New to night shift

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Nov 11, 2012

Try to stay up as late as you can the night before when switching to your night shift schedule. I take something to help me sleep during the day, too. Melatonin is nice because (for me) it works very quickly and it doesn't leave me groggy when I wake up, plus I don't have anticholinergic side effects associated with Benadryl and Unisom (which are other options as well).

Turn your phone off...tell your friends/family when you are sleeping. Remind them that their 2pm is your 2am. Keep your room cool; I like to have my fan running for some white noise. You can purchase black out curtains which are a huge plus, or you can invest in an eye mask to stimulate a dark sleeping environment.

Emilynn09 · Nov 12, 2012

Is there a particular brand of black out curtains you can reccomend that are very dark. At night I can't sleep if its not dark. So I worry about that for day sleep.

transducen, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2012

Put alum foil on the windows.... works great!

Emilynn09 · Nov 12, 2012

Put alum foil on the windows.... works great!

I don't like the way that looks from the outside. I don't think ill do that.

Cougar1113 · Nov 14, 2012

Hi Emilynn09. I work nights and I purchased my curtains from JC Penny .. they are advertised as Blackout Drapes. Talk to the salesperson and let them know what you are looking for. I think mine are made by Eclipse and I used velcro for the sides so there was no gaping. I also use a sleep mask on very sunny summer days and a sound machine is a must! Turn the phone off. If you live in an apartment make sure your close by neighbors know you sleep days so they aren't knocking on the door for something. Good luck! :cat:

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2012

After a few sleepless days, that shiny tin foil on the outside gets real easy to look at, real quick!:)

I wish I had the guts to turn my phone off, but I'm afraid the sky will fall, and I won't know it. I just can't do it! My family and friends are pretty good about calling when I am up, but I would just die if someone needed something, and couldn't reach me- to many people have helped me at odd times to just cut it off.

Emilynn09 · Nov 15, 2012

After a few sleepless days, that shiny tin foil on the outside gets real easy to look at, real quick!:)
.

No. It won't. LOL. Where I come from, people who have meth labs in their homes put tin foil on the windows. I just couldn't do it. To me, my house would look like a meth lab. No way!!!

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Nov 15, 2012

Will you check and see if their hiring?

I know the benefits suck, but the hours are better and I hear it pays tax free cash!!!:)

Emilynn09 · Nov 16, 2012

Will you check and see if their hiring?
I know the benefits suck, but the hours are better and I hear it pays tax free cash!!!:)

I don't understand..?

beeker · Nov 16, 2012

Dark room, Benadryl, melatonin when you can't sleep. I like to have a fan running the noise helps block out the neighborhood noise. I can't tolerate earplugs. I like the nice soft sleep masks. In the beginning I had to stick to the schedule on my off days to get my body used to it. I stayed up as late as I could on my nights off. If. Flipped back to a day schedule it messed me up for weeks. Turn your phone off. Put a sign on your door not to knock. Tape over the doorbell. Tin foil actually does work best. I don't care what my neighbors think of me. They know I work nights.

uRNmyway, ASN, RN · Nov 16, 2012

I'll agree with the other posters. Melatonin works very well to help you unwind. Blackout shades/curtains. Some kind of white noise. I've had colleagues who purchased a portable UV lamp to keep at their seat at the nurses station. That way, their body got the 'sunlight' it needs, then you take melatonin before bed, simulating that regular cycle. Have a small snack before you crash, that way you won't be waking up at lunchtime because you are starving. Don't come home and turn on the tv or computer, maybe read a bit, but no electronics or stuff that could stimulate you. And try not to switch your schedule around too much on your days off, it will just mess with you too bad. I know it is tempting, because you will want to be able to hang out with friends and family. What you can do is something like this:

On work days, shift from 7pm to 7am. You usually get up at say...4pm to get ready and get to work on time. After work, get home and in bed by 9am-ish.

On first day off, get home from work, go to bed at 9-ish. Get up around 1-2pm. You got 5 hours or so of sleep. Up until, say, 3-4am.

If you can keep that kind of schedule on your days off, you won't mess up your sleep/wake cycle too badly.