What is happening to your body during nightshift?
From a naturopathic perspective, we all know night shift is not great for the body.
We’ve seen the studies stating that nightshift causes significant health effects, including long-term health concerns and a higher risk of Alzheimer’s, CVD, diabetes and stroke - but why, you ask?
I’m here to explain the ins and out, while also recommending optimisation techniques to improve your health and recovery from night shift.
Yes, I too have been doing night shifts for over 8 years - 8 whole years of disrupting my circadian rhythm!
How does my body still function, you ask?
Well, one naturopathic principle explains how your body, no matter what, continues to function. It’s known as ‘nature heals’, meaning the body possesses an innate ability to restore balance and heal itself, given the right conditions.
Night shift is far from these conditions and, like you and me, we’re told to just ‘find another job’.
But it’s not that easy. So, how do we optimise health during nightshifts?
First, it’s important to understand the physiology behind what is happening to our bodies during night shift.
Circadian rhythm disruption
Now, I’ll try keep this as simple as possible. In our bodies, we have negative feedback loops - systems that receive signals to keep levels of a particular hormone balanced (raised or lowered). The feedback loop that controls cortisol is known as the HPA-axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis).
Here’s how it works:
1. The HPA-axis receives a threat: “night shift starting at 10 pm”.
2. The hypothalamus fires CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone), signalling the pituitary gland, which then sends ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) through the body. The adrenal glands then begin producing cortisol.
3. Cortisol raises blood sugar, sharpens focus, and suppresses digestion and immunity (this is the body’s way of responding to the threat).
4. Once the threat passes, high cortisol feeds back to the brain (this is the negative feedback loop) to stop secretion, and your body returns to ‘rest and digest’.
Cortisol typically follows a diurnal rhythm - peaking in the morning and lowering at night.
Night shift flips this completely, forcing cortisol to stay high when it would normally be lowered.
Over time, the negative feedback loop becomes less sensitive and begins to slow and dysregulate - this is known as a dysregulated cortisol rhythm.
Symptoms of a dysregulated cortisol rhythm include:
fatigue
weight gain, specifically around the waistline
dysregulated sleep onset and quality
sugar cravings
lowered immunity
mood swings and hormone imbalances affecting menstruation
Insulin resistance
When cortisol is chronically elevated, as seen in night shift workers, it signals the liver to produce more glucose into the bloodstream - even when you haven’t eaten. Your body thinks it needs more energy to deal with the perceived threat.
Insulin is then repeatedly secreted by the pancreas.
Eventually, similar to the HPA-axis, the cells become less responsive to this constant signalling. Insulin is no longer as effective at bringing glucose levels down, and this is when insulin resistance can develop.
Symptoms of insulin resistance include:
energy crashes after eating
constant sugar cravings
difficulty losing weight, especially around the abdomen
feeling ‘wired but tired’
brain fog
What can we do to optimise our health on night shift?
1. The morning before a night shift, sleep in for as long as possible. Save your usual morning workout or walk for the late afternoon.
2. Utilise an energising tonic or herbal tea: hibiscus, rose or Korean ginseng.
3. Expose yourself to bright light in the afternoon to delay melatonin production.
4. Expose yourself to bright lighting for the first half of your night shift, then switch to blue-blocking light when you get home (to support melatonin production). Keep your environment as dark as possible once home.
5. Block out all light in the bedroom when going to sleep.
Pro-tip: You can use a sleepy tea or herbal tonic prescribed by your naturopathic practitioner to support sleep and your nervous system post-night shift.
A sleepy tea mix I love: passionflower, vervain, lavender, skullcap and chamomile.
Sleep optimisation
1. Aim for a solid block of sleep
Drink sleepy herbal teas (passionflower, chamomile, kava, catnip, lemon balm, valerian root and lavender).
Consider compounds that include magnesium glycinate, passionflower, L-theanine and 5-HTP.
Consume sour cherry juice (studies show tart cherry juice increases melatonin and improves sleep quality; PMID: 28901958).
2. Keep in mind sleep hygiene hacks
Keep your room cool.
Avoid screens 30 minutes before sleep (use the warm light feature on your phone from ≈ 3 am).
Create a wind-down routine (warm shower or bath with magnesium salts and lavender).
Meal timing and food choices
Eat your largest meal before your shift.
During the night shift, avoid overly heavy carbohydrate meals. Instead, opt for lower glycaemic index foods and minimise processed foods, as insulin sensitivity is at its lowest.
Choose higher-protein snacks if needed: boiled eggs, veggie sticks with hummus, collagen hot chocolate, collagen gummies (made with pomegranate juice), nuts and seeds.
Try to maintain consistent eating times, as irregular eating can further spike cortisol.
If appropriate, consider overnight fasting (particulalry for those with insulin resistance), which may offer metabolic benefits (PMID: 40458350).
Exercising
Avoid intense exercise right before sleep after a night shift; instead, exercise before your shift or after waking.
On days off, prioritise walking in natural light - morning sunlight is ideal for supporting circadian rhythm.
HIIT workouts prior to the first night shift may improve physical work capacity and reduce metabolic risk.
Restorative yoga has been shown to be beneficial for stress reduction and emotional wellbeing post-night shift.
“Given the increasing prevalence of circadian misalignment in modern society, promoting greater exposure to natural sunlight, especially before 10 am can serve as a practical, non-pharmacological intervention to improve sleep, and reduce the negative effects of social jetlag and related health risks.” PMID: 41053799
Nervous system regulation
Nightshift can keep the body in a flight or fight state, so it’s important to help the body return to the parasympathetic (or ‘rest and digest’) state.
1. Have a warm shower after your shift.
2.Breathing exercises are a great way to regulate your nervous system. Box breathing is a simple yet effective tool: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4.
3. Journal your thoughts or engage in a meditation practice. One way I decompress is by having a warm shower - visualising any stress or energy from work washing away down the drain. It’s a great way to separate work and home life.
4. Limit caffeine to once per day (that is, coffee, matcha or green tea), and consume it with food, ideally before midnight to reduce further cortisol disruption.
5.Aromatherapy can be supportive - use orange for energy and lavender for sleep.
Be caffeine-wise. Yes, caffeine is a stimulant used to keep us awake - but how long do the effects really last?
Caffeine has a half-life of 3 to 5 hours, meaning that even 12 hours later, there may still be around 12.5 mg of caffeine in your system before bed, negatively impacting your sleep.
As a qualified naturopath, I can help you build a personalised toolkit that protects your health for the long haul - your future self will thank you!
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