Night Shift Advice!

[Miss X]

So... Those who chat to me regularly have probably already faced my whining about my impending night shifts.

I have to do them next week, and I've never done a night shift before. I've always managed to escape from them, but not this time!

I was basically wondering, anyone who has done them... How much did it mess up your body clock and do you have any tips for surviving them? I'm a total wimp and usually get 10+ hours of sleep a night. I'm trying to stay up really late tonight though, to get myself into the routine.

For those who don't know... It's hospital shifts not sitting behind a desk shifts! Not that that really makes a difference body clock wise!

I'm also a bit worried about how long after the shift (20.45-08.30) I should sleep. I mean... We don't normally sleep right after work...

Anyway, if anyone has tips, that would be great! If not... I'l survive I'm sure! ;)

[Axhinde]

Messes it up pretty bad, depending on how long you do the shifts for. If it's 1 or 2 nights then you might not see that big of a change. If it's a week, you might be spending a day or two to readjust sleeping at night rather than working. I was doing 2 weeks of day shifts and 2 weeks of night shifts for about 3 months. Fucked me up bad enough to develop a temporary case of insomnia. Fun.

[Back]

Night shift veteran here. One job I had I worked 8pm to 8am four days a week. It messes with your body clock and there just isn’t much you can do about it. I found that on my days off I would alternate sleep and waking activity about every 5 hours. Its true that when I got home I did need to wind down before going to bed. Just take care of what you need to, listen to your body if its tired, awake, hungry or not and try not to stress over if you are doing the right thing.

Working nights and sleeping days has its good points too. You can do those errands you need to do with everyone else off at work. Traffic isn’t usually a problem either. It can get kinda lonely though when your schedule is off the rest of the worlds but having friends on your shift helps.

[Kyrthos]

I would say dont sleep at all the day before. You will be tired on your shift but when you are done your body will want sleep so you can start to adjust to the night shifts while sleeping the next day.

[The Ponzzz]

It all depends on the work you do really.

I worked 5pm-5am doing Security...

I would strongly advice Zantrax or some sort of energy booster... And sleep AFTER work, not before...

[Alfster]

I've worked nights for the last two years and for me, it's not all that bad.

All I can really say is the best thing I did was put a blanket over my window so I could sleep in total darkness regardless of what time I wanted to sleep.

[ElanthianSiren]

I work from 8:30 am to 4 pm, but I still try to get to sleep at 7 or so because I rather be awake at night and be fully conscious when 7:30 am comes around to look at premarket news/reviews etc.

Whoever said that your body will end up sleeping in 5 hour shifts is correct. Also, you will probably have some messed up dreams for a little while, so be prepared for that. Either that, or you will completely lack dreams. I've had both happen (mostly at college).

-M

[SpunGirl]

Ugh, I feel for you. Some people love graveyard shifts and it seems like they are built for them, some people hate them with a passion. You'll find out which one you are rather quickly.

Don't go to sleep RIGHT when you get home, but don't stay up too long either - try to make it two hours or so. The nice thing about working until 8am is that you can get your errands done after work while the rest of the people are just settling into their day, so there are less crowds.

Other than that I hated it, so if you hate it to I hope you get off 'em soon!

-K

[Asha]

I did 6pm till 8am for a year solid, 7 days a week.
All I can tell you is, if you don't do nightshifts regularly, you're going to be real tired hon.
You have to change your entire life to deal with it. Unless it's only for a short time then you'll just wade through them.
If you weren't you, I'd say you're pretty much fucked.
But I know you can do it!!

It's fun, see the sun rise!

[Kainen]

I been working graveyard for 7 years and I love it. Spun and Backlash have it exactly right. Sleep around 1 and a half to 2 hours after you get home. You just have to give your body time to get used to it.

[Myitkyina]

I used to do night shifts at a trauma center. I found it helped to go to the gym right after my shift (no wait to use the equipment at 9am), then stay up for another 1.5-2 hours before going to bed. Also, caffeine is your enemy--maybe a bit at the beginning of your shift, but then lay off.

[Drew]

I work at night on purpose, better pay, less traffic.

[Drew]

And yeah, the blanket over the window was key advice.

[Skirmisher]

Heh, god bless being able to fall asleep anytime anywhere.

[Myitkyina]

oh, and be sure to turn off the ringer on your phone when you're trying to sleep. I couldn't believe how many annoying telemarketers, survey people, and organizations requesting donations called me during the day.

[Praefection]

Been working 8pm-8am for about three and a half years. If you're not used to doing them I'd also suggest staying up until you can't keep your eyes open the day before you need to work the night shift.

