Do you (or have you ever) worked the night shift?

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I worked 6-nights-a-week, 12-hours-a-night (19:00-07:00) for 3 months straight - with no issues at all. I guess some people adjust to it better than others. I sometimes struggle to sleep well at night, but I NEVER had a problem sleeping through the day after a nightshift. Out like a log.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Working the night shift can get lonesome. Some night shift vj'ers come on here and piddle around. I've worked the 3-11 shift but we called it evening shift and there is still a lot going on for those on that shift. I also worked the 10-7 shift for several years. Since I worked in a hospital I learned not to call it the graveyard shift for sensitivity to others reason. In Boise there is nothing to do at night except go to Walmart, the bars, jack in the box, shari's restaurant, or subway (grubway) and now Los Beto's. After four years of night shift I can't eat grubway anymore really. Sleeping in the day wasn't a problem for me. I tried to block out the light as much as I can. I liked having my days wide open to do anything I wanted during it like classes in the morning after work or classes in the evening before work but it varied from semester to semester. I wouldn't stretch yourself too thin trying to work nights and stay up whenever during the days, but rather try to get some structure that works for you so that you're still taking care of yourself like a normal routine. If you plan to sleep between such and such time and you live in an apartment get to know your neighbors and let them know your sleeping hours so they know not to keep you up, especially room mates. I had one room mate that couldn't sleep without the TV on and they played the TC 24/7 and it killed me it was so frustrating. The daylight didn't bother me as much as noise. I need silence to sleep. It's funny because I don't need silence to study but I do need it to sleep. Depending on where you live sleeping in the day can be more quiet.

When I first started the night shift to stay awake at night I would take a huge thermos of coffee. Then I learned the night shifters have fresh coffee going every night so I didn't need to bring that anymore. Sometimes if I got out of balance with sleeping and went to event during the day at all times I would find I became absent minded and forgot things or my brain wouldn't process on all cylinders or I'd become emotional because I couldn't understand things. Don't neglect your sleep. The body needs it to process the daily activity and operate correctly. Sometimes if my brain was still running after work and I couldn't sleep I'd take melatonin. Try to do everything you would normally do in a regular day just adjust the hours around your work schedule.

The hardest part about working the night shift for me was adjusting to my days off. Flipping the schedule gets difficult and it gets lonesome at night when you're the only one off and up all night because you sleep in the day. There are online social outlets but that doesn't change seeing your local friends and doing activities together that you share. Mostly I'd try to do my chores and cook for the week so I didn't have to spend so much money on eating out.

[Marilyn. 340]

my hubby works from 2pm to sometimes 2 in the morning.. ugh, I hate it...

he doesn't really get enough sleep during the week

Edited March 11, 2009 by *Marilyn*

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I love night-shift. For years I would work 12 hour shifts. 1800 to 0600, 5 or 6 days a week for nuclear refueling outages. Now I start work at 0600 and hate getting up early.

I always went to bed right after shift.

[Marc & Solika 1]

I worked at night for about 6 months last year. It took some time to adjust...maybe a few weeks, but after that time, everything seemed to feel a little more normal (never feels completely normal). It felt kind of like I was in perpetual jet lag for a week or so though! I don't think humans were made to work this way, but look at it this way, in times like this, you do at least have a job now! Rest as much as you can, when you can, and it will get better soon enough. Good luck in your transition.

[Dave-n-Oksana 49]

I also worked the “Night” shift for years and the things I found the most helpful was to maintain a schedule. Sleep in a dark room, silence the phone and answering machine, and set the answering machine to the lowest rings allowed.

I also found the adjustment for the days off difficult, but I did find a way to cope. I would come home and sleep for about 4 hours. It is enough sleep to give the batteries a charge to last until the end of the day. Then that night you will be able to sleep the full night. This might need to be adjusted to body’s metabolism, but it should help cope.

[NickD 203]

Always thought my kids having to do a 36 hour during residency was positively stupid, as was the military. My record for staying awake in a dangerous steel plant was 67 hours, but would have caught the problem in five minutes if I could get some sleep.

Whoever is suggesting drugs is either kidding or insane, there is a major payback with drugs with a very high interest rate. Having babies and working extra hours is another way of losing sleep. There are no medical answers to your question and your penalty may well be a much shorter lifespan. Best thing to do is to take short cat naps or find a different line of work. I choose the latter.

