Night Shift For Newbies

Ruby Vee, BSN

Most of us don't get much choice over whether or not we work nights, although we might get a choice about when. We also get a choice about how we handle our night rotations. There are pluses and minuses to working eight-hour shifts, to working twelves, to working straight day shift, straight night shift or rotating. That's for you to decide for yourself but here are some tips that have helped me and some of my night shift colleagues survive and thrive on the graveyard shift.

Attitude is everything

You can moan and whine about your lousy fate and getting stuck working graveyard shift, or you can approach it with a positive attitude. Guess which one is more pleasant and might possibly even be more fun?

Night shift can be fun

Often there's some downtime (not as much as some people think) where you can sit and chat with your coworkers and get to know one another. You can pick each other's brains about what to do in case of x or y and learn tips and tricks from the experienced nurses on your shift. I met my husband working night shifts with him, and our first date was an eight am drink after work. Just us and all of the local alcoholics bellied up to the bar. Drinks after night shift got to be a Monday morning tradition and soon the entire shift was congregating for one -- or more -- drinks at the Scarlett letter. Because we got to know and like each other outside of work, we became a cohesive group and we had each other's backs. Years later, I still miss the teamwork and camaraderie.

Get your sleep

Take your sleep seriously. I've known more than one new nurse who regarded the days before and after her night shifts as days off and spent them cleaning, shopping or having fun. It's tempting, especially when we all know there aren't enough hours in the day but it's a dangerous precedent. Your body cannot function without sleep and sooner or later your brain won't function either. Worse, you may not realize when you're making bad decisions and overlooking the obvious. Install black-out curtains in your bedroom, invest in an industrial strength fan to block out the sounds of barking dogs and lawn mowers and take Ambien or Benadryl or whatever you need to sleep. If you cannot afford blackout curtains, aluminum foil over the windows works, although your neighbors may think you're growing marijuana in your spare time. (but that's another story for another article.)

Tell your mother, your sister, your best friend and your boyfriend that 9am to 5pm (or whatever works for you) is your sleep time and you are not to be disturbed unless there is blood (lots of it) or flames. You'll have to tell them more than once and sometimes less than tactfully. Some people won't get it until you call them at 3 am to discuss your life insurance needs or to chat about your cousin Hilda's new man. If you absolutely have to be available for emergencies with children or aging parents, get a beeper or a cheap cellphone and don't give anyone the number except for one person whom you trust to recognize an emergency and not to disturb you unless it truly is one. He might not realize this, but your husband is just as capable of discussion Timmy's misbehavior with his teacher or meeting Ellen at the emergency room.

Get some exercise

Go to the gym before work, swim after work or walk on your break. You know you need to do this, and night shift doesn't make it any less necessary.

Eat. Eat real meals

Don't make the mistake of thinking that because it's night time you can snack all night without consequences. I have dinner with my husband for breakfast, leftovers for "lunch" at 1 am or thereabouts, and breakfast when I get home before I go to sleep. (if I don't eat, I wake up starving after far too little sleep.) That schedule may not work for you but whatever you do, eat meals and drink water. You need it.

Drive home safely

It can be done, even by those of you who are absolutely certain it cannot be, at least by you. I've driven home with the windows open and the radio going full blast, singing along with the most obnoxious songs on the radio. Getting angry helps me stay awake, hence the radio tuned to right wing talk shows. There are days I've bargained with god -- "just let me stay awake until the next exit and then I'll pull over and nap, god, honest!" sometimes I do pull over and nap -- even five minutes may be enough to get you home in one piece. Some people drink coffee and swear it doesn't keep them from sleeping once they get home, and some people eat breakfast on the way home. Figure out what works for you and do it.

Avail yourself of the opportunities for afternoon coffee with your friend the stay-at-home mom on your Wednesday off or breakfast with your sister after your shift and before she goes to work. Meet your family for church at 8 am on Sunday and go to bed afterward. Chat with your friend on the opposite coast in the wee hours if you have time at work, or on your night off. You may not have Saturday night off every weekend, but you can make the most of the time you do have off. Make the most of the opportunities to look up procedures, study the disease process you're most likely to encounter in your patients or make drug cards. There's often time in a night shift to do those things that you can't do during day shift when visitors vie for your attention.

Ask your colleagues at work (and on allnurses.com) for strategies that help them survive night shift, and if you have a great tip pass it along. I'd love to hear what works for you.

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