Managing Fatigue 3. § Prioritize sleep by decreasing off-work/school obligations as much as possible until feeling fully rested. § Use relaxation apps or techniques to aid in sleep onset if you have trouble falling asleep (longer than 15-25 minutes). § Create a bedtime routine and keep your sleeping environment comfortable, dark, cool, and quiet. § Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and nicotine for at least 2-3 hours prior to sleep time. § Avoid caffeine at least 5 hours before bedtime (longer if sensitive to caffeine). § Avoid sunlight/bright lights 1.5 hours prior to sleep, as it can stimulate your circadian system to promote wakefulness. § Use strategically timed naps to decrease fatigue. Short naps (15-30 minutes) can help to decrease fatigue during work hours. Longer naps (1.5 hours) can help prevent fatigue before working a night shift. § Find a colleague to be a buddy for checking in on how each of you are coping. § If students are working as unlicensed assistive personnel in a healthcare setting, inform them that extended shifts (greater than 12 hours) increase the risk of fatigue-related incidents. Having one full day of rest for every seven days of clinical work is necessary for adequate sleep and recovery. § Watch for signs and symptoms of fatigue in yourself and coworkers. These may include yawning, concentrating, emotional instability, flawed logic, and poor communication. (Hittle, Wong, 2020). Early career nurses are leaving the nursing profession at rates similar to those who are reaching retirement age. Nursing faculty must prepare future nurses to manage the stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue that may be inherent in being a nurse. Providing opportunities to develop a high level of resilience while in school will do much to protect individual students as they transition into the workforce as well as support the future of the nursing profession.
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