By Kevin Devoto

March 26, 2022

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How Travel Nurses Can Improve Their Sleep

Getting quality sleep on a regular basis is essential for maintaining good health. That being said, travel nurses and nurses, in general, can struggle with getting adequate amounts of sleep at night. Between the long hours, night shifts, time zone changes, achieving a restful night of sleep can seem impossible at times. The good news is that there are things you can do to begin improving your sleep quality. The first step to doing this is to make sure that you understand what impacts your ability to fall asleep at night. If you want to get the rest that you and your body need to truly feel regenerated, then here are some things to consider. 

Your Diet and Nutrient Intake

One of the first things you need to think about when you are working to improve your overall sleep quality is what you eat on a daily basis. The foods you eat can impact how much energy you have throughout the day and your overall hormonal balance. These things, in turn, can then impact how easy it is for you to fall asleep. When you eat foods that tend to be high in sugar and carbs, your blood sugar will be more likely to spike and crash. This means that your energy levels will also be spiking and crashing. Ultimately, this can cause you to feel tired all day long and then full of energy at night. 

In addition to paying attention to your blood sugar and how foods impact that, you also need to consider the nutrient density of the foods that you eat and whether or not you might be deficient in some nutrients. Doing things like taking a vitamin d test can help clue you into what nutrients you need more of in your diet. Different deficiencies can hurt sleep in different ways. For example, those with a vitamin B12 deficiency might find that their sleep patterns are disrupted, while those with a vitamin D deficiency might notice that their sleep duration is shorter overall. 

Your Caffeine and Alcohol Intake

The amounts of caffeine and alcohol that you drink can also significantly impact your ability to fall asleep at night. Caffeine can keep you up due to the fact that it is a nervous system stimulant. A nervous system stimulant can be great for getting you up and going early in the morning. However, all of this energy can be detrimental too late in the day. Because caffeine can keep you energized for up to several hours after consuming it, it is important to make sure that you avoid drinking caffeinated beverages too late in the evening. 

Along with caffeine, alcohol is another beverage that can significantly impact your sleep quality. Even though some may not think that alcohol impacts their sleep much because they are able to fall asleep easily after drinking, the reality is that it can still be hurting sleep quality. While alcohol may not prevent you from falling asleep, the reality is that it can disrupt sleep cycles and lead to short and fragmented sleep. Because of this, you may find yourself waking up frequently throughout the night and feeling exhausted when you do finally get up for the day. To avoid this, it can be a good idea to limit the number of drinks that you consume or to avoid drinking too frequently. 

Your Daily Activity Level

Your daily activity level is something else that can have a noticeable impact on the amount and quality of sleep that you are able to get. Typically, the more active that you are throughout the day, the easier it will be for you to fall asleep at night. This is due in part to the fact that being physically active can wear you out and cause you to feel more tired when it is time for bed. The other reason that it can be beneficial is that physical activity can help to balance out your hormones and can even affect many hormones that are related to sleep quality and duration. 

Something else to keep in mind is that it often doesn’t matter what kind of exercise or movement you are doing throughout the day. As long as you can make sure that you are working out for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, you can see benefits when it comes to your sleep quality. 

Your Sleeping Environment

Where you sleep is another factor that can have a lot to do with whether or not you are sleeping well at night. If you have a bedroom that is full of light, heat, and noise, you may find it difficult to fall asleep easily or stay asleep throughout the night. While you may not always be able to change all of these things, doing what you can to create a dark, cool and quiet sleeping environment can be important for getting good sleep.

One way to help cool your bedroom down is by using a fan at night, which can also be great for white noise. Additionally, turning your thermostat down by a few extra degrees before bed can be another way to accomplish this. To help reduce noise, using noise-canceling panels on your door or earplugs can be helpful. If you want to make sure that your room is dark enough, then using a sleep mask or trying room-darkening blinds can be a good idea. 

Your Stress Levels

Your stress levels are another thing that can impact your ability to sleep well in a big way. The more stressed that you are, the more stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol you will have coursing through your system. These hormones can cause you to feel wired and can lead to you staying up, even if you are feeling very tired. While it may not be possible to avoid stress in your life altogether, the good news is that there are things you can do to help reduce it. 

One way to help cut down on stress is to try out mindfulness, or meditation. Meditation can not only help you to clear your mind, but it can also help to calm your nervous system as well. Often, aiming for 15 to 20 minutes of meditation is ideal if you want to see results. 

Parting Thoughts

Quality sleep is essential for travel nurses because they have very demanding jobs that require their full energy for extended periods of time. Many don’t get as much rest as they truly need. While it might not always be easy to get enough sleep, the upside is that by being aware of all the factors that can affect your rest, you can help make the right decisions to get better sleep.

