Night shifts: how to protect your health
Night shifts take a plan, not just stamina. Keep a fixed sleep window in a dark, quiet room, organise meals around the shift, use light to your advantage, take your breaks and plan the trip home for when you are tired. Greek law gives you two things worth knowing: medical examinations before you start night work and at regular intervals, at no cost to you (art. 177 Labour Code), and a 25% premium for work between 22:00 and 06:00 (art. 150 §1). For any health concern, the right answer comes from a doctor, not a guide.
Updated: 5 min readSources: 2
How can I sleep better when I work night shifts?
Sleep at the same time every day of your night week, in a dark, quiet, cool room. Protect those hours the way you would protect your shift.
- A fixed sleep window: choose the hours you’ll sleep after the shift and keep them all week.
- Dark and quiet: blackout curtains, an eye mask, earplugs, phone on silent.
- Tell your household: the people you live with should know when you sleep.
- A short wind-down: shower, something light to eat, no screens for a while.
- The changeover week: when you move from nights to days, plan in advance how you’ll shift your sleep.
How night–day rotation works and how much rest you’re entitled to between shifts is explained in our guide to security guard shifts and working hours.
What should I eat on a night shift?
Proper meals at regular times, brought from home, and water within reach all shift. Keep anything that weighs you down or keeps you awake after the shift away from the last hours.
- One main meal before the shift and something light in the middle, rather than constant snacking.
- Bring food from home: at 3 a.m. there aren’t many options near a guarding post.
- Water: a bottle at the post, so you don’t have to remember.
- Coffee: if it keeps you awake when you go to bed, stop it in the last hours of the shift.
If you have a dietary or other health condition (diabetes, for example, or medication taken at fixed times), ask your doctor how to fit it around night shifts.
Does light help on a night shift?
Yes, as a tool: a bright environment while you work, less light as you get ready for sleep. Sunglasses on the way home in the morning are a simple habit worth trying.
- On shift: as far as the post allows, work in a lit area rather than half-darkness.
- On the way home: sunglasses if the sun “wakes you up” before bed.
- At home: low light and less screen time in the hour before you sleep.
How do I stay alert on a quiet night shift?
Move, take the breaks you’re entitled to and ask for help when tiredness becomes dangerous. Fatigue on a post is a safety issue, not a weakness.
- Patrols help: moving between checkpoints breaks the monotony of a static post.
- Take your break: the law provides for a break once work runs beyond a certain number of continuous hours; the rules are in our guide to guard working hours.
- Don’t push past the limit: if you feel you can’t stay awake, tell your supervisor or the operations desk. At OVIT, a real person always answers the operations desk.
How do I get home safely after a night shift?
Plan the trip home before the shift starts, and don’t drive if you feel sleep coming on. The journey after a night is part of your shift.
- If you drive: if you’re falling asleep, stop somewhere safe; don’t carry on “for just a few more kilometres”.
- If you use public transport: know the early-morning timetables and where you’ll wait.
- Tell someone: send a message when you get home, especially from a remote post.
Are night workers entitled to a medical examination in Greece?
Yes. The Labour Code provides for medical examinations before you start night work and at regular intervals afterwards, under medical confidentiality and at no cost to you.
Article 177 of the Labour Code provides:
- §1: every worker, before starting night work and then at regular intervals, must have the necessary medical examinations to assess their fitness for that work.
- §2: if the examinations show that a worker has health problems caused by night work, they are transferred to day work they are suited for.
- §3: the examinations are covered by medical confidentiality and cost the worker nothing. Where the employer must use an occupational physician, they are done by that physician or by the contracted Protection and Prevention Services; otherwise by the competent services of the social-insurance bodies or the National Health System.
Work between 22:00 and 06:00 carries a 25% premium (art. 150 §1). See our guide to security guard pay.
Don’t wait for the periodic examination if something worries you: if your sleep, tiredness, mood or any symptom concerns you, talk to a doctor and let your employer know.
At a glance
- A fixed sleep window all through the night week, in a dark, quiet room, and a plan for switching back to days.
- Meals from home at regular times, water at the post, and anything that keeps you awake away from the last hours.
- Take the breaks you’re entitled to and tell your supervisor before fatigue becomes a risk; don’t drive drowsy.
- You’re entitled to medical examinations before night work and periodically, confidential and free (art. 177 Labour Code); work 22:00–06:00 carries +25% (art. 150).
- For any health concern, talk to a doctor.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay for the night-work medical examination?
No. Article 177 §3 of the Labour Code says the examinations cost the worker nothing and are covered by medical confidentiality.
What if night work causes me a health problem?
If the article 177 examinations show health problems caused by night work, the worker is transferred to day work they are suited for. For any concern, talk to a doctor first.
How do I sleep during the day after a night shift?
With a fixed sleep window every day of the night week, in a dark, quiet, cool room, with your phone on silent and the people you live with aware of your hours.
Sources
Every legal or pay point in this guide was checked against the official sources below.
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