2. Ramadan is a special time for everyone. During this month we
dont keep our usual eating, sleeping, exercising, and socialising
hours. These changes puts additional stress on the human body,
causing fatigue and diminish our ability to perform our tasks.
These impairments can lead to incidents that should be
avoided.
3. Diet and Sleep habits will disturb our Circadian Rhythms
during Ramadan
4. Circadian Rhythms Circadian Rhythms is a 24 hour period in
your body, where you will feel the natural urges to sleep, eat,
rest, and work. When you Circadian Rhythm is disturbed, you may
feel tired, hungry, or restless at different times of the day.
5. Not drinking or eating during daylight hours is a big change
for most of us. Fasting can cause temporary low blood sugar and
dehydration. Diet Change - How does it affect us?
6. Low Blood Sugar Occurs when the sugar (glucose) in the blood
drops to a lower than normal level. What you might feel : tired,
irritability, headache, faint or light- headed, hunger, loss of
concentration.
7. What to eat @ Iftar & Sahoor Our body does not digest
food well at night, even if we stay awake. Eat a healthy diet at
Iftar @ Sahoor There is no receptacle more odious to God, than a
belly stuffed full of food after a fast
8. Fatty meats Fried foods Pastries Potato and corn chips Pizza
Whole milk dairy products Too much sugar such as sweets Foods to
avoid at Iftar
9. Pasta, rice and potatoes Whole grain breads and cereals
Fruit and vegetables Fish, lean meats Soybeans and beans Skim or
low-fat milk and cheese Healthy foods at Iftar and Sahoor
10. Dehydration Dehydration occurs when the amount of water in
the body falls below normal, which can disrupt the balance of
sugars and salts (electrolytes)
11. Signs of Dehydration Darker yellow urine Weakness, fatigue
Feeling faint or lightheaded Headache Intense thirst Dry or sticky
mouth Muscle cramps
12. Drink lots of water from Iftar to Sahoor about 3 lts (try
for 8-10 glasses) Soda or juice does not substitute WATER. Our
bodies only absorb 50 to 60 % of fruit juice and only 20 to 30% of
soda. Dehydration: What to do:
13. What you can do ? Use Sahoor to ensure you have satisfied
your need for water before the new day begins. Avoid
Coke/Pepsi/soft drinks that contain caffeine. Caffeine dehydrates
you - avoid it, even coffee, in the morning.
14. Sleeping In addition to fasting, sleep habits often change
during Ramadan. We may stay up late at night or get up early in the
morning for Sahoor.
15. Lack of Sleep causes: impaired performance irritability
lack of concentration daytime drowsiness You might also be: less
alert and attentive unable to concentrate effectively
16. MICROSLEEPS... Are sudden, unexpected moments of deep sleep
stolen by the brain, lasting 4-5 seconds. THE DANGER : If you are
driving at 90 km/hour a car will travel the length of a football
field in 4 to 5 seconds!
17. How much sleep do I need? There is a sleep bank account The
effects of lack of sleep build up after each night of not sleeping
well or not sleeping enough If one night you dont get much sleep,
try to make up for it the next night. Recovery Days - Take it easy
the first day off and catch up on your sleep.
18. How much sleep do I need? Hours of Sleep Prior Night
19. Signs of Drowsy Driving Constant yawning Tired, sore, heavy
eyes, eyes out of focus Drowsiness, Daydreaming Drifting from your
lane Not remembering the last few miles driven Missing road signs
Variations in driving speed Jerking vehicle into your lane
20. Real problems through lack of sleep The most common
consequence is sleeping behind the wheel. One third of all drivers
will fall asleep at least once in their lifetime. The annual cost
of car accidents: US $30 billion 100,000 crashes 71,000 injuries
1,500 fatalities
21. What are your experiences? Discuss now your previous fast
experiences during Ramadan. What works for you, what doesnt
work?
22. Seven to Eight Hours of uninterrupted sleep is important to
everyones health and well-being.
23. Preventing accidents means caring for each other Work with
your team / crew members to help each other when feeling tired. Let
your supervisor know when you dont feel up for a hazardous task
Talk about hazards and make sure everyone is aware of them!
24. Tips on driving during Ramadan Do not drive when you are
tired, know your limits Take a short nap before driving (15-20
minutes) Eat lightly before driving Look well ahead and read
signage to keep alert The biggest safety challenge of all during
Ramadan is driving safely.
25. Supervisors Guidance Start discussing in toolbox talks/HSE
meetings 1-2 weeks prior to Ramadan on: Fatigue Give sleep
Management advise to staff. Refresh fatigue awareness so staff will
identify symptoms Staying up late at night during Ramadan will
result insufficient sleep and accumulating sleep debt. Continue
these meetings throughout Ramadan and ask questions: 1. How were
you yesterday? 2. How do you feel today? 3. Any incidents you had
or witnessed? 4. Did you intervene any unsafe acts/condition?
Incidents tend to increase towards the end of Ramadan. A toolbox
meeting after the first half of Ramadan is important. Face to face
communications and Management participation is valuable to increase
awareness.