We hope this article on ways to improve sleep as a travel nurse was helpful. Have you found any ways to improve sleep as a travel nurse? Comment ways you think will help other travel nurses improve sleep.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Lirika Hart

March 17, 2022

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8 Secrets to a Good Night’s Sleep When Feeling Fatigued

Without any doubt, sleep has a direct influence on your mental state and physical health. If you fail to get proper sleep, it will make you emotionally imbalanced, lower your daytime energy, reduce productivity, and drastically affect your overall health. Your brain, heart health, mood, creativity, vitality, and immune system can undergo adverse effects due to a poor routine.

Despite understanding the importance of sleep, many people toss and turn all night. Actually, getting a good night’s sleep becomes impossible when you are tired, have unhealthy daytime habits, or if you accidentally awake at 3 a.m. Do you also struggle for a sound and peaceful sleep? Trust me; you can get better control over your sleep quality than you probably realize.

Experiment with the given tips to enjoy better sleep at night, improve your thinking style, and significantly boost your health. These sleep strategies will help you stay energetic all day!

1: Keep Your Room Comfortable

Keep your bedroom comfortable! Please do not keep your television there as it can be a big distraction to your sleep. When you are in bed, put an ultimate effort to avoid responding to phones and emails. The bed needs to be a motivation for sleeping, not for wakefulness.

Furthermore, your room ambiance also affects sleep quality; ensure that you keep it as comfortable and soothing as possible. Ideally, you can go with a quiet, dark, calm environment; these features promote sleep onset.

2: Consider Exercise An Important Part Of Your Routine

Going for a walk will not just cut your weight down; it will also support you for a good sleep at night. Regular exercise activates the hormones that help in natural sleep, such as melatonin. Exercising close to bedtime can be more effective and hormone-stimulating. However, morning exercises that expose you to shining daylight can improve your natural circadian rhythm.

So, workout helps you in every way!

3: Follow Sleep Rituals

Bedtime rituals that you used to follow in your childhood can contribute to adulthood and late age.

Our mother used to tuck us in a bed and read a story for us; this pacifying ritual helped us quickly fall asleep. This sleep ritual signals the mind and body that it is sleep time. So, continue these rituals and read a book, drink a warm glass of water, take a bath, and listen to calming music to welcome a peaceful sleep time.

4: Eat—But Not Too Much

An empty stomach is distracting enough and keeps you awake, and the same is the case with an overly full belly. Do not eat a heavy meal before two to three hours of bedtime. If you feel hungry, eat small healthy snacks to satisfy yourself till breakfast.

5: Avoid Alcohol And Caffeine

It is okay to have snacks before bed but do not make wine and chocolate the part of them. Chocolate and alcohol act as stimulants, make you less sleepy and disrupt sleep during the night.

6: Buy Some Sleep Supporting Products

Another secret to peaceful sleep is using CBD capsules, drops, or products for better and faster sleep. If you’re wondering where to get these kinds of items, then try researching online CBD stores. There are many sleep supplements, goods that offer tinctures, pain relief, and vapes that are manufactured with natural ingredients to make it possible for you to sleep longer and better. These sleep-tight solutions also help you in several other ways, such as maintaining your beauty, skin repairing, workout recovery, and multiple other ways.

7: Don’t Overthink Or Stress

The bills, your to-do list, and other daytime worries can bubble up in your mind at night. Wind down yourself before bed because such thoughts can give stress and anxiety. Stress is a stimulus that boosts up fight-or-flight hormones that act as a sleep barrier.

Learning relaxation activities can promote good sleep and reduce daytime anxiety. You can practice deep breathing exercises to calm and relax promptly.

8: Get Your Check-ups

Snoring, an urge to move your leg moving, a burning pain in your chest, stomach, or throat are sleep disruptors. If these symptoms prolong—make you sleepy during the day or keep you up at night, visit your doctor for a check-up.

Our Summary

A night with a tight sleep can give you a happy and blissful morning, but we all know that falling asleep earlier and longer is not something easy.

Well, instead of getting worried or using sleep pills, you can try the above eight secrets to get a better night’s sleep.

We hope you found this article on 8 secrets to a good night’s sleep when feeling fatigued helpful. Have you found ways to get a good night’s sleep as a travel nurse? Comment them below.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Lori Boggan

September 11, 2021

7129 Views

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Wellness on the Road

There’s nothing like packing the car and hitting the road or boarding a flight to your next adventure. It’s the element of change, enrichment, and unknown common to all of us as travelers.  We seek it, are driven by it.  I applaud every one of you for the true sense of support and community you provide one another.  I love perusing all your photos and reading about your experiences.

