Optimising sleep for night shift

In a 2018 article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2018;360:j5637 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5637 [Published 1 March 2018]) the topic of optimsing sleep for night shift was covered with the aim to provide sleep management skills for the individual. The article presents the best evidence from trials, guidance material and expert opinion, but outlines the limited…

To view this content please login below or Sign up

Anxiety and fatigue

While the symptoms of anxiety disorders change with the specific diagnosis, the common theme is an overwhelming sense of worry and the associated lack of concentration, feeling tired and irritable.……

What causes fatigue?

Fatigue is caused by a range of different factors. It is usually not just one factor but a combination of factors that will explain someone’s fatigue. Being able to characterise……

Assessing your Fatigue

Your personal safety, and the safety of those around you, is dependent on three factors when it comes to fatigue: recognition that you are feeling fatigued;understanding the potential consequences of……

What type of exercise should you do?

When you are planning activity you don’t have to choose one activity. Think outside the square. The only limit to Active Living is safety. There are three types of training……

I don’t have enough time to exercise?

I am too busy at work and my work hours are too long. Despite advances in technology, many of us still spend more – rather than less – time at……

When should I sleep?

Our levels of alertness and attention are influenced by our circadian rhythms, as shown in the figure below. Circadian rhythms allow us to feel more alert during the day and……

Types of mood disorders

Mental health can generally can be seperated into three categories: stress, anxiety, and depression and can all directly or indirectly increase the risk of fatigue. They are all common and……

Meal type and fatigue

It is often promoted that foods high in carbohydrate make you drowsy because they increase the uptake of the amino acid tryptophan by the brain. Tryptophan is a chemical that……

Sleep & physical activity

Do I exercise or just have a sleep? It is not uncommon for people experiencing fatigue to put this down to lack of sleep, when in actual fact there are……

Are you exercising hard enough?

A word of caution.If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start with less strenuous activities such as walking or swimming at a comfortable pace. Beginning……