Maintaining Your Diet Working 12 Hour Shifts

The hardest part of my week is surviving my 12-hour night shifts at work. 12-hour shifts are bad enough without being overnight. I have devised ways to keep my eating habits healthy while working longer-than-average shifts.

A balanced diet is already difficult to maintain for people with diabetes, especially with all the different ways one can choose to follow. Throw in the occasional random drop in blood sugar, and you can have a real nightmare situation on hand.

How to eat during a long work shift with diabetes

I have modified a few of the habits I follow to fit the lifestyle of those working 12-hour shifts.

Intermittent fasting

One popular dietary practice is intermittent fasting. I would guess the majority of people follow a 16:8 formula where they fast for 16 hours and have an 8-hour window to eat. This can be difficult when working longer shifts, depending on when your meal break is.

I found it best to take my meal break towards the beginning or end of my shift. If I take it in the middle, I have about 6 hours from when I eat until I get off work, then factor in driving time and cooking time when I get home, and I am pushing the 8-hour window. If you are on the night shift, I would recommend eating before work and taking a break in the earlier part of your shift. This will allow for the same window to be followed on your days off.

If you are on dayshift, I personally would eat later in the shift and eat dinner at home then fast overnight while sleeping and the first half of the workday. If you don’t have a way to pick your break time, you may have to take 2 meals to work and eat one before or after your shift before going home and the other on your meal break to stay in the window. That kind of stinks, but you do what you have to.

Meal prep

Prepping enough and having the right amount of calories is essential as well. It is easy to pack a salad like I do, but I add ingredients that give me calories and volume so I am not hungry or fatigued at work. This can also help keep blood sugar steady. It will take a little practice, and you may need to break up a larger meal into one meal with a few snacks. Find something quick you can eat, like some cut-up chicken or some veggies as a snack, and leave the rest for your main meal.

Plan for blood sugar dips

Snacks are also important, especially if you struggle with blood sugar lows. Glucose tabs are good to keep in a pocket or nearby so that someone you work with knows where they are and when to get them if you need them.

I would also bring a quick snack or drink you like, which will bring your sugar up quickly if needed. Something with simple sugars would work well. If you don’t have sugar drops, you can bring a portion of something with healthy fats or protein to give you some energy to make it to your next meal.