Taking Care of Yourself

Byline: Alyson J. Breisch, RN, MSN

Topics

Care of yourself at work Care of yourself driving after work Care of yourself at home Websites, resources

Short Survey

Question 1

What are your main concerns related to your work schedule and environment? Health issues? Social issues?

Question 2

Have you ever had an ergonomic evaluation of your workstation done in your work environment?

Question 3

What is your work schedule? Number of hours worked – 8, 10,

12, more? Hours of the day worked? Steady schedule or rotating shifts? Regular or variable scheduled days

off each week?

Question 4

What are your sleep habits? Length of uninterrupted sleep? Usual hours of day asleep? Change in pattern for days off?

Computer Work Station

Ergonomics Vision Safety Desk Yoga

Ergonomics

Arrangement of equipment for comfort and ease of use

Attention to prevent general fatigue, eyestrain or eye irritation, and physical discomfort

Ergonomic Risks Due To:

Fixed or awkward postures; maintained for too long

Compression on hard or sharp edges of work surfaces

High pace of movements that does not allow recovery time

Reducing Risk Positioning

monitor screen Positioning

reference documents

Mouse use and motion

Keyboard position

Keyboard use Chair height Backrest

position Lighting Rest Exercise

* Refer to handout

The human visual system Human eye primarily for use at

far distances, only secondarily for close up work.

We are not properly equipped to comfortably spend long periods staring at VDTs.

Results: Our eyes dry out and become sore, our ability to adjust focus slows, vision may blur.Headaches, sore shoulders, and pain in the neck may result.

Dry Eyes Forced-air heating systems can

increase problems with dry eyes scratchiness stinging or burning a feeling that there’s something in

the eye excessive tearing or difficulty

wearing contact lenses

Care for Dry Eyes

Over-the-counter eye drops (artificial tears) may be helpful; may require eye MD care

Remember to blink often to keep eyes from drying out

Take “Vision Breaks” from your VDT BEFORE symptoms develop

Take a vision break every 20-60 minutes

Typical breaks run from 2-4 minutes long

Exercise & Stretch Your Eyes

Look away from your computer screen every 30 minutes: Focus for 5-10 seconds on an object

outside or down the hallway Look far away at an object for 5-10

seconds then look at a near object for 5-10 seconds, rocking your focusing back and forth for 10 repetitions

“Let’s shed a little light on the subject…”

to reduce glare, eye strain, & irritation

Keep room lighting level low Lower blinds or window shades, turn down the screen brightness.

Use diffusers on light fixtures and use a task light to illuminate documents.

Place computer so it is perpendicular to windows or other major light sources.

Direct the task light so it does not shine directly on the screen or in your eyes.

An anti-glare screen may be helpful. Also clean your screen or monitor regularly to remove fingerprints and dust that can reduce clarity of characters on the screen.

Color Preference

Literature notes that yellow seems to be a universally irritating color under which to work.

Babies cry more in yellow rooms

Husbands and wives fight more in yellow kitchens

Opera singers throw more tantrums in yellow dressing rooms

Individual color preferences vary and can affect reading speed and comprehension.

You may want to adjust the Windows (or Macs) default settings of black text on white background to personal selections to suit your personality and mood.

Example:

This background and font color

may be more pleasing to some…

but not to others…

High contrast, dark-on-light combos work well, avoid low-contrast text/background combinations

Yoga at the Keyboard

Keyboard Yoga

Series of exercises Easy, effortless Designed for chair or

workstation Can be done any time

Range of Motion

Head and neck Shoulders, arms, elbows, Feet and legs, ankle

rotations Hips and lower back

Let’s try one… ankle Rotations

Sit at edge of seat Extend leg, rest on

heel, straighten leg Point toe and slowly

rotate foot around ankle clockwise

Repeat in counter-clockwise direction

Do exercise with other foot

Worksite Yoga Websites

http://www.yogaeverywhere.com/keyboard/index.html

http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html(this site sells easy-to-print PDF format of 14 exercises for $10 you can distribute to groups of up to 25 or they’ll be emailed to you in 24 hours)

What’s Cooking?

Selecting foods for the work setting

A Healthy Diet: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains Fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy

products Lean meats, poultry, fish, beans,

eggs, nuts Low in saturated fats, trans fats,

cholesterol, salt, and added sugars

www.mypyramid.gov

Portion Distortion…

“Super-sizing” Do you know how much food

portions have changed in the last 20 years?

Website: http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion/

Spaghetti:

20 Years ago Today

500 calories ??? Calories

What’s your answer?

_ 600 cal. _ 800 cal. _ 1025 cal.

Cheeseburger:

20 Years ago Today

333 calories ??? Calories

What’s your answer?

_ 590 cal. _ 600 cal. _ 700 cal.

French Fries:

20 Years ago Today

210 calories ??? Calories

What’s your answer?

_ 590cal. _ 610 cal. _ 650 cal.

