Time for Reflection & Compassion Ramadan Time for Reflection & Compassion Tips for Safety & Health Welcome! 1 1/2 to 2 hour course. Pamphlets available in main hallway by elevator on the topics covered today.

Diet and Sleep habits change during Ramadan If in good health, your body will slowly adjust. Here are some things you can do to help. You’re going to hear the term circadian rhythms quite a bit today. I’ll be explaining how they work and how they affect your life. Understanding how these circadian rhythms affect your life as a shiftworker is an important first step toward developing some strategies to cope with shift work fatigue.

Diet Change - How does it affect us? Not drinking or eating during daylight hours is a big change for most of us. Fasting can cause temporary low blood sugar and dehydration. (Show picture of brain) Scientist know that this cluster of nerve cells is a biological clock because when it is destroyed in animal experiments by surgical pinpoint lesions of the brain, the circadian rhythms fade away. (SCN - Suprachiasmatic Nucleus) The animals still run, eat and drink but these activities become very randomly distributed through the day and night. Their normal habits are gone. Your body is designed to sleep at night. All your bodily functions have circadian rhythms and are controlled by this biological clock. It can be influenced by sunlight and darkness.

Low Blood Sugar Occurs when the sugar (glucose) in the blood drops to a lower than normal level. Can be caused by fasting. What you might feel : tired, irritability, headache, faint or light-headed, hunger, loss of concentration. Hormones - Growth hormones, stress hormones are produced more at night.

What you can do: because our body does not digest food well at night, even if we stay awake. Use Iftar to eat a healthy diet shortly after nightfall and eat well at Sahoor

Eating well Foods that provide energy Pasta, rice and potatoes Whole grain breads and cereals Fruit and vegetables Fish, lean meats Soybeans, tofu and beans Skim or low-fat milk and cheese products.

Eating poorly Difficult to digest, avoid at night Fatty meats Fried foods Pastries Potato and corn chips Pizza Whole milk dairy products

Dehydration Dehydration occurs when the amount of water in the body falls below normal, which can disrupt the balance of sugars and salts (electrolytes)

Dehydration What you may notice: Darker yellow urine Weakness, fatigue Feeling faint or lightheaded Headache Intense thirst Dry or sticky mouth

What you can do Drink lots of water after Iftar and at Sahoor (try for 8-10 glasses in total) Drink WATER. Our bodies cannot use other drinks properly. We only absorb only 50 to 60 % of fruit juice and only 20 to 30% of soda.

What you can do Use Sahoor to ensure you have satisfied your need for water before the new day begins. Avoid Coke/Pepsi/soft drinks that contain caffeine. Caffeine dehydrates you - avoid it, even coffee, in the morning.

What are your experiences? Discuss now your previous fast experiences during Ramadan. What works for you, what doesn’t work?

Sleeping In addition to fasting, sleep habits often change during Ramadan. We may stay up late at night or get up early in the morning for Sahoor.

How will I feel? If you have not had enough sleep you might feel : impaired performance irritability lack of concentration daytime drowsiness You might also be: less alert and attentive unable to concentrate effectively

Real problems through lack of sleep The most common consequence is sleeping behind the wheel. One third of all drivers will fall asleep at least once in their lifetime. The annual cost of car accidents: US $30 billion 100,000 crashes 71,000 injuries 1,500 fatalities

How much sleep do I need? Hours of Sleep Prior Night 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Peak Alertness Slightly Impaired Reduced Alertness Dangerously Drowsy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hours of Sleep Prior Night

Seven to Eight Hours of uninterrupted sleep is important to everyone’s health and well-being.

How much sleep do I need? There is a sleep “bank account” The effects of lack of sleep build up after each night of not sleeping well or not sleeping enough If one night you don’t get much sleep, try to make up for it the next night. Recovery Days - Take it easy the first day off and catch up on your sleep.

What are your experiences? Discuss now your previous experiences during Ramadan. Did you get less sleep than normal? If so, how did you handle your sleepiness during the day?

High Risk Times You are most at risk for safety problems caused by fasting/poor sleep at these times: While Driving Between 12 noon and 3 p.m. The first few days of Ramadan Your first two days working after days off Near the end of the work day When activity levels are high in your work area Show chart of Human Alertness levels

Preventing accidents means caring for each other Work with your team / crew members to help each other when feeling tired. Let your supervisor know when you don’t feel “up” for a hazardous task Talk about hazards and make sure everyone is aware of them!

Summary The effects of fasting, low blood sugar and dehydration, can add to lack of sleep and place you at risk of an accident. There are steps we can take to improve and protect our physical health during Ramadan. By communicating hazards and letting others be aware of our physical condition we can work together to stay safe. Be careful on the road of other driver’s physical condition. Stop vehicle when feeling sleepy! Don’t be late when leaving to break fast - Speed kills!

Additional Points on Ramadan Employees work schedule (Work hours, assigned task) Employees fasting, sleep deprivation (Encourage employees to look after each other during this high risk period.) Avoid travel to and from work during Iftar. (Change shift hours, provide food to break fasting at facility or location) Educate new employees to laws regarding eating, drinking, smoking in public…… be respectful of others observing Ramadan

RAMADAN KAREEM