Am I alone, Have I jumped the shark? - Page 2

Very true....listen to this advice

For me, it was a case of.....I was so used to fighting off sleep, I couldn't simply relax and go to sleep when it was time to do so. It was like my body was saying "OK, you want me up all the time.....you got it!"

I am working almost all nights now, my day shifts are few and far between. I don't "love" them, but I've realized a few things that make a world of difference:

1. I avoid OT. I only do it when it is to my benefit, and sometimes not even then. If the unit I work for calls me and wants me to come in to help, I make it clear I'm not working extra. I will go in to help, but they must take me off another work day so I am still only working my required shifts.

2. I refuse to allow myself to "sleep in", on off days and work days. Oversleeping is poison. It makes you feel tired AND at the same time makes it difficult to fall asleep when you should be. On off days, at most, I'll sleep 8.5 hrs.

3. I work three 12hr shifts and that is it. I try to do all of them in a row then have a few days off. If I happen to fall back into sleeping at night, so be it, as long as I'm not oversleeping.

4. Be active/social on off days.....EVERY off day. I think people who work nights are at risk for depression, and social isolation is a big part of it. Whether it be dinner with the folks, a movie with a friend or w/e.......I refuse to sit in my apt. and sulk on off days.

5. Last thing I do, but this is hit/miss: I get 3wks/yr vacation and I spread them out. Jan/May/Sept., one week each. Getting a break from working nights is important. I never sell PTO anymore. This is hit/miss though cause its not easy getting your vacation to fall exactly how you want every year.

All these things made a big difference. Like I said, I'm not "in love" with working nights, but these things are helping. I'm no longer gaining weight and have put down smoking.

When I was a nurse aide working nights I always stayed "on nights" on my days off. I was able to meet friends at night for dinner/movies/etc, the only problem would be that they would get sleepy when I was starting to really wake up! I know nights are not for everyone but they definitely worked for me.

I read some research on shift work and sleep/fatigue problems recently. I encourage you to look up some of this stuff. The gist of what I read was that you need at least a four hour core of sleep at the same time each 24 hours. It doesn't matter the time you choose as long as it is unvarying. Then the additional, preferably 3 to 4, hours of sleep can be varied, as long as you maintain the same time block for the "core sleep." Apparently this helps you feel more rested from the sleep you do get. There were other suggestions, too, for foods to help maintain alertness, energy, etc. It seemed like good stuff -- possibly very helpful.

After re-reading all your thoughtful posts above, it looks like this research is bunk! Many of you are getting "core sleep" and still feeling awful.

I appreciated the opinions of those who believe 3 or 4 twelve hour shifts in a row can be brutal and lead to mistakes. This is helping me understand what might have caused some of my problems in my last week before termination. I had 3 12's in a row that final week and had been working only days for the 2-1/2 months prior.

You need to find another job ASAP. If you are working way beyond the point of mental and physical exhaustion just to have something to do, then nights is not working for you and you are putting yourself and your patients at risk.

I recently had a full-time 7p-7a job, and even working three of these in a row turned me into the walking dead, how you could do four or five in one week is beyond me, but seriously, you need to take care of yourself and your needs first and foremost. The hospital is not going to do it (especially since they are allowing you to work 48-60 hours a week-shame on them!), and when you do finally have a work related injury or worse, a severe, fatigue-induced med error or lapse in nursing judgment that brings harm to a patient, they are not going to be in your corner, they will simply let you take what you get and move on by filling your position with another nurse.

You are valuable! Be your best friend and find a job where you aren't doing nothing but sleeping, working OT, and sitting at home. You deserve a better life than that.

I went to night shift too because of the work content, and just being a night owl to begin with. I do sometimes get tired, especially during the winter when a night-shifter barely gets any sunlight. I have had several people who would bring UV lights and set them up by their work stations while they were charting. Then they would do the melatonin before bedtime. This seemed to help some. As far as days off, I would go to sleep at the same time, but get up earlier. IE, my normal work schedule was work from 12-8, sleep from 9am-around 5pm. Off days I would get up around 2-3pm, go to sleep around 4am. It doesn't take you too far off track from your normal habits, but allows you time to hang out and socialize, as well as do things that can only be done during business hours.
And on that note, as a night-shift girl who has been on days now since June...how do you people do it?! HATE the traffic, hate the early mornings, still don't get anything done during business hours, seems like I am always on the go and don't get to relax, crash for the night, wake up still exhausted, and start all over. Ugh..