Midnight shift worries

[GinaL]

I am a nurse that works part time midnights & I'm wondering how to stay on track when I work. I work 2 back-to-back 12 hour midnight shifts each week. I usually try to nap around 1pm before I go in & then I leave at 6pm. I work 7pm-7am & then go home & go to bed for the day. I go back to work, go home to sleep & usually get up around 1pm. When do I eat? Do I eat an extra meal the first night? Can I eat 1 less meal after the second shift. Can I snack on healthy stuff to avoid all the crap in the breakroom?

Working midnights has always been the hardest part of trying to eat healthy in the past & I really don't want to mess up my progress. Any hints & tips would be appreciated.

[Tom Denham]

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/55156756199/surviving-the-night-shift

[GinaL]

Thanks Tom! A lot of my worry is about how to schedule my meals. Since I sleep at weird times, trying get in all my meals & not eat right before bed may not work very well. Is it better to skip a meal, eat a much smaller meal or eat before bed?

[kirkor]

I'm not in the camp of 'don't eat before bed' so I'd say eat when you can.  Don't force it down if you're not hungry, but also know that jacking with your circadian rhythm may interrupt your hunger cues, and so there may be a point when your body will need the calories even if you don't feel like it.  A food log can be helpful in this regard: if you see you're starting to reduce your volume too much, you can make sure to make the effort to eat at those odd times.