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Transitioning from straight dayshift back to swing shift


hleath

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I've been pretty fortunate the past year to be on a straight dayshift job. I work in a 24/7/265 factory and most of the union people are swing shift. I was blessed to get a work up position, but it is now ending. The job I will go back to, is on a 2/3 schedule 07:00-19:30; so 2 says on, 3 off, 3 on, 2 off, but you may also have overtime on your days off, same time frame. It's one month on days, one month on nights. Any tips for making the transition easier? My biggest concern will be sleep. Anyone else work 12+ hours a day? Do you eat all three meals at work, or do your best to last until you get home for the day and eat your last meal then? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! This is my 2nd whole30. The first one I completed I actually worked 7 day rotating swing shift; 7 days dayshift, 2 days off, 7 days 4-12, 1 day off, 7 days night shift, long weekend, repeat. It wasn't so hard on that schedule because I had been working it for at least a year at that point, and overtime was not on days off. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

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  • Whole30 Certified Coach

I can't offer anything for the changing shifts but I'll chime in as a 12 hour shift worker.  

 

What I've been doing for a 7A-7P shift (which means leave by 6:30 and get home between 8 and 8:30):

 

Mini meal around 6 before leaving + coconut milk coffee (not a lot, maybe 2 tbsp of full fat coconut milk in there)

M1 around 9

M2 around 2-3

"snack" of 3 HB eggs + mayo when I get home

 

My mini meal and my snack at night are a "on the big side" regular meal.  I'm still tinkering with what works for a 14 hour day... I still can't seem to find anything that leaves me feeling good - I still get too hungry between meals because sometimes it is 5-6 hrs between meals.  

 

Some days this is enough, some days its not (like today).  I'd love to hear what works for you!

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, I've been eating before work, then again before midnight, and again before bed. I've noticed, due to lack of sleep, I assume, that I'm way swollen. I'm on day 29, and my hands are so swollen, it's painful. I'm looking into extending until I get the sleep bit figured out.

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Last night I ate my last meal around 3am. Bed at 7 since I got off a bit early. On paper, I'm doing everything I should be, not sure why this is happening. I drink at the least, 2 liters of water on a bad day, usually upwards 3+. Only thing that has changed is sleep. I decided to start another round and do better with Journaling this time.

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Changes to sleep can generate cortisol (stress hormone) in the body, which can muck around with all kinds of things, including inflammation.

If it's been awhile that you've been on day shift, your body just may need some time to adjust.

 

Keep a diary and see if there are any days which are better, might be something more optimal on those days.

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