Wellness on the Road

Over the next few months, I am excited to offer a little advice and inspiration I like to call Wellness on the Road.”  It’s part food, part mindfulness, and a sprinkle of yoga.  It’s geared toward maintaining balance while on the road.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about stopping at In-N-Out along I-80 in Northern California and indulging in a cheeseburger (always ask for animal style), fries, and chocolate shake!!  It’s a must in California!  But how do we learn and maintain balance on the road and when settling into our new environment??

Plan Plan Plan


Plan your snacks when on the road and at work.  Fruit and nuts are easy and healthy alternatives.  Drink mostly water.  Plan 30 minutes at the start or end of your day to exercise, whether it’s going for a walk, unrolling your yoga mat (Gypsy sequences to come), checking out your local gym, swimming hall, or dance studio.  Try something you’ve never tried before.  It’s in your Gypsy blood.  Find your routine and stick with it.

 Create a Sense of Home


Wellness is not just about exercise and eating well. It’s also about a sense of well-being.  While we enjoy exploring new environments, it is always nice to take a piece of home with you.  Many of us have traveled with our pets, which is the closest thing to taking home with us.  Some other great ways to bring warmth and a sense of home to your new environment are to bring photos, plants, trinkets, and/or your favorite candles.  I always pack one box full of photos and candles.  It gives a sense of familiarity.  If you are not an expert plant person (me), ask for help finding the lowest maintenance plant.

 Embrace Your New Surroundings


This is why we travel.  We yearn to taste new food, see new sights.  The perfect place to start is your local Farmer’s Market.  You will find the freshest local and seasonal ingredients.  Check out the festivals in your area.  Take a moment to breathe it all in.  Find Gypsy friends.  Ten years later, I am still in contact with my Gypsy friends.  Some become your friends for life.

Moderation


Being on the road often can lead to chronic poor food choices.  Indulge!  Eat the foods you love. Try to commit to once a week.  On your other days, try to get your healthy proteins, fruits, vegetables, and grains in.  Keep a bag of trail mix in your work bag.  It’s an easy and healthy hunger fix.  Drink even more water.

Listen to Your Body


Get enough sleep (Gypsy yoga for sleep to come).  Learn to say no when it is necessary.  Learn to ask for help.  Just because you are a traveler does not mean that you know everything and can take on anything.  We all need help sometimes.  On the days you have a ton of energy, take that long run or go to your favorite invigorating yoga class.  On the days you wake up with less energy, maybe opt for a walk or a restorative yoga session instead.

We need to learn to take a moment for ourselves.  We need to focus on our wellness. We are caretakers by nature.  We can easily lose our own well-being in the process and often suffer from the same stress-related illnesses we lecture our patients about.  My message, take care of yourself.  Until next time <3

By The Gypsy Nurse

July 11, 2020

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The A, B, Z’s of Travel Nursing – Why Sleep Matters

Trying to juggle the demands as a travel nurse can be challenging. For the night shift travel nurse, a lack of sleep, a late-night, insomnia, more than one late night…they can all add up to a tired you.

When you are not rested, you are not at your best. That can mean irritability, grumpiness, a foggy head, and possibly poor decision-making when it comes to patients. It’s important to note that sleep is a lot like calories and nutrition. It’s not just about how much you get, but how much quality sleep you get.

Here are a few reasons why getting enough Z’s is so important.

Accidents

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue is a cause in 100,000 auto crashes a year. Fatigue is also linked to work related accidents, and medication errors among night shift nurses.

Health risks

Studies show that the majority of people suffering from insomnia also have at least one other health concern.  When left uncorrected, loss of sleep can lead to conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.

Depression

Sleep deprivation can quickly become a vicious circle. Sleep loss often aggravates the symptoms of depression, and depression can make it more difficult to fall asleep.

Physical impact

When you body is deprived of sleep it releases more stress hormones which in turn actually ages your skin. It can also slow growth and development in younger people.

Weight gain

Research studies suggest that sleep loss appears to stimulate appetite and cravings for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods. In fact, inadequate sleep is correlated with decreases in leptin, a hormone that regulates and suppresses hunger.

Decreased Performance and Alertness

According to WebMD, sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%.

Sick (and tired)

Without the right amount of sleep, your immune system doesn’t have a chance to rebuild its forces. According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s more likely that your body won’t be able to fend off invaders and you may take longer to get over an illness if you continuously lack sleep.

The best you means a rested you.

