Tag: sleep

The Struggle of Maintaining Your Sleep Schedule

~ notjustaserver ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve been following my blog from the start then you’re aware of the ups and downs of being a server. One thing I haven’t discussed yet is the battle between sleep patterns.

If you work in a restaurant/bar like myself, you probably can relate…

200w

Source: Giphy

You go into work on a Friday at 5pm and you’re lucky to be gone by 2:30/3am. Once you’re home, you can’t seem to shut your brain off. You attempt to wind down by trying to forget about work and indulging in a Netflix episode or two. All of a sudden its 5am (cue “5 O’Clock” by Lily Allen) and you’re just starting to drift off. The next thing you know, you’re waking up in the mid-to-late afternoon ready to do it all over again. Well, until Monday that is.

wakup

Source: Giphy

If you, like myself, are also a student then you understand that when Monday comes you have to flip your sleep schedule around. The early mornings are difficult the first three days of the week, you’re tired and grumpy and sometimes catch yourself dozing off in lecture.  By Wednesday, you start to get used to it, and then Friday rolls around expecting you to once again, flip your sleep schedule. How rude.

Here are some tips and tricks I’ve found useful when dealing with two opposite sleep schedules:

  1. Invest in a meditation app like HEADSPACE – from beginners to expert it talks you through different meditation sessions that help calm your busy brain.
  2. Stay away from screens – avoid your phone, computer and TV as much as you can. Research has shown that technology can actually suppress melatonin.
  3. Aromatherapy or essential oils work wonders – there are many different scents and oils that not only assist with sleeping but other problems like stress or anxiety.
  4. Talk it out – if you had a good or bad night, sometimes talking about it briefly with a co-worker can help ease any stress or thoughts running through your brain. I’ve found that getting something off my mind is usually key to helping my shut off my brain after a long shift.

 

Hopefully, these tips and tricks help you the next time you’re experiencing problems adjusting your sleep schedule. Let me know your thoughts or if you have any other suggestions!

Until next week,

 

N.