue of the journal Sleep published a study on the alertness-enhancing benefits of two widely used and readily available fatigue countermeasures -- caffeine (in the form of coffee) and napping. The French study looked at 12 subjects in their early 20s and 12 subjects in their early 40s.

The findings? Caffeine proved to be the more effective fatigue countermeasure. Napping also proved effective but was most effective for the younger group. The older group did not benefit as much from a nap.

This is a small study and there's always a danger in drawing far-reaching conclusions based on minimal data. But, it's interesting to note that at least for this test, subjects performance improved more using one cup of coffee (about 200 mg of caffeine) than they did using a placebo (decaf coffee) or a 20-minute nap.

I was also interested to see that the study put the test subjects behind the wheel and on a French highway for 125 miles. Wow. That seems dangerous. I don't think I'd want to do that in the United States if I was running that study.

In the real world
You're not forced to choose one or the other. If you're highly fatigued, have a cup of coffee and then immediately take a 20-minute nap. The caffeine takes a while to kick in anyway, and a short nap will get you a sleep benefit without making you groggy. This can be a particularly useful strategy when you know you'll need to be driving home from work after a long night shift. Be careful about overdoing the coffee so you'll be able to get to sleep when you get home. Also, if you're really fatigued, consider not driving at all -- take a cab, go to a nearby motel, or find some other alternative.

What are the fatigue countermeasures you use to boost your alertness?

Tips to help you avoid drowsy driving

Keeping alert while driving is a particular challenge for professional drivers, but everyone getting off a night shift and having to drive themselves home has to deal with alertness behind the wheel. Drowsy driving is a real danger.

To assess your ability to drive, if you…

• can't remember the last few miles driven


• have wandering or disconnected thoughts


• experience difficulty focusing/keeping eyes open


• have trouble keeping your head up


• drift from lanes or hit a rumble strip


• yawn repeatedly


• tailgate or miss traffic signs


• find yourself jerking your vehicle back into lane

…then you may be suffering from drowsiness or fatigue. Continuing to drive in this condition puts you at serious risk of being involved in a fatigue-related crash. You should pull over in a safe place and get some rest before resuming your trip.

What you can do to avoid drowsy driving
The best approach is to get adequate rest beforehand, share the driving with a passenger or take a break every two hours or every 100 miles. It helps to take a nap, stretch, take a walk or get some exercise before resuming your trip.

• Sleep/take naps: Your best bet is to get enough sleep every day. If you must stay up late, afternoon naps are a great way to get more sleep. If you feel drowsy while driving, a 15-minute nap can be very effective. Make sure to pull over in a safe place.


• Caffeine: Avoid caffeine during the last half of your workday as it may contribute to sleeping problems. You can gain short-term alertness by drinking coffee or other caffeine sources if driving, but it usually takes 30 minutes to take affect and wears off after a few hours.


• Regular stops: You should stop every 100 miles or 2 hours. Switch drivers if you can.


• Avoid alcohol: If you have been drinking, please don't drive! In addition to being illegal, alcohol makes you sleepy and amplifies your fatigue.

Do you have other suggestions?

Source: http://www.lakehurst.navy.mil/nlweb/safety/documents/traffic-safety/Shiftwork-Pamphlet.pdf.

Handling long night shifts: 9 shiftworkers tips

Long work shifts - whether due to overtime or 10- or 12-hour schedules - can be particularly challenging when they include overnight hours. You may already be lacking sleep, setting the stage for alertness lapses and safety problems. Caffeine may have it's place but you've got to manage your consumption of caffeine carefully. And avoiding drowsy driving on the way home is critically important.

Here are some shiftworker tips to help you maximize alertness when they work long night shifts,

1. Make sleep a priority. Getting enough sleep is vital because it's much tougher to make it through a long shift when you're sleep-deprived. To enhance daytime sleep, set up a separate room just for sleeping, eliminating light and noise. Many workers who can sleep for only a few hours when they get home find it beneficial to take a nap (or at least lie down for a while) before getting ready to return to work.

2. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise - three or four 20-minute workouts per week - helps people fall asleep faster and sleep longer, increasing the amount of restorative deep sleep.

3. Take it easy on work days. Set limits on what you do - eating, sleeping, and some time spent relaxing with family members. Save strenuous activities for days off.

4. Eat smart. Eat healthy foods that provide energy. Examples include fruits, vegetables, bagels, pretzels, crackers and popcorn. Avoid high-sugar snacks such as candy bars that provide a temporary burst of energy and then cause you to crash.

5. Use caffeine wisely. Caffeine provides a significant boost in alertness, but abusing it can lead to sleep and stomach problems. In general, consume no more than two or three cups of caffeine beverages (coffee, tea, "energy" drinks, etc.) per shift, and set a cutoff point within four or five hours of bedtime.

6. Exercise on the job. A mini-workout during the night shift is tremendously helpful for breaking up the shift and providing an alertness boost. If you don't have access to exercise equipment, try jogging up and down several flights of stairs or find someplace where you can do push-ups and sit-ups.

7. Keep a positive attitude. It's not always easy, but making a conscious effort to maintain a positive frame of mind will make work more pleasant. Negative thinking may make you feel lethargic.

8. Work wisely. Tactics for making it through a tough shift include changing tasks often, doing work requiring moderate physical activity, doing enjoyable assignments at times of low alertness, and talking to coworkers.

9. Assess driver drowsiness. A final key is for workers to take a few minutes to judge whether they're capable of driving home. If employees are too tired to drive, they should be encouraged to take a nap or make alternate arrangements to go home, such as a taxi or a ride from a co-worker.

Adapted from the February 1999, issue of Working Nights.