For a 7 PM to 7 AM night shift, put Sleep on My BodyClock first: about 8 AM to 3 PM in a dark room. Eat a main meal before the shift and a light one before midnight, since NIOSH advises little or no food from midnight to 6 AM. Seek bright light early in the shift.

Key takeaways

  • Sleep soon after the shift: NIOSH says the more sleep you get before 2 PM, the better rested you will be.
  • On days off, NIOSH suggests sleeping from about 3 or 4 AM to noon, so 8 AM to noon is always sleep.
  • NIOSH advises little or no food between midnight and 6 AM and three meals per 24 hours.
  • In a 2021 randomized lab study of 19 adults on simulated night shifts (Science Advances), post-breakfast blood sugar rose about 19% from baseline with night eating, not with daytime-only meals.
  • Bright light early in the shift, dimmer light late, and sunglasses home only if someone else drives (NIOSH).
  • Plan the switch back: in studies Smith and Eastman review, time in bed after the last night of a run was cut to 5 hours so people would fall asleep earlier on days off.

When should a night-shift worker sleep?

Sleep as soon as you can after the shift, in a room dark enough that you cannot see your hand in front of your eyes. NIOSH’s training for nurses says the more sleep you get before 2 PM, the better rested you will be. Blackout shades or an eye mask, earplugs and a silenced phone help; stay in bed as long as you can.

For days off, NIOSH describes a compromise: stay up until 3 or 4 AM and sleep until noon or 1 PM, so 8 AM to noon is always sleep. A 2012 review by Mark Smith and Charmane Eastman found that a similar schedule partly realigned the body clock in simulated night-shift studies, with night-shift performance close to daytime levels.

A nap of about 30 minutes can also raise alertness on a night shift, NIOSH notes; whether you can take one depends on your unit.

When should you eat on a night shift?

Eat your main meals before and after the night, and keep food light or skip it between midnight and 6 AM. NIOSH’s training also advises a small breakfast before day sleep so hunger doesn’t wake you, and no large meal in the 1 to 2 hours before sleep.

When you eat matters, not just what. A 2010 review by Arne Lowden and colleagues links shift work with higher risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and poor blood-sugar control, and says diet quality and meal timing may play a part.

The clearest test is a 2021 study in Science Advances by Sarah Chellappa and colleagues: 19 healthy young adults spent 14 days in a lab on simulated night work, randomized to meals at night or meals kept to daytime hours. With night eating, blood sugar in the 3 hours after a test breakfast rose 19.4% from baseline; with daytime eating it did not change significantly. It was a small lab study; the authors call for studies in real shift workers.

On shift, NIOSH suggests vegetables, soups, fruit, wholegrain sandwiches, yogurt, eggs and nuts, with light caffeine (see Caffeine Cutoff Time).

How should a night-shift worker use light?

Get bright light in the first half of the shift and less in the second half, where patient care allows; NIOSH says early light helps alertness and dimmer light later eases sleep at home.

Sunglasses cut morning daylight on the way home, but NIOSH advises them only if someone else drives, since they can blunt the alerting effect of light on a drowsy drive. If you are very sleepy, get a ride or take a taxi.

After waking, afternoon daylight works as what Smith and Eastman call a light brake: their participants spent 15 minutes outside within 2 hours of waking to keep their body clocks from drifting too late. More: Let There Be Light When the Time Is Right.

How do you switch into and out of a run of night shifts?

Plan the last night of a run as its own day. In the simulated night-shift studies Smith and Eastman review, participants stayed in bed in the dark for 7 hours (8:30 AM to 3:30 PM) after each night shift but only 5 hours (8:30 AM to 1:30 PM) after the last one, so a little sleep pressure would help them fall asleep earlier on days off. NIOSH’s nurse training gives no rotation plan, since rotations vary so much; if you rotate and struggle to adjust, it suggests a sleep specialist.

A doctor in training described the switch in a 2019 post for Owaves: runs of four 14-hour nights, 8 PM to 10 AM, then two days to get back to an 8 AM start. Before a run, they pushed bedtime a few hours later over the weekend. After the last night, they went to the gym and into morning light to stay up until a normal bedtime, and they planned time with friends on either side of the run. It still took about a week to feel normal. Whichever way you switch, get a ride home if you are very sleepy (NIOSH).

How do you plan a night shift in Owaves?

Place Sleep first in Edit Mode, then build the shift and meals around it and save. Per the Owaves FAQ (updated May 2024):

  1. Tap the pencil icon in the top right, or double-tap the space around the circle, to enter Edit Mode.
  2. Drag the Sleep Activity Icon onto the circle at 8 AM.
  3. Drag the block’s black circles in or out until it ends at 3 PM.
  4. Add Work for the shift, Eat for meals and Flow for commutes, then tap the checkmark to save.

The Owaves FAQ counts naps as Sleep and calls the category especially important on shift work. It also describes repeating a saved Day Plan on chosen days, so work nights, nights off and the switch-back day can each have one; the App Store lists unlimited Day Plans under BodyClock Plus; connecting Apple Health to compare planned and actual activities is free. Find your Body Clock Type.

Is night shift work bad for your health?

Night shift work is linked with higher health risks, mostly in observational studies. NIOSH’s training says shift workers are at somewhat higher risk of obesity and several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In 2019 the World Health Organization’s cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), classified night shift work as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), on limited evidence in people (positive associations for breast, prostate, colon and rectal cancer) and stronger evidence in animal and lab studies. Smith and Eastman list three possible pathways: circadian misalignment, chronic short sleep, and light at night suppressing the body’s own melatonin. The steps in this guide protect sleep and alertness; they aren’t a treatment.

