night shift workers how much sleep do you really get?

[blondnursey]

as a long time night shift nurse, i can stay up for 36 hours or so before i get loopy.

how about you?

if i can get 2 or 3 hours sleep i think im ahead of the game.

so do you report off if you have been up all day and havent had any sleep for your night shift?

can you see the person taking that call ? you cant come in because you have been awake? WTH?

i confess i have gone in with no sleep. a lot.

its not like i stayed awake on purpose, usually i was ill or had a migraine or some other issue going on.

but all the night nurses i know go on lil to no sleep......

how about you?

[blondnursey]

glad to know i am not the only nurse with 36 hour gremlins!!:yawn:

[nkara, CNA]

I'm a nut case and work 40 hours nights (11p - 7a). But I leave work, go to the gym, errands and then go home eat, clean the house, then go to bed about 2pm or so... I usually can sleep till 8:30 pm and them I'm good... lately however I haven't been able to sleep for squat! I get about 3 - 4 hours but I can still function. No falling asleep on the job or driving home!

[SweetLemon]

Most nights anywhere between 6-8, every once and a while when things are really hectic I will only get 2-4 like last night , only 3 more hours to go!!!

[LPNHTNCM]

I will be starting my LVN program soom, and was wondering how your spouses handle it when you are on night shifts? I am afraid to work nights, althought I am a night person, because I won't get to see my boyfriend as often. We currently do not live together, and he works the typical 8-5 office shift.

I see my BF rarely and we live together. It works well for us, if we spent any more time together one of us wouldnt make it. I see him when I get home in the AM (if I come home, and not go directly to my other job). I typically have the weekends off and when I get home Sat am we work together getting projects done on our farm. There are some weeks that I am gone for 2-4 days at a time. It works for us but neither of us are very needy for each others attention.

[BeachyRNn08]

I used to work days and even after a year I couldn't adjust to sleeping at night and being up and at work by 7 am. I don't think I ever slept more than 3 or 4 hours a night and many times I went to work without sleeping at all the night before. It was awful and I was so happy to move back to nights! I understand why day people struggle to work nights but I wish some of them would understand that it's just as difficult for some of us to switch to days!

I totally agree w/ you there!! I work day shift now, and usually only get about 3-4 hours of sleep, and sometimes less... People think I'm crazy that I can't go to bed early, but we're all wired differently, I'm just a night owl!! I live on 5 hour energy shots at work! Thank goodness I'm starting a new job soon, 1p-1a! Finally, I'll be able to get some sleep!

[abbaking]

I usually can sleep 5 or 6 hours during my "back-to-back" shifts.....even 4 hours is better than nothing. Sometimes i have to take Lunesta to help me sleep. There have been those times when i have gone up to 36 hours without sleeping. If worst comes to worst, I will take a break at work and nap in the breakroom.

[MB37]

Just switching to nights here, so not sure how well I sleep in the daytime anymore. I'm switching because, like a few of the rest of you, my body doesn't like to go to sleep when it's PM. I went to NS in the daytime, then worked days for 8 months - that means I haven't gotten more than 5-6 hours of sleep on a work/school night in over 2 years. I had to get up at 0530 for work, and my goal was usually to have my light off my 1230. Takes at least another half hour to get to sleep, and something usually woke me up at least once during the night. I'm hoping days will be better! At least all I have to do is stay up late and sleep in the day before I go back to work - much easier in my book than laying down at 2100 and staring at the ceiling for 4 hours.