Your ability to care for patients, handle stress, and display good judgment rely heavily on adequate sleep. There’s a lot of truth to the saying “get your beauty rest” but it goes much further than that, so be sure to catch your Z’s!


Find your NEXT Contract NOW!


By The Gypsy Nurse

July 30, 2018

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Diagnosis: Shift Work Disorder

Shift Work Disorder (SWD)

Shift Work Disorder occurs when the body’s internal sleep-wake clock is out of sync with the work schedule.

Because of this disruption of the body’s natural rhythm, people with Shift Work Disorder often struggle to stay awake during their waking hours or have trouble sleeping during their sleeping hours.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 15 million Americans work outside of the traditional 9 to 5 schedule. 1 in 4 of these workers may have Shift Work Disorder (SWD)

Risk Factors for SWD may include:

  • Work schedules that include night, early morning, or rotating shifts.
  • Work hours that overlap with the typical sleep period
  • Frequent Mandatory Overtime. Shift work is often combined with extended hours of duty, so fatigue can be a compounding factor.

Symptoms

  • Insomnia
  • Trouble focusing
  • Sleepiness-related accidents
  • Reduced work performance
  • Struggle to stay awake at work
  • Impaired functioning
  • Increased irritability
  • Worsening of heart and stomach disorders

Signs and tests
There are currently no definitive tests available for diagnosis of Shift Work Disorder.  If you think you may be suffering from SWD, please consult with your physician.

Treatment
There really is no cure for Shift Work Disorder other than changing your work hours to a ‘normal’ daytime work schedule. This may not be a possibility; especially in the nursing field.  Nursing is 24/7 and as long as there are sick people, there will be night shift workers in nursing.  Next week, we discuss some treatments that can help alleviate some of the symptoms of SWD.

Support Groups
Below you will find a couple of Support Groups for those suffering from SWD.  The Gypsy Nurse does not personally endorse these groups, they are only provided as a reference.

I would encourage you to post comments.  Tell me what you want to hear about, what you enjoyed, or how you combat some of the issues discussed.  You may also connect with us via Twitter or Facebook and together we can work on decreasing the symptoms together.

This information is provided by The Gypsy Nurse and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

By The Gypsy Nurse

February 1, 2018

29880 Views

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The Travel Nurse’s Do’s and Don’ts Checklist

Travel nurses are met with unique challenges as well as many benefits that a traditional nurse might not encounter. Here a few do’s and don’ts designed to help your journey as a travel nurse.

Do get active

join a Zumba class, yoga, cycling or enter a road race. Staying active is important for a healthy lifestyle and a great way to meet people in the area.

Do visit a park

take advantage of your new location by taking in the sights. Find a few parks, nature centers, or animal parks and enjoy the local attractions.

Do learn something new

hospitals and healthcare facilities have different ways of doing things. Learn how the units are run, ask questions, and try to gain new knowledge around a procedure or process that can benefit your career.

Do make new friends

with all the technology today it’s tempting to stay close to your inner circle through facetime, email, and texting. However, nothing compares to personal interaction, a hug when you need it, or a friendly face across a cup of coffee. Be sure to connect with people in your area so you have a few friends to count on in person.

Do eat healthy

your energy level and ability to perform is directly related to your nutritional intake. While it may seem obvious to a medical professional, everyone falls into the trap of rushing, grabbing junk food, or skipping meals altogether from time to time. This is especially true when you are in a new area, unfamiliar with restaurants, or alone and feel food prep is just too time-consuming for one person. Stay strong by planning ahead, eating right, and taking care of you as the number one priority.

Do rest

nursing is a demanding job, any day and every day. There are physical and emotional aspects, stress, and enormous responsibility at every turn. Adequate rest is key to good decision-making, stamina, and mood.

Don’t be afraid to ask

a new area, a new job, and a new home can add up to a lot of uncertainly and unknowns. Ask questions of those you respect and trust, research reliable sources online, and never be embarrassed to inquire about something.

Don’t fail to review your contract

read carefully to understand the assignment, location, hours, benefits, pay, and housing parameters.

Don’t get into a rut

avoid eating and shopping at the same place every time. You can still have favorites, but be open to new experiences. Try new restaurants and stores every week.

Don’t argue the rules

there will always be minor differences in procedures and processes between hospitals. As long as there are no safety concerns, don’t assume a different style is wrong. Adhere to the policies in place.

Don’t forget to stay streetwise

vary your routine, avoid leaving valuables visible in your car, walk and park in well-lit areas, and stay alert of your surroundings.

We hope these Do’s and Don’ts help you on your travel nurse journey!