Hi,

This is an interesting question and one that is relevant to my husband, who is a shift worker too!  He has found the following helpful to get him through a long, 12 hour night-shift.

One of the most important things you need to do during a night shift is to keep your blood sugar levels up and stable, so that they do not peak and trough.  Low, or unstable, blood sugar levels can result in lack of energy and feeling low, which you certainly want to avoid.  To do this, you need to eat the right foods at the right time!

I would recommend trying to have 3 ‘main meals’ and healthy snacks in between these meals while you are awake.  You need to base your meals on low GI carbohydrates, as these release energy slowly over a longer time than high GI foods.  By this I mean whole-grain, brown carbohydrates e.g. wholemeal bread in place of your white bread, or brown rice or wholewheat pasta as the basis of a salad perhaps. 

In my view, a microwavable meal is unlikely to contain sufficient nutrients and fibre to sustain you through the first part of a night shift. It would be better if you could cook yourself a simple, nutritious meal with lots of veg before you go to work.  During your shift, avoid anything too sweet and sugary and snack on things like fresh fruit and a few nuts and seeds.  If you feel the urge to have chocolate, choose dark 70% cocoa chocolate, which is generally lower in sugar and higher in nutrients than milk chocolate.

Also, try to make sure you have some good quality protein with each meal.  For example, chicken, fish or pulses and beans in a brown rice salad.  These slow down digestion and absorption of the entire meal, again stabilising blood sugar levels. 

Finally, don’t forget to drink plenty of water during the night to keep you well hydrated and alert!  I hope this helps.