Speaker 1: 1:13

Hydrate before you caffeinate. Hydrate before you caffeinate. You hear me say it all the time, and why do I say it? Well, in today's episode, I'm going to discuss why drinking 500 mils of water, or 16 ounces upon waking, is an absolute game changer for you shift workers. Shift work can be brutal, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to a healthy shift. My name is Roger Sutherland, certified Nutritionist, veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades. Through this podcast, I aim to educate shift workers, using evidence-based methods, to not only survive the rigours of shift work, but thrive. My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love. Enjoy today's show.

Speaker 1: 2:14

Welcome back to a Healthy Shift podcast. I'm your host, roger Sutherland, and, as always, I'm here to just help you to thrive and not just survive in your shift working life, and I'm bringing you some evidence-based strategies that actually work. Today, I want to talk to you about one of the simplest, the most underrated. Today, I want to talk to you about one of the simplest, the most underrated and the easiest habits that can make a massive difference to your energy, focus and your overall well-being as a shift worker. And guess what? It's not a supplement, it's not a magic pill and it's not even an extra hour of sleep. It's as simple as drinking 500 ml of water, or 16 ounces, as soon as you wake up. Now I'm not talking about the second. You wake up, reach over and grab it and put it down, but put it down in the first 30 minutes or so before you have your caffeine. I know, I know, it just literally sounds far too basic to be important, but stick with me because I'm about to break down exactly why this one small action can literally transform how you feel both on and off your shift.

Speaker 1: 3:27

So first let's talk about why hydration is such a big deal, especially for shift workers like us. Especially for shift workers like us Because when you wake up, whether it's at 6am, 6pm, 2 in the afternoon, after a night shift, or whenever your body is already dehydrated, you've just spent hours sleeping. Well, some of us have spent hours, some of us haven't, but even before that sleep, you were on a shift where you probably didn't consume enough water and you haven't drunk enough fluids. And also, depending on your work environment, like air conditioning, heating or even the hot bedroom or the cold bedroom can actually make it worse. Now here's the kicker Even mild dehydration can cause ready fatigue, brain fog, poor concentration, headaches and increased cravings for sugar and caffeine.

Speaker 1: 4:23

Does that sound familiar? Well, shift workers, I've got you, because this is exactly what we're trying to avoid. And let's be real when we're tired. And let's be real when we're tired. What do we reach for? First, caffeine, energy drinks, highly palatable carbohydrates and fats. What about if I told you that your body might literally just be craving water? I'm going to give you nine benefits of drinking 500 ml, or 16 ounces, of water upon waking. So let's jump right into this.

Speaker 1: 5:02

And what are the real benefits of drinking 500 ml of water as soon as you wake up? First of all, let's see how many of these that you personally relate to that you may actually be able to fix just by drinking water. Number one it rehydrates after sleep, because your body naturally loses fluids overnight. Rehydrating first thing will help you to restore balance before you even kick on and start your day, so by getting that water in. It's a discipline. You've got to get up, you've got to drink the water. It's two cups. Two cups of water, 500 mil, it's not much. You can make a great big deal out of it. Don't sip it and think, oh, I've got to drink 500 mil of water. Just get it down and feel the benefits in your system. Number two it will boost alertness and focus. Trust me, dehydration is one of the biggest causes of that brain fog and that slugginess that we get as a shift worker. And water wakes up your body without you needing the caffeine first, needing the caffeine first. Sorry what? I won't need caffeine Now. Let's be real, we all love our caffeine, but hit your body with the water first and wake it up and watch how much better the caffeine is when you do. That's the key.

Speaker 1: 6:32

The next thing, number three, is it kickstarts your digestive metabolism and, trust me, this literally works, and works very, very well. By getting up first thing and drinking water, it will stimulate your digestion and it prepares your gut for food. It also triggers your digestion and also supports evacuation of same would be fair to say. Don't go too far. Have your water Stick around home for five minutes, wait and see. This is crucial for our shift workers who are often eating at odd hours. We want to make sure that we are literally getting that water through to support our digestive tract for all of those less than nutritious food choices that we've had at all hours of the night. This will make a massive big difference, right? What else does it do? Number four it supports our circulation and our oxygen flow.

Speaker 1: 7:36

Now, this is another thing that's really important for us to understand. The more dehydrated you get, the less blood flow you've got. I notice this whenever I go to get a blood test done that I actually have the. I always have my 500 ml of water first up, even on those fasted blood tests I go, and when the girl pops the needle in for the blood, it shoots out and she goes. Oh my God, I cannot believe how quick this is flowing. Yeah, that's the water, and this helps and supports with blood circulation. And what does blood circulation do? It is delivering oxygen to the rest of the body and to the brain and to the muscles, and it's also delivering nutrients around the body as well, which is getting the body charged up. So that's why the water helps with the blood flow, and the blood flow has an on-flow effect of delivering oxygen to the brain and muscles and nutrients around the system. What this means is we get better energy and we get less muscle stiffness after sleeping as well.

