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During January, two in five (43 per cent) night shift workers on the NHS and other emergency services can go three days or even longer without any daytime sunlight at all, a new study has found.
Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of those surveyed say that this leaves them feeling cut off from the outside world.
Research conducted by Blue Light Card found that Britain’s night-shift workers get just 29 minutes of genuine daylight during their usual working day in January – amounting to just 2 hours and 25 minutes in a typical week.
Many frontline workers across the NHS, emergency services and care sector work irregular and demanding night shifts and are sleeping through much of January’s already limited daylight as a result.
The study found that on average, those surveyed are missing 12 hours and 57 minutes of waking sunlight per working week when compared with other workers – equivalent to losing an entire day of daylight.
Meanwhile, anyone getting up in darkness and heading home after sunset reported that they are left feeling drained and irritable.
And some frontline workers may already be taking positive steps to make ‘daylight savings’.
Research found that those who work gruelling shift patterns are more inclined to be proactive when it comes to combating winter sun deprivation.
During January, two in five night shift workers on the NHS and other emergency services can go three days or even longer without any daytime sunlight
Over half of the Brits who have booked holidays in January said they were looking for a mood boost, with a trip helps them maintain motivation and even energy at work when morale is at its lowest.
When it comes to dream destinations to help people get through January, mainland Spain topped the list followed by the Canary Islands and Greece – which all have reliable sunshine in January and February.
But you don’t always have to venture too far home in search of vitamin D.
According to the Met Office, the Isle of Wight is the sunniest place in Britain.
In fact, on average, the island off the South Coast sees more than five hours of sunshine each day, beating Kent, Essex and Cornwall.
Without a holiday to look forward to, one in five said that they are unsure what to do when it comes to recouping the sunlight lost to night shifts so they grin and bear it until the clocks go back in late March.
Speaking to the Mail, travel expert Tracey Davies shared some top tips for ‘Daylight Savings’ including budget friendly escapes as well as closer-to-home ways to claw back the daytime.
Travel Expert, Tracey Davies, said ‘Navigating through the dark days of winter is hard for everyone, but it can be particularly trying when you work shifts.
‘If your holiday allowance is a little tight, consider your shift patterns and where you could take three or four days off.
‘The warmest parts of mainland Europe can be reached by plane in under three hours, which is very doable for a long weekend in the sun.
‘Spain’s Costa del Sol and Portugal’s Algarve region both get a good six hours of proper sunshine each day’.
The Canary Islands are a dream destinations to visit to help get through January
Rebecca Clarke, Head of Partnerships for Blue Light Card, which commissioned the research, said: ‘The problem of depleted sunlight in the winter is one we all face, but for some of our members who work night shifts, our research shows that it is having an effect on fatigue and motivation.
‘It’s no surprise that this leads to an increased appetite to book a holiday, so we’ve made sure that we have affordable and flexible options for those members looking to boost their mood and reclaim some sunlight this January.’
Blue Light Card is a membership card for the emergency services, NHS, social care sector, teaching community and the armed forces, that can save active members £3,126 per year.