Portions and Servings

Portion Amount of specific

food you choose to eat

Can be larger or smaller than the recommended serving size (today most are larger than serving size)

Serving Unit of measure to

describe the amount of food, i.e. ½ cup, recommended from each food group

Amount listed on package or on food pyramid

Don’t “super-size” your servings into portions…

One Serving Looks Like:

Grains: 1 C. of cereal = fist 1 pancake = compact disc ½ C. pasta, rice or potato = ½ baseball

Dairy and Cheese: 1 ½ oz. Cheese = 4 stacked dice

or 2 cheese slices ½ C. ice cream = ½ baseball

One Serving Looks Like:

Vegetables and fruit: 1 C. salad greens = baseball ½ C. fresh fruit = ½ baseball ¼ C. raisins = 1 large egg

Meat and Fats: 1 tsp. butter or margarine = 1 dice 3 oz. grilled/baked fish = checkbook 3 oz. meat, fish, poultry = deck of cards 2 Tbsp. Peanut butter = ping pong ball

Convenience and Portability

Vending Machines Packed lunches Order-in Cafeteria

Plan Ahead! Divide and conquer! Dine with a colleague

Growing number of U.S. workers with non-traditional work hours

20% of the workforce, more than 21 million Americans, are shift workers.

(working evenings or nights)

Lack of Sleep

Shift workers get an average of 5 hours of sleep a day

This is 1 hour to 1½ hours less than daytime workers

How many hours of sleep do you get each day?

Time Since Sleeping

A shift worker who sleeps until 1 pm and gets off work at 7 am the next morning is driving after being awake for 18 hours.

This is twice as long as daytime workers.

Microsleeps

High-risk conditions: Highest between 3 am and 5 am Increases if sleep-deprived Working alone in quiet or dark environment Performing monotonous task

Warning signs: Eyes often make slow rolling movements

before and during a microsleep

Brief (5 – 30 seconds) episodes of sleep that strike when you are drowsy, causing you to “nod off” briefly.

Shift Work & Sleepiness Put You at Risk For:

Chronic sleep deprivation

Disrupted sleep patterns

Reduced alertness Increased crashes

on the job

Falling asleep while driving

Low morale Decreased

motivation and productivity

Job burnout

Drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 crashes a year

Have you ever…

Nodded off at a traffic light

Blanked out and not remembered long stretches of driving

Driven past a turn-off or exit on a familiar road on the route home from work

Driven over the roadside rumble strips

Driven over a curb while making a turn

Rear-ended a stopped vehicle at a traffic light

Nodded off and awakened in oncoming traffic

Run off the road after nodding off

Turning up the volume on the radio Singing loudly Chewing gum or eating food Getting out of car and running around Slapping yourself Sticking your head out the window

These WON’T keep you awake while driving…

Sleep is Like a Credit Card

You can go into debt Sleep debt can only be

paid off by sleeping You can’t overcome

sleep by willpower To stop feeling sleepy,

your body needs sleep

Develop “Wind-down” process

Avoid caffeine and alcohol before going to bed; both interfere with deep levels of sleep

Take a warm bath rather than invigorating shower

Listen to soothing music or read until you feel sleepy

Make a list of things you are concerned about or need to do so you don’t worry about them when trying to sleep.

Create a restful, comfortable sleeping place

Make the room dark. Our internal clocks tell our bodies to be active

when it is light and to crave rest when it is dark. Use special room-darkening shades, lined

drapes or a sleep mask to simulate nighttime. Block light that comes from your doorway,

and cover your illuminated alarm clock.

Adjust thermostat before going to bed

A room that is too hot or too cold can disturb your sleep.

Some research has shown that 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit or 16-18 degrees Celsius is ideal.

Block outside sounds

Use ear plugs, a fan, or turn on FM radio or TV to in between stations so the “shhhh” blocks out other noises and lulls you to sleep. be sure to turn off the brightness of the TV

or cover the screen. May want to consider a “white noise”

machine which plays a steady stream of lulling sounds such as ocean waves.

Set “House Rules”

Establish guidelines for everyone in family to maintain peaceful sleeping environment. Avoid vacuuming, dishwashers,

laundry, and noisy games Unplug phone in your room. Hang a “do not disturb” sign on your

door. (and on the front door so delivery people also won’t disturb you)

Keep a sleep schedule so friends and family know when to call or visit.

Safety Tips

Ensure your family feels safe at night while you are working Install a home security system Get a dog Keep emergency numbers handy

Family Communication Hold regular family meetings,

once or twice a week Keep household members in touch

with you and with each other Bulletin board with notes, photos,

school awards, reminders to help keep family connected

Keep Connected…

Rent or purchase digital camera or video camcorder Capture special moments you may miss

because of work schedule such as school recitals, sports events

Plan a family day once a month Schedule get-togethers on your days off

or during your awake hours

Maintain Social Ties

Phone home to talk with family members before their bedtimes

Make a breakfast or early lunch date Enjoy a matinee with a friend Attend a daytime lecture or other

community activity

Happy Holidays

Plan your schedule ahead. Put in time requests well in advance.

Keep family and friends aware of your schedule.

“Move” the celebration. Have the family get-together on another day.

Here’s to your health!

Get quality sleep after your working hours. Fit exercise into your days. Spend some

time in the sunshine (Vitamin D). Drink fluids (water). Mild dehydration can

develop when working nighttime hours. Schedule regular healthcare appointments.

Walk 30 minutes a day – you’re worth the effort!

Walk with a friend or family member

Two 15 minute walks a day are as beneficial

Use stairs instead of elevator

Emotional Health Keep balance in your life. Develop a hobby or other interest to

keep you from being consumed by what’s going on in the newsroom.

Take “mini-vacations”.

Spiritual Health Attend your faith community services

when possible. Develop personal time for prayer, reading,

meditation, and reflection. Participate in small groups and

community outreach.

Questions?

Discussion...

Thank You!

For your interest and attention.