Staying awake at work
I have a physically demanding job at a kennel. This coming Tuesday I have to work a double shift- that's twelve hours on my feet with two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute break between shifts. And I have to wake up at 5:20 AM. But my real problem is this: I have ulcerative colitis. That means eating a hearty, energizing breakfast of eggs, whole wheat toast, and fruit is kind of out of the question (normally I eat a single English muffin with peanut butter and jelly), as is caffeine (the most I ever have is a small cup of green tea).
Does anyone have suggestions regarding:
Does anyone have suggestions regarding:
- how to adjust my sleep schedule or otherwise fall asleep earlier than 10pm the night before? I really don't want to take sleeping pills, but 7 hours of sleep is nowhere near enough for me, especially with that kind of a day ahead of me. Have any of you had luck with any teas? I've heard that exercising and showering before bed can wake you up rather than help you sleep. Is that true? What about yoga?
- breakfast, lunch, and snacks? Should I eat the hearty breakfast I mentioned above, risking the potential flare ups it may trigger, perhaps safeguarding with immodium? Speaking of which, are there any natural alternatives to immodium that I am unaware of? I've been thinking about trail mix for my snack breaks. I should be able to handle the nuts. But what about lunch? I'm thinking a sandwich is easiest- what are some low-fiber sandwich ingredients that will give me the most energy?
- staying awake? I'm never going to touch an energy drink in my life, and caffeine pills sound far from appealing. I've never been a coffee drinker, but green tea simply isn't going to cut it, and I don't even know that black tea will. I'm really hoping that Dunkin Donuts coffee isn't my only option