taking care of yourself byline: alyson j. breisch, rn, msn
Post on 17-Dec-2015
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Taking Care of Yourself
Byline: Alyson J. Breisch, RN, MSN
Topics
Care of yourself at work Care of yourself driving after work Care of yourself at home Websites, resources
Short Survey
Question 1
What are your main concerns related to your work schedule and environment? Health issues? Social issues?
Question 2
Have you ever had an ergonomic evaluation of your workstation done in your work environment?
Question 3
What is your work schedule? Number of hours worked – 8, 10,
12, more? Hours of the day worked? Steady schedule or rotating shifts? Regular or variable scheduled days
off each week?
Question 4
What are your sleep habits? Length of uninterrupted sleep? Usual hours of day asleep? Change in pattern for days off?
Computer Work Station
Ergonomics Vision Safety Desk Yoga
Ergonomics
Arrangement of equipment for comfort and ease of use
Attention to prevent general fatigue, eyestrain or eye irritation, and physical discomfort
Ergonomic Risks Due To:
Fixed or awkward postures; maintained for too long
Compression on hard or sharp edges of work surfaces
High pace of movements that does not allow recovery time
Reducing Risk Positioning
monitor screen Positioning
reference documents
Mouse use and motion
Keyboard position
Keyboard use Chair height Backrest
position Lighting Rest Exercise
* Refer to handout
The human visual system Human eye primarily for use at
far distances, only secondarily for close up work.
We are not properly equipped to comfortably spend long periods staring at VDTs.
Results: Our eyes dry out and become sore, our ability to adjust focus slows, vision may blur.Headaches, sore shoulders, and pain in the neck may result.
Dry Eyes Forced-air heating systems can
increase problems with dry eyes scratchiness stinging or burning a feeling that there’s something in
the eye excessive tearing or difficulty
wearing contact lenses
Care for Dry Eyes
Over-the-counter eye drops (artificial tears) may be helpful; may require eye MD care
Remember to blink often to keep eyes from drying out
Take “Vision Breaks” from your VDT BEFORE symptoms develop
Take a vision break every 20-60 minutes
Typical breaks run from 2-4 minutes long
Exercise & Stretch Your Eyes
Look away from your computer screen every 30 minutes: Focus for 5-10 seconds on an object
outside or down the hallway Look far away at an object for 5-10
seconds then look at a near object for 5-10 seconds, rocking your focusing back and forth for 10 repetitions
“Let’s shed a little light on the subject…”
to reduce glare, eye strain, & irritation
Keep room lighting level low Lower blinds or window shades, turn down the screen brightness.
Use diffusers on light fixtures and use a task light to illuminate documents.
Place computer so it is perpendicular to windows or other major light sources.
Direct the task light so it does not shine directly on the screen or in your eyes.
An anti-glare screen may be helpful. Also clean your screen or monitor regularly to remove fingerprints and dust that can reduce clarity of characters on the screen.
Color Preference
Literature notes that yellow seems to be a universally irritating color under which to work.
Babies cry more in yellow rooms
Husbands and wives fight more in yellow kitchens
Opera singers throw more tantrums in yellow dressing rooms
Individual color preferences vary and can affect reading speed and comprehension.
You may want to adjust the Windows (or Macs) default settings of black text on white background to personal selections to suit your personality and mood.
Example:
This background and font color
may be more pleasing to some…
but not to others…
High contrast, dark-on-light combos work well, avoid low-contrast text/background combinations
Yoga at the Keyboard
Keyboard Yoga
Series of exercises Easy, effortless Designed for chair or
workstation Can be done any time
Range of Motion
Head and neck Shoulders, arms, elbows, Feet and legs, ankle
rotations Hips and lower back
Let’s try one… ankle Rotations
Sit at edge of seat Extend leg, rest on
heel, straighten leg Point toe and slowly
rotate foot around ankle clockwise
Repeat in counter-clockwise direction
Do exercise with other foot
Worksite Yoga Websites
http://www.yogaeverywhere.com/keyboard/index.html
http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html(this site sells easy-to-print PDF format of 14 exercises for $10 you can distribute to groups of up to 25 or they’ll be emailed to you in 24 hours)
What’s Cooking?
Selecting foods for the work setting
A Healthy Diet: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains Fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy
products Lean meats, poultry, fish, beans,
eggs, nuts Low in saturated fats, trans fats,
cholesterol, salt, and added sugars
www.mypyramid.gov
Portion Distortion…
“Super-sizing” Do you know how much food
portions have changed in the last 20 years?
Website: http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion/
Spaghetti:
20 Years ago Today
500 calories ??? Calories
What’s your answer?
_ 600 cal. _ 800 cal. _ 1025 cal.
Cheeseburger:
20 Years ago Today
333 calories ??? Calories
What’s your answer?
_ 590 cal. _ 600 cal. _ 700 cal.
French Fries:
20 Years ago Today
210 calories ??? Calories
What’s your answer?
_ 590cal. _ 610 cal. _ 650 cal.