Speaker 1: 8:42

Another point that's important is number five. It regulates our body temperature as well. So whether you're heading into a cold hospital ward or a hot factory, hydration keeps your core temperature stable. So keep that in mind, that at that three or four o'clock in the morning, when your body cools naturally, get that water in and you might find that it regulates it more. It helps to regulate that core temperature Because it does. It helps with that.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Number six it reduces headaches and fatigue. Now, for many shift workers we all do we suffer from dehydration headaches. You don't even realize that that's what it is, but that is literally what it is. So before you reach for those Panadols and those Neurofins, try having a big drink of water first, and you might find, without even noticing it, that when you wake up with that foggy head and you have that 500 ml of water, you might find that it will make a big difference to you in relation to not getting those headaches during the day that we all end up with those headaches and that brain fog. So before you grab the painkiller, drink the water first. So before you grab the painkiller, drink the water first.

Speaker 1: 9:54

It supports kidney and liver function. Your body has its own detoxifiers and filters and they're called kidneys and livers. We don't need to do detox diets. All we need is to put water in and help support our kidneys and liver to do their thing. Your body is working overtime to process caffeine, stress, hormones and our shift work demands of stress and everything else that goes with it. And what the water does is it just helps to flush out those toxins and it keeps your kidneys and your liver very, very happy little organs.

Speaker 1: 10:31

The other benefit is it curbs unnecessary hunger and cravings. I implore people to try this. Whenever you get that hunger pang, have yourself a drink of water to start off with Water. Sorry, dehydration and hunger both come from exactly the same place in the brain. By sipping water the whole time and keeping yourself properly hydrated, you'll probably find that those cravings will disappear, because dehydration can mimic hunger and it can make you overeat or crave sugary foods unnecessarily. So drinking water first can help you make much better food choices. Trust me, that works as well.

Speaker 1: 11:17

Also, by drinking 500 ml of water to start off with during the day, it sets the most incredible hydration habit for the day. It sets your mindset off to we're drinking water, we're drinking water, I feel better. So starting with 500 ml of water makes it easier to stay ahead of your hydration on long shifts. What we've got to do is is, even though we have shifts where we can't drink water because we can't get to bathroom and things like that, we have all of that time outside of our shifts that we do need to be using it as well. It's a simple habit and it pays off really big time for us.

Speaker 1: 11:55

Okay, that's the nine points, and I'm sure there was a lot of them there that you went. I wonder if this would work for me. Try it, I dare you. So how can we make this a daily habit? We now know how powerful it is, but how do we make it stick? First thing we can do is keep a water bottle by our bed, or put a tumbler in front of the coffee machine or in front of the kettle and drink that first up. It'll remind them a visual reminder every single time, and make it the first thing you reach for when you wake up. Use a glass, if you prefer.

Speaker 1: 12:33

Some people find room temperature water much easier to drink first thing. So instead of grabbing it out of the fridge or out of the tap where it might be cold. Try drinking at room temperature. It might make a much bigger difference too, and you might be able to get it in and make it part of your routine. Attach it to another habit, like brushing your teeth or checking your phone. If you attach it to, I will drink water while I scroll, or I will drink water as I clean my teeth, or I will drink water before I caffeinate, then that will make a big difference to you. The other thing you can do is flavor it. If you need to Put a slice of lemon in it or cucumber, it can make it so much more refreshing. If you need to put some sugar-free cordial in it, I don't care, just get it in.

Speaker 1: 13:18

It's the most important thing that you can possibly do. I would aim for 500 ml. I've told you I almost drink a litre, but start smaller, even 250 ml. One cup is better than nothing if you're just getting started, but always work towards building that up. And here's the key consistency. It's not about being perfect. It's about making this a normal part of your routine, no matter what shift you're on when you wake, 500 ml of water. Whenever I wake up, I'm drinking 500 ml of water. Day shift, afternoon shift, night shift, no matter what, drink it up, all right. So there you have it.

Speaker 1: 14:00

Drinking 500 ml of water upon waking is one of the simplest and the most effective strategies that you can use, which will help you to feel more energized, more focused and absolutely ready to take on shift work. It's free, it's easy and, honestly. It takes less than a minute, and if it's taking you longer than a minute to drink 500 ml of water, get it in and stop being such a nancy. Get it in, but the benefits will stay with you all day long. So here's my challenge for you For the next seven days, I want you to drink 500 ml of water 16 ounces for my American friends as soon as you wake up.

Speaker 1: 14:41

Notice the difference in your energy, your focus and even your cravings, and then send me a message. I'd love to hear how this is working for you. But before I go, if you found today's episode helpful, please can you share it with your fellowship workers. Share it on your Instagram stories, to your colleagues. Let's spread the word and help more people to thrive, not just survive. And until next time, stay safe, stay healthy and keep thriving and stay well hydrated. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released. It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on. If you want to know more about me or work with me, you can go to ahealthyshiftcom. I'll catch you on the next one.