night shift depression

Nurses General Nursing

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Took night shift 7p to 7a a year and a half ago just to get into ER. I don't have any trouble (usually) staying awake and alert while at work. My problem is all I want to do is sleep when I am off work. I have been known to sleep for twenty straight hours after getting off shift. I almost always feel groggy and depressed. Except on vacation of course. Is this normal. Do other people feel like this when working nights or is there something wrong with me. I have a great home life and supportive spouse so no complaints there. Thanks for helping me out with this.:uhoh3:

Lanabanana: the generic name of the drug is modafinil and your doc is right on. I have found it to be amazing at helping me get home in the am. Now, cant say how I got some to try, but I am def planning on talking to my MD about writing a scrip 2' shift-worker-sleep-disorder.

The military has been using it for a few years because they need their soldiers to be able to be awake for a week straight when they have special missions. They used to use amphetamine and caffiene but those make you jittery. My brother got some from across the pond and has used it when he has BIG projects due and doesnt have time to sleep (yeah, I advised him on how dangerous and how bad for his health it was.) He has stayed up from thurs-tues and ran a triathelon on saturday. Amazing, dangerous, but amazing.

It doesnt cause jitteriness, helps you to focus, you can sleep if you want...the side effects are very minimal.

http://www.modafinil.com/

It is 4 in the AM (cant sleep) and leaving for a vaca in the AM and you can bet I am going to take one so I can be enjoyable to be around. The only problem is it cant make me get up at 9am so I can take it!

Specializes in Peds Cardiology,Peds Neuro,Pedi ER,PICU, IV Jedi.

I don't really battle any depression from working nights..I've been doing it for about 12 years now (1900-0700). IT is however, better than working 2 12 hour days and 2 8 hour night shifts per week...I'll never do that again.

I find that splitting up my week helps me with sleep issues. For example, I only work Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 7p to 7a. That way, the next day I don't HAVE to go to sleep immediately upon coming home from work to get ready for the next shift. I can stay up til lunch , take the kids to the park, mall...wherever, and still get a nap when my youngest (4y) gets tired. And still go to bed with the wife at a normal hour.

Have a great week, everyone.

vamedic4

Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.

Hi

I have worked 8 hr. night shifts for over 30 years.

I wouldn't work any other shift!! They couldn't pay me enough to come in on a day shift.

I did do some 12 hr. 7P-7A a few years back, but not any longer.

On my days off, I have no problems sleeping at nite.

Over the years, as I've gotten older, I've had my share of health problems but I don't think that any have really been due to my working nites. I do take mellatonin & have for years.

I can't say that I have been depressed over the years, other then the usual feeling down at times.

I do love the nite shift even if it is awfully busy & hectic much of the time.

Mary Ann

I know this is an older thread but it's the first thing that came up on google :) I started nights about a month ago and I"m having huge problems with depression again. Well not huge as it's been in other years but on my off day or the non-working hours of other days, all I can do is sleep. I drag myself out with the dogs because they need it and get out to ride my friend's horse twice a week. But other than that, I'm a slug.

I live in New Mexico and it's been sunny every day since about August and even when it rains, it's still sunny at least 80% of the day. The weather here is very good for me. I just don't see it helping any during night shift work.

I was looking up 5-HTP and other serotonin supplements just now. Has anyone tried anything like that? Did it work for you?

Wow. I love nights. I maintain a regular schedule so there is no playing "catch up" for me - I sleep roughly the same time whether I work or not. Like a couple of others have said, I am naturally a nightowl and I don't like dayshift. However, I have adjusted to days before, too.

It's just a matter of finding your routine and sticking with it, just like with anything else!

Specializes in Med surg, LTC.

I have worked night shift for about 7 years now. The best advice I can give and is the only thing that helped me is to sleep for 8 hours and then make yourself get up. I used to sleep my life away. I would sleep for a couple hours get up then try to take a nap before I had to go to work but this always made me feel worse than when I just stayed up. Think about it day shifters sleep probably 8 hours and then get up and go to work. Then come home and relax before going to bed. I try to adjust my schedule to where it is basically the same thing. I get off work. Stay up for a little while for my relaxing time. Go to sleep about 8 hours get up get ready for work and then I feel much better because my body thinks it is morning. I would like to hear back from you if you try this to see if it helps. It seems to have helped all my co-workers that were having problems staying awake. Also you can get melatonin from the drug store which will fool your body into thinking it is night during the day. Just take it about an hour before you go to bed and you should sleep like a baby. Good luck!

Specializes in ICU.

It happened to me too. I worked nights for two years. Now that I look back on it, it all felt like a dark, gloomy haze. I was so depressed for those two years. Life sucked really.

Specializes in Med surg, LTC.

Night shift is def.not for everyone. I don't know if I could go back to days though!

Specializes in Critical Care/Trauma.

I live in Florida and have some of the same problems with working night shift. I work 1800-0600, but we alternate 3 months of days and 3 months of nights. I love days because I am more energetic and feel better all around, so when I go on nights, I already know that my body doesn't adjust well. The first time I was on nights I didn't eat that well and didn't exercise much, and that was the worst. Now here's my routine that helps me feel the best I can while on nights.

When I get off work, I unwind and relax for about 30 minutes when I get home, then I go through my bedtime routine, then let the dogs out so they won't wake me later. In my room I have black-out curtains, or I used to nail blankets over the windows, to make it completely dark, and I keep my room cool. I run a fan (and I want to try a waterfall or other sound device) to drown out other noises. I sleep usually from about 0700-1400 or 1500. Sometimes I wake up once during that time to go to the bathroom and let the dogs out.

When I'm at work I try to drink a lot of water and to eat a generally healthy diet, with one main meal at work, not constant snacking on junk food. I eat lots of fruits/veggies too, and try to avoid sodas and caffiene, especially no caffiene within 4 hours of bedtime. Then, I also try to exercise 3-5 times per week doing aerobic exercise and yoga. We are allowed to work out at work if the patient care allows it, so sometimes we do workout videos in the patient waiting room, and that energizes us.

Hopefully some of that will be helpful to you!

Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
It happened to me too. I worked nights for two years. Now that I look back on it, it all felt like a dark, gloomy haze. I was so depressed for those two years. Life sucked really.

I feel like this now. Never had depression, but my life sucks. I want to sleep all the time. Trying to get my contract 2 yrs in and then move on. I just hate to waste these two years.

Do you still feel this way. What changed for you?

Specializes in Cardiac, Hospice, Float pool, Med/Peds.

I guess that I am lucky in the fact that I don't need much sleep and when I do sleep, I can sleep well... Maybe nights is not for you... I don't have much advice here... Sorry

I have the same problem! I've been working night for four years now and I am currently looking to get off this shift. I've been getting pretty depressed and I sleep forever sometimes! And it sucks on my "days off" ( which never really feel like days off) I have to get up on like 3 hrs sleep so I don't waste my day off! I feel your pain...

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