Dr. Pushpa Chandra is a Vancouver-based Naturopathic Physician. She worked for over 27 years as a registered nurse and 22 years at BC's Children's Hospital, working in critical care with the province's sickest children. Her interests include research in circadian rhythm disruption, sports medicine and pediatrics. A competitive sports enthusiast, she has completed ultramarathons and marathons in all 7 continents. As a shift worker she has been using the ingredients of AWAKE and ASLEEP to boost her performance, endurance and overall health.
As we near the end of Nurses Week 2017 in Canada we discover that working conditions are far from ideal within the profession. Widespread fatigue, poor health and fear of making mistakes prompt the question: who is taking care of the caregivers? Nurse fatigue: who is taking care of the caregivers? Click to Tweet The […]
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The issue of pilot fatigue has a long history of discussion, debate and regulation, but we are still hearing pilots complaining about it. It isn’t going away and it’s probably getting worse. Although flying is relatively safe, there is plenty of evidence that, with a commercial flight taking off somewhere in the world, every second […]
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It’s autumn, and most of us are looking forward to an extra hour in bed the night the clocks ‘fall back’. For night shift workers, however, it’s not such a welcome event. For nurses on a ‘normal’ 12.5-hour night shift, that extra hour of work can not only be extremely tiring, but can also potentially […]
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While it is widely accepted that shift work causes circadian rhythm disruption, it is only relatively recently that its link to cancer risk has been scientifically established. And while many studies have concentrated on the potential of women to develop breast cancer, evidence also points to a risk to men as well, particularly of prostate […]
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Are you falling asleep during a work shift and suffering from insomnia during the day? Staying awake at night and trying to sleep during the day goes against evolution, adversely affecting all biological functions as they continually try to adjust. We have naturally evolved to rest, heal and restore our bodies while we sleep at […]
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Millions of Americans work night shifts permanently or routinely rotate in and out of working the night shift. Unfortunately, staying up at night affects the body’s natural circadian rhythm, which not only affects the health of workers, but also has the potential to affect workplace safety as well. According to Medical News Today, disrupting the […]
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If you work third shift, or at night, you know it is hard on your body and your mind. Thousands of years of evolution – along with regular daylight and darkness periods – have developed the norm of sleeping at night and working in the day time. It is hard to go against that nature, […]
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Do you work night shifts? Are you pregnant and worried about how you’re going to get through it all? Though it is not ideal or always recommended to work night shifts while you are pregnant, the reality is that it is not always avoidable. Here are some tips that will help you to feel more […]
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 15 million Americans are working night shift and many will tell of the toll of working these late night hours has done to their sleep schedules and the stress it has put their body through. But getting a good night’s sleep is not the only issue at […]
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There is no question that night shift workers should make every effort to eat well, exercise, and maintain a healthy weight. Shift work can be disruptive to getting good sleep, and this deprivation has been linked with higher risks of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and other serious health issues. For most, working the night shift, […]
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