I don't know what kind of job you have, but if you can bring something else to do. At 4am and nothing is going on I'm tempted to sleep half the time, which I do... Everyone else has given good advice as well. Turn the phones off, blanket over the windows, etc. Graveyards aren't that bad once you get into used to them.

[Tsa`ah]

There's no real advice simply because, as you stated, some people are made for it.

Given the choice of working during the day or when normal people sleep, I'll take when normal people sleep any time.

When I did work the graveyard shifts, I never really was able to get a pattern of sleep down. I did get the rest I needed in stretches though. Be it a few two hour naps or just not being able to get sleep for a few days and crashing for 10+ hours after the next shift.

The sound advice has been given. Turn your ringer off, cover your window, and practice now. You may also want to adjust your eating habits a bit. I generally can't sleep for hours after eating, unless it's like a big holiday feast. So eating right after working nights would keep me up into the afternoon.

Expect your memory to go out the window until you adjust, unless of course this is just a temp thing ... then you'll never get used to it and your memory will go to hell every time you work a grave yard stretch.

[Miss X]

Thanks guys! Great advice... I have the blanket over window, will be working till 8.30am so Im going to try and sleep from 10am to 6pm inbetween shifts. It's only for a week so Il just have to struggle through it. Can't wait till Friday morning!!

Thanks again everyone! :spin:

[Showal]

Here's a stupid fact: If you take a night shift worker and put them in a quiet dim room and have them lay down, the average latency to sleep onset is 2 minutes. If you take the same shift worker, give him an aid to stay away like modafinil, the average latency to sleep onset is 4 minutes.

Most people are not made for the night shift. Only a rare breed of people are. The human body physiologically is not made to be awake at 3-4 AM. The brain is receiving the smallest amount of signals telling it to remain awake at this time. A similar, but not as extreme, lull is seen at 3:30 PM. That's why you get really tired at these times.

[AnticorRifling]

Night shift means you're always home for a nooner. w00t.

I never had a problem working the odd shifts while I was in the corps. It's one of those things you're either going to love or you're going to hate. No one I have ever known has been impartial to night shifts heh. Me I loved them, the world is a different place at 2am.

[Skirmisher]

Did Anticor just say he was meeting Miss X for a nooner?

Skyyyyrockets in flight........

[Trinitis]

I'm one of those people that love grave shifts. That is why my new job (5am-3pm) is killing me right now. I've been working graves/swings most of my life. Ugh.

As for help through it, I guess what I've seen on TV is not true (when is it ever, eh?) BUt I remember seeing some ER show on TV that during the slow times, Doc's could get naps in. Does that not apply to nurses?

[HarmNone]

Ish. Good luck, hon. I have to do "administrative duty shift" at least once a week. I can sleep, if I want to, as long as I'm available should the need arise for administrative intervention. However, I never can go to sleep. I end up sitting there like an owl, or roaming around looking for something to do. I'm afraid to go to sleep for fear the phone will ring and I won't hear it, or something....Bleh!

The others in administration who pull this duty usually stay home. I'm so stupid about it, I stay on-site. :rolleyes:

[Gridlock]

Originally posted by Alfster
I've worked nights for the last two years and for me, it's not all that bad.

All I can really say is the best thing I did was put a blanket over my window so I could sleep in total darkness regardless of what time I wanted to sleep.
I work nights for 10 years at a mineing place i made sure no one took the boom sticks i put tin foil on my windows to block the sun.
Also get a loud fan to drown out noises from outside. i worked 14 hours 4 days a week you get used to it. But people start calling you the nightstalker and vampire and stuff.

[Miss X]

OMG So I survived just about. Only problem now is Im wide awake and can't sleep. Boo. Chinese food at 3am kept me awake! ;)


Oh and no Adredrin, nurses can't really take naps on a busy ward, only three on at night so its just short breaks.

[Lord Dainslef]

That can be a problem sometimes you get home and are still wired from work. But I just read posts by Adredrin and get really sleepy...
Other than that it's just something you gotta deal with for a little while. I been working nights for 2 years and I like it. Plus, working nights I don't have to deal with other bosses or that many other people other than my co-workers. It does suck being at work when the sun comes up though. Makes you really tired, because the sun was going down when you got there!

[Lyonis]

The night shift can be interesting. I assure you there’s things you’ll see at O’Dark early that just can’t be seen at normal hours. There’s nothing like a crack head dropping her pants to squat shit in front of you to horrify you into being awake for much longer then you wanted.

My best advice is this. I get off work at 6am, they start selling alcohol at 6am. Coincidence? I don’t think so.