Portions and Servings
Portion Amount of specific
food you choose to eat
Can be larger or smaller than the recommended serving size (today most are larger than serving size)
Serving Unit of measure to
describe the amount of food, i.e. ½ cup, recommended from each food group
Amount listed on package or on food pyramid
Don’t “super-size” your servings into portions…
One Serving Looks Like:
Grains: 1 C. of cereal = fist 1 pancake = compact disc ½ C. pasta, rice or potato = ½ baseball
Dairy and Cheese: 1 ½ oz. Cheese = 4 stacked dice
or 2 cheese slices ½ C. ice cream = ½ baseball
One Serving Looks Like:
Vegetables and fruit: 1 C. salad greens = baseball ½ C. fresh fruit = ½ baseball ¼ C. raisins = 1 large egg
Meat and Fats: 1 tsp. butter or margarine = 1 dice 3 oz. grilled/baked fish = checkbook 3 oz. meat, fish, poultry = deck of cards 2 Tbsp. Peanut butter = ping pong ball
Convenience and Portability
Vending Machines Packed lunches Order-in Cafeteria
Plan Ahead! Divide and conquer! Dine with a colleague
Growing number of U.S. workers with non-traditional work hours
20% of the workforce, more than 21 million Americans, are shift workers.
(working evenings or nights)
Lack of Sleep
Shift workers get an average of 5 hours of sleep a day
This is 1 hour to 1½ hours less than daytime workers
How many hours of sleep do you get each day?
Time Since Sleeping
A shift worker who sleeps until 1 pm and gets off work at 7 am the next morning is driving after being awake for 18 hours.
This is twice as long as daytime workers.
Microsleeps
High-risk conditions: Highest between 3 am and 5 am Increases if sleep-deprived Working alone in quiet or dark environment Performing monotonous task
Warning signs: Eyes often make slow rolling movements
before and during a microsleep
Brief (5 – 30 seconds) episodes of sleep that strike when you are drowsy, causing you to “nod off” briefly.
Shift Work & Sleepiness Put You at Risk For:
Chronic sleep deprivation
Disrupted sleep patterns
Reduced alertness Increased crashes
on the job
Falling asleep while driving
Low morale Decreased
motivation and productivity
Job burnout
Drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 crashes a year
Have you ever…
Nodded off at a traffic light
Blanked out and not remembered long stretches of driving
Driven past a turn-off or exit on a familiar road on the route home from work
Driven over the roadside rumble strips
Driven over a curb while making a turn
Rear-ended a stopped vehicle at a traffic light
Nodded off and awakened in oncoming traffic
Run off the road after nodding off
Turning up the volume on the radio Singing loudly Chewing gum or eating food Getting out of car and running around Slapping yourself Sticking your head out the window
These WON’T keep you awake while driving…
Sleep is Like a Credit Card
You can go into debt Sleep debt can only be
paid off by sleeping You can’t overcome
sleep by willpower To stop feeling sleepy,
your body needs sleep
Develop “Wind-down” process
Avoid caffeine and alcohol before going to bed; both interfere with deep levels of sleep
Take a warm bath rather than invigorating shower
Listen to soothing music or read until you feel sleepy
Make a list of things you are concerned about or need to do so you don’t worry about them when trying to sleep.
Create a restful, comfortable sleeping place
Make the room dark. Our internal clocks tell our bodies to be active
when it is light and to crave rest when it is dark. Use special room-darkening shades, lined
drapes or a sleep mask to simulate nighttime. Block light that comes from your doorway,
and cover your illuminated alarm clock.
Adjust thermostat before going to bed
A room that is too hot or too cold can disturb your sleep.
Some research has shown that 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit or 16-18 degrees Celsius is ideal.
Block outside sounds
Use ear plugs, a fan, or turn on FM radio or TV to in between stations so the “shhhh” blocks out other noises and lulls you to sleep. be sure to turn off the brightness of the TV
or cover the screen. May want to consider a “white noise”
machine which plays a steady stream of lulling sounds such as ocean waves.
Set “House Rules”
Establish guidelines for everyone in family to maintain peaceful sleeping environment. Avoid vacuuming, dishwashers,
laundry, and noisy games Unplug phone in your room. Hang a “do not disturb” sign on your
door. (and on the front door so delivery people also won’t disturb you)
Keep a sleep schedule so friends and family know when to call or visit.
Safety Tips
Ensure your family feels safe at night while you are working Install a home security system Get a dog Keep emergency numbers handy
Family Communication Hold regular family meetings,
once or twice a week Keep household members in touch
with you and with each other Bulletin board with notes, photos,
school awards, reminders to help keep family connected
Keep Connected…
Rent or purchase digital camera or video camcorder Capture special moments you may miss
because of work schedule such as school recitals, sports events
Plan a family day once a month Schedule get-togethers on your days off
or during your awake hours
Maintain Social Ties
Phone home to talk with family members before their bedtimes
Make a breakfast or early lunch date Enjoy a matinee with a friend Attend a daytime lecture or other
community activity
Happy Holidays
Plan your schedule ahead. Put in time requests well in advance.
Keep family and friends aware of your schedule.
“Move” the celebration. Have the family get-together on another day.
Here’s to your health!
Get quality sleep after your working hours. Fit exercise into your days. Spend some
time in the sunshine (Vitamin D). Drink fluids (water). Mild dehydration can
develop when working nighttime hours. Schedule regular healthcare appointments.
Walk 30 minutes a day – you’re worth the effort!
Walk with a friend or family member
Two 15 minute walks a day are as beneficial
Use stairs instead of elevator
Emotional Health Keep balance in your life. Develop a hobby or other interest to
keep you from being consumed by what’s going on in the newsroom.
Take “mini-vacations”.
Spiritual Health Attend your faith community services
when possible. Develop personal time for prayer, reading,
meditation, and reflection. Participate in small groups and
community outreach.
Questions?
Discussion...
Thank You!
For your interest and attention.
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