Wife in the medical field is periodically called out in the middle of the night, I insist she wake me so I can drive her so she can at least nap to and from, I would like to keep her for awhile.

[MMW 2]

Hopefully you have a day off between nights going back to days. I worked a rotating shift also for several years and i found it best to get up early (and outside in the sun) on my shifting from nights to days. this is the hardest part as I experienced. but getting use to start out early when going to days will shock your body to adjusting. Then if you need a short nap later in that day do only 1-2 hr nap. I found this to give me the energy to function in my job as well as my family life. Going from days to nights is just the same, get up as early as you can and take a brief nap in mid day. your body will then get use to 2 sleep periods a day instead of just 1.

hope this helps

[GJen 9]

Wow. I guess my nights aren't quite as extreme as some of the ones I've read.

At my full time job I'm working 5:30am-2:30pm Monday and Friday and then 12noon-9pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Then for my part time job, I work 6-10 Friday and Saturday night

I don't have trouble going to sleep. I have trouble waking up! And finding time to do anything between getting home from work and going back in to work without being completely exhausted.

[Nessa 23]

i worked from 1-10 for 6 weeks, and i got used to it, sleeping late and waking up late. I would never get used to work during the day for a couple days and during the night for the rest of the week, never. my body would never adjust and i'd never get ad ecent sleep. so no suggestions here.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I would try to block out as much daylight coming into my bedroom after working the night shift and try to get everyone else to not disturb me while sleeping. I remember feeling like I got hit by a truck at the end of the shift. Also, I tried not to eat or drink anything past midnight except for water. Recent studies have linked lack of sleep with Diabetes - it really does a number on the pancreas. In any case, I'd be even more careful with your diet and make sure to sleep a solid 4 hours each day if you find you can't sleep a full 8 and maybe a nap later.

Best wishes...I know it's not easy.

Having worked night-shift at a bakery producing sub rolls, I found that it was rare that after a shift I didn't sleep for minimum of 4 hours--as I'd be simply too tired.

Worst time was on Friday, after working Thursday night (unfortunately, that was the busiest--rarely did shift end before 08:00)

[britbird 4]

I think, as others have said, it's most difficult when you have a 'sometimes nights, sometimes days' schedule, and they switch around too oftne, because they it's difficult to figure out a routine.

Dark room etc. I completely agree with.

When I was in college I'd work late as a bartender in a nightclub...the difficulty for me was going from being 'on' (running around doing a tonne of stuff) to getting chilled out enough to go to sleep. Though, if you have a different sort of job (my friend is a nurse, and it's easier for her to go to sleep because she isn't exactly in a rowdy ward) that might not be so much of an issue. A nice bath makes me sleepy, so maybe try something like that.

Please try to avoid taking sleeping tablets or using other stuff to help you go to sleep...that'll just cause you problems in the future.

You might have to force yourself to stay in bed for a regular amount of time to begin with, but keep trying. And make sure, as others have said, that you don't fall into the junk food trap.

You might also think about setting yourself up with a different bedroom (if that's possible) if your partner's schedule overlaps with yours...my husband sometimes has to work odd hours, and he'll generally come in a few hours before I wake up...he's cool though and falls asleep on the couch or the spare room so he doesn't wake me up. Doing that avoids the horror that is TWO crankies living in one house.

[Nessa 23]

Please try to avoid taking sleeping tablets or using other stuff to help you go to sleep...that'll just cause you problems in the future.

what kind of problem? are you talking about prescription sleeping pills? because OTC are completely safe. I've had insomnia since i was a teenager, and i take OTC regularly, gladly i could quit taking the prescribed ones i took for years in brazil, because i found a good one OTC here in the states.

but i never had any problems, even with the prescribed ones, never got addicted, i just quit when i found a less stronger one.

[Donna A 4]

to tell u the truth u never really get used to it. i worked the last 9 years on nights and u do get a routine down eventually but u never feel fully rested as if u were sleeping at night. summers are the worse as people are outside mowing grass and kids are out of school.

my daughter is working nights now and seams to be fine with it. she is able to sleep all morning long and then get up and go about her business but for me i would sleep a few hours and wake up and then go back to sleep around 5:00.

[almaty 19]

i have worked the 3-11 shift and 11-7 shift, at a factory, working my way through college..i handled the 3-11 shift fine by the 11-7 shift, i always felt fatigued...