Introduction to Shift Work in the Hospitality Industry
The world of hospitality is no stranger to shift work, with bars and restaurants often operating when others are closed. However, it’s in hotels where this becomes a structural norm, with services running 24/7 and work distributed throughout the day and night. As a result, eating and sleeping patterns are significantly disrupted, with meals frequently postponed or skipped, sleep broken, and recovery incomplete. Research published in the European Journal of Nutrition has delved into the effects of shift work on nutrition, sleep quality, and mental health.
Diet and Sleep: What Changes with Shifts
A survey involving 322 Italian workers, including 166 shift workers (57% of whom worked night shifts) and 156 non-shift workers, highlighted the differences in working hours. The results, as explained by Sofia Lotti, a nutritional biologist and research fellow at the University of Florence, showed that shift workers have less adherence to the Mediterranean diet, consuming fewer legumes and fish, which are essential components of this dietary model. This could be due to the difficulty in finding healthy meals during working hours or a greater propensity to choose ready-made and unbalanced foods.
Shift workers are nearly three times more likely to experience poorer sleep quality and have greater exposure to symptoms of anxiety and stress. This description is all too familiar for those who work shifts, as lack of sleep and stress accumulate, and nutrition becomes an afterthought, often managed based on resistance rather than well-being.
The Night Shift: A Heavier Burden
Not all shifts have the same impact, with night shifts presenting more critical issues regarding diet, sleep, and mental health. Up to 70% of night shift workers report poor sleep quality, and over 35% fall asleep at work at least once a week. These numbers help explain why chronic fatigue is often normalized. In Italy, around three million workers are involved in night shifts, a significant share of the workforce, according to recent findings by Stat and Isfol.
Shifts and Work Organization
To mitigate the negative effects of shift work on health, interventions are needed on multiple levels: individual, corporate, and public. Optimizing shift management, limiting night shifts, and reducing their consecutiveness are key aspects. Additionally, raising workers’ awareness of the importance of managing their psychophysical well-being and maintaining regular meal times, even during night shifts, can help stabilize metabolism and reduce the risk of digestive disorders.
What to Eat When Working Shifts
So, how should one behave at the table? According to Lotti, it’s essential to prefer light and balanced meals, avoiding fatty or sugary foods that can cause energy drops or difficulty sleeping. Choosing slow-release carbohydrates, such as whole grains, and lean proteins helps maintain stable energy levels. Ensuring the availability of healthy foods in the workplace and promoting adequate training can help workers make informed choices, improving their overall well-being.
Chronotype and Forced Rhythms
Making the relationship between shifts, nutrition, and sleep even more complex is the factor of chronotype, or individual predisposition to be more active at certain times of the day. An often underestimated factor, but decisive when work rhythms do not coincide with biological ones. Research suggests that late-night workers have a greater risk of developing certain conditions than early-morning workers, possibly due to the greater vulnerability of serotini to chronodestruction, the alteration of circadian rhythms.
For more information on the diet for those who work shifts in Horeca, especially in hotels, visit Here.