How to Adjust to Working Night Shift

[NurseNRC84]

I have never really been a night owl unless I was going out with my husband or friends. I am usually up at 7am and in bed by 9 (midnight the latest). I have always been a first or second shift kind of person (preferably first), and have always preferred 8 hour shifts. My first practical nursing job was a 12 hour--6p-6a--shift. I was a new grad, pregnant, had two other kids (2 and 4), and was also studying for my RN. I was in a nursing home at that time too--evenings went fast because I pretty much started my shift with giving them their night time meds. But then the night was so long and boring and it took everything in me to stay awake. And then, by time I got home (about 7am), it was really hard to go to sleep. I wouldn't fall asleep until about 11am or noon, but would have to be up by 4p in order to start getting ready for work. I did this for about a couple of months before I quit that job.

Anyway, that was five years ago, and here I am now with my BSN-RN. I know new grads usually get put on a night shift and that most hospitals nowadays not only do the 12 hour shifts but the rotating 12 hour shifts. I have seriously given some thought to trying the night shift again--I'm done with school, kids are older, can't have any more kids. The more I think about it, the more benefit I see to working nights--I work while kids are asleep, am home in time to take them to school, can sleep while they are in school, and when school is over I am up helping them with homework, doing dinner, etc. before leaving for work myself.

My thing is this, I think I could totally handle doing nights if they are 8 hour shifts. But like I said, most places are on 12s. And I even thought okay, I will just have to suck it up and do it--better to do 12s on nights rather than on days (that just takes everything out of me from my experience with working 12hours during the day). But it is hard to find a job where the shift is either 8 h nights or 12 h nights---most of what I find is the rotating.

So, my question is--how do you adjust going from one shift to the next? I know places that do the 12 Rotating will have you go for so many weeks at a time on one before flipping to the other. But the fact that I'm not really night person, I just feel like it will be even harder to adjust by flipping back and forth.

Any suggestions will do!

Sorry this was so long!

Thanks.

[lauriepat, ASN, RN]

I have been on nights the past few months and i still can't decide whether j like it better than days. They both have their pros and cons to me.

To me, rotating shifts sound exhausting and i don't know if my body could adjust.

I would want to know exactly what your sched is..will you be doing nights for a week and then days for a week? Or will you do a few nights then days in one week?

[cassie77775]

I'd be interested in opinions as well. I am in the same boat, husband will put kids to bed right after I leave for work, I will sleep while they are at school and get up to meet them at the bus stop and do homework and dinner with them. I AM a night owl and generally prefer to sleep until 11am(not that it happens with kids!), so I don't forsee too big of a hump to get over, but want it to go as smoothly as possible!

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I can't imagine having to rotate shifts. That sounds horrible. I'm a night shifter, proud of it. :) I find it easiest to work my days together so I have longer stretches off in a row to get my body back to being among the daywalkers! I only work two days a week (I'm a weekender), so I have a stretch of five days off in between. I usually do NOT sleep the day away before I work. I will sleep in (usually until 9-10a) and then stay up through my shift until I get home in the morning. I then crash, sleep all day until about 4, get up and do it again. When I come home after the second night, I sleep only about four or five hours... get up and function, go to bed at a normal time, and then resume my day time life as normal. :)

Good luck!

[NurseNRC84]

Actually...I haven't started on nights--yet--I'm still working day shift as a LPN at my current job but have been looking/applying for RN jobs. So far, most of what I have seen where my chances are high to get a job are those that are nights. But I have yet to find one that is 8hours only. So, was just wondering what others' experiences are with working nights and rotating. I have been told that it all depends on the unit and how they rotate--could be a month of nights then a month of days. Or as little as a couple of weeks on nights and then a couple of weeks on days. Not necessarily nights and days in the same week--now that I will not do.

[LisalaRN99, BSN, RN]

I only ever worked day shift whether 8 hr or 12 hr shifts, until this latest job. I knew to leave my last position (a must!) I would have to be willing to do whatever it took, and that meant accepting night shift: 7p-7a. I prepared myself by reading every nursing post I could find about adjusting to night shift. I put up black-out curtains in my bedroom. I turned off the phones when I went to sleep. To my advantage, and truly the exception and not the norm, I realize, I am single with no children and live alone. I can sleep whenever, do whatever. Now, I am on the swing shift, mostly. I work 11 a- 11p, but occasionally do the 7a-7p shift, and even the 7 p-7a shift, if nobody else can pick up that night. It's doable. The money is very good. Make sure to get some sun on your days off. Good luck!

[apoppyfield, BSN, RN]

I don't mind nights as long as I get enough sleep, but know I'm most alert in the daytime like you are. The key for me is that I've got to get enough sleep. I've spoken to so many people about this since it was a concern for me during school as well. Some people seem to be geared for nights, like they're tuned into working nights. The rest of us make it work.

[edwindelahiggins]

I passed the nclex in February and have been working on a med surg unit since April. I love nights. My advice would be to try and get at least 6 hours of sleep during the day. I'm usually in bed by 830 am and try to sleep until at least 3. I've found that the hardest nights to work are when I have the previous day off and thus wake up early that morning. My manager asked me if I wanted days eventually and I honestly don't think I will. It's more work, there's doctors and management everywhere and it'd be a $5/hour paycut. No thanks.

[Mommy2RN]

Unlike everyone else, I dislike working nights. It has been a huge adjustment not only for me but also my children & husband. It is extremely tiring if you aren't a night person. I feel like a bad mom because my kids cry every time it's time for me to go to work. My husband's schedule is opposite of mine so it's like we don't get a lot of time together. I am seriously thinking about going to a nursing home instead of continuing to work in the hospital because it would be more beneficial to my young kids. Sorry to be Debbie Downer but honestly I HATE working nights.

[LisalaRN99, BSN, RN]

Unlike everyone else, I dislike working nights. It has been a huge adjustment not only for me but also my children & husband. It is extremely tiring if you aren't a night person. I feel like a bad mom because my kids cry every time it's time for me to go to work. My husband's schedule is opposite of mine so it's like we don't get a lot of time together. I am seriously thinking about going to a nursing home instead of continuing to work in the hospital because it would be more beneficial to my young kids. Sorry to be Debbie Downer but honestly I HATE working nights.

You're not a Debbie Downer! Nights is not for everyone. When I first started this job on nights, I asked the other night shift nurses who were precepting me about their night shift experiences. Most of them would never work day shift, only prefer nights, and raised their children this way. Some, like you, did not like it when their children were younger, but prefer it now because of the shift differential paid for nights. I once worked with a Telemetry nurse whose husband was also a nurse. She worked days and he worked nights...they had 2 small children that were brought to change of shift on most days for the childcare hand-off! Swear this is true!!