When should a night-shift worker see a clinician?

See a clinician if poor sleep after shifts, or sleepiness at work or on the drive home, persists despite a protected plan. Smith and Eastman describe shift-work disorder as insomnia and excessive sleepiness in night workers. Ask a clinician before trying sleep aids or supplements.

Your day on My BodyClock

Night Shift Schedule: How to Plan Sleep, Meals and Light. My BodyClock for Friday, October 16 in Encinitas: Flow at 7 AM (Handoff and commute home); Eat at 7:30 AM (Small breakfast: yogurt, oats, fruit); Sleep at 8 AM (Anchor sleep in a dark room); Flow at 3 PM (Wake up, shower, get ready); Move at 3:30 PM (Walk outside in afternoon light); Love at 4:15 PM (Time with family); Eat at 5:30 PM (Main meal before the shift); Flow at 6:15 PM (Commute to the hospital); Work at 7 PM (Shift, first half: bright light); Eat at 11:30 PM (Light meal: vegetable soup and salad); Work at 12 AM (Shift: patient care); Sleep at 3 AM (Break: short nap where allowed). Center Photo: Glass meal-prep containers with salad, roasted vegetables, salmon and fruit on a bright kitchen counter.
Your day on My BodyClock. Build it in Owaves.

The day above on My BodyClock is one work night on a 7 PM to 7 AM shift; adapt it to your unit.

Time Block Category
7–7:30 AM Handoff and commute home Flow
7:30–8 AM Small breakfast: yogurt, oats, fruit Eat
8 AM–3 PM Anchor sleep in a dark room Sleep
3–3:30 PM Wake up, shower, get ready Flow
3:30–4:15 PM Walk outside in afternoon light Move
4:15–5:30 PM Time with family Love
5:30–6:15 PM Main meal before the shift Eat
6:15–7 PM Commute to the hospital Flow
7–11:30 PM Shift, first half: bright light Work
11:30 PM–midnight Light meal: vegetable soup and salad Eat
Midnight–3 AM Shift: patient care Work
3–3:30 AM Break: short nap where allowed Sleep
3:30–7 AM Shift, second half: dimmer light Work

Build it in Owaves: My BodyClock or join the Android waitlist.

FAQ

What is the best sleep schedule for a 7 PM to 7 AM shift?

Go to bed soon after the shift, around 8 AM, in a very dark room. On days off, NIOSH suggests sleeping from about 3 or 4 AM to noon, so 8 AM to noon stays fixed.

Should you eat during a night shift?

Keep it light. NIOSH advises little or no food between midnight and 6 AM; on shift, choose soup, salad, fruit, yogurt or eggs.

How do you switch back to days after night shifts?

Plan the switch-back day: in studies Smith and Eastman review, time in bed after the last night shift was cut to 5 hours so people would fall asleep earlier on days off.

Is night shift work bad for you?

It is linked with higher risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and IARC, the WHO’s cancer agency, classifies it as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), on limited evidence in people.

Is Owaves free?

The App Store lists Owaves: My BodyClock as free to download, with in-app purchases for the BodyClock Plus subscription.

Sources

  1. NIOSH. “Module 9: Light.” Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/03.html
  2. NIOSH. “Module 9: Light (Continued).” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/04.html
  3. NIOSH. “Module 9: Sleep.” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/05.html
  4. NIOSH. “Module 9: Sleep (Continued).” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/06.html
  5. NIOSH. “Module 9: Diet Suggestions for Night-Shift Nurses.” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/08.html
  6. NIOSH. “Module 9: Diet Suggestions (Continued).” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/09.html
  7. NIOSH. “Module 7: Naps at Work.” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod7/07.html
  8. Chellappa SL, et al. “Daytime eating prevents internal circadian misalignment and glucose intolerance in night work.” Science Advances, 3 December 2021. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abg9910. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8641939/
  9. Smith MR, Eastman CI. “Shift work: health, performance and safety problems, traditional countermeasures, and innovative management strategies to reduce circadian misalignment.” Nature and Science of Sleep, 27 September 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3630978/
  10. Lowden A, et al. “Eating and shift work: effects on habits, metabolism and performance.” Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 9 February 2010. https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=2898
  11. Owaves. “How do I plan or edit my day?” Owaves FAQ, updated 30 May 2024. https://owaves.com/faq/how-do-i-enter-edit-mode/
  12. Owaves. “What are the activity categories?” Owaves FAQ, updated 22 April 2018. https://owaves.com/faq/what-are-the-activity-categories/
  13. Owaves. “Is there a way to build a custom day and then apply it to all weekdays or weekends?” Owaves FAQ, updated 17 March 2023. https://owaves.com/faq/is-there-a-way-to-build-a-custom-day-and-then-apply-it-to-all-weekdays-or-weekends/
  14. Apple App Store. “Owaves: My BodyClock” (US listing), accessed 15 October 2026. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/owaves-worlds-first-wellness/id869648628
  15. NIOSH. “Module 9. Coping with the Night and Evening Shifts.” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/01.html
  16. NIOSH. “Module 9: Diet Suggestions (Continued 2).” CDC, reviewed 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/work-hour-training-for-nurses/longhours/mod9/10.html
  17. IARC. “Night Shift Work.” IARC Monographs Volume 124, World Health Organization, 2020. https://publications.iarc.who.int/593

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