Crucial Advice For Sleeping After Night Shifts

Police officers have been issued with specialist advice on light, noise, nutrition, relaxation and breathing to help them get better sleep.

Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, has published guidance entitled ‘How to get better sleep after a night shift’, which is full of practical and actionable advice.

Sleeping after a night shift can be difficult because shift work disrupts the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. The key is for officers to adjust their routine so it better matches their working hours.

The advice suggests managing light by increasing light exposure at the beginning of a shift and reducing light at the end. And it provides advice on how to create the right conditions for sleep; including reducing noise, practising relaxation exercises and finding ways to unwind, as well as nutrition advice like starting the day with a protein-rich meal.

Steve Kent, South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair, said this was an important piece of work and that he supported officers learning how to improve their rest time.

He added: “I worked shifts for 17 years and I quite liked them, but I know they can be very challenging and can have implications for health.

“People don’t always realise the health impacts they have until they stop doing shifts, so it’s really important that officers do get their rest properly.”

To access the toolkit, go to: https://oscarkilo.org.uk/news/how-sleep-better-after-night-shift