Shiftworkers: Are You Tired, Unmotivated And Struggling To Overcome A High Rate Of Sick Leave?

Are you tired, unmotivated and struggling to overcome a high rate of sick leave? That's not a trick question by the way.

Because when you work shift work the term 'sick leave' pretty much goes hand in hand. In fact it's pretty much a given when you work crazy and irregular hours.

But despite what you may think, when you're struggling to overcome a high rate of sick leave - the solution can be easier than you think.

Of course I'm not talking about serious illnesses here. Medical intervention is always going to be necessary if you fall seriously ill. I'm referring to those shift workers who are prone to continual sickness - no matter what they do.

As shift workers we're certainly more susceptible to suffering from colds and flu, headaches, migraines, stress and even depression. And let's not forget about feeling tired and unmotivated all of the time.

In fact it's really easy to get caught up on the shift work treadmill (and I'm not talking about the one that is actually good for you here!) It's the one where you feel too exhausted to exercise and too exhausted to cook yourself a healthy meal which results in - you guessed it, feeling even more exhausted.

You feel a bit like you're encountering Ground Hog Day - with an emphasis on constant tiredness and ill health.

So how can you overcome it?

Well you need to begin by focusing on all of the things in your life that you can change rather on those which you cannot.

For example, you may not be able to change your rosters or the fact that you work night shift - but you can certainly change what food you put in your mouth. And this simple thing on its own can make a HUGE difference in how you feel.

Start by taking a good hard look at your pantry and refrigerator. Does it contain a lot of fresh produce or is it filled with boxes, cans and packets of food?

Because gaining more energy and improving your health begins by eating more live foods - that is food that has not been processed to death.

And what's really exciting is that you will quite literally thrive the more live foods that you eat because they are really easy to digest. Most people are blissfully unaware of just how exhausting the very act of digestion is on its own.

So if you're sick of feeling tired, unmotivated and you're struggling to overcome a high rate of sick leave, throw out all of the junk that's currently sitting in your refrigerator or pantry and replace them with foods that are as close to nature as possible.

Essentially anything that has a 'list of ingredients' has at some point, been processed. Eating processed food will only accelerate your exhaustion - the complete opposite to what a shift worker is trying to achieve.

Audra Starkey is a Shift Work and Airline Veteran based in Brisbane, Queensland Australia. She is the author and creator of 'The Healthy Shift Worker' - a site developed to help people cope with the perils of working crazy and irregular hours. To get your Healthy Shift Worker Free Report, visit http://www.healthyshiftworker.com/.

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