Night shift syndrome

Nurses Stress 101

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Is there a such thing as "night shift syndrome"? I just started working 12 hour nights in July after working 12 hour days for about 6 months. I decided to go to nights because in my current position, the environment was chaotic, stressful, without any resources for help. I basically felt like I was not providing the quality of care that I wanted to provide. At first I felt awake and refreshed, but as the months have gone on I have been feeling increasingly fatigued, sore, and hazy. I sometimes can sleep 12-14 hours after a shift or two and still feel tired. Before you ask, I am not looking for medical advice or anything, I am just curious on what other night shift nurses do to stay a float with this unusual schedule and not feel so fatigued all the time? I am just wondering if any other night shifters out there have experienced this and if so, what did they do to correct it? The weight of the fatigue is making me want to go back to days, but unfortunately at the hospital I currently work at there are no 12 hour day positions or even 8 hours that I can bid on right not and returning to 12's on my floor would not be my cup of tea, but if needed I could do it. So I am exploring my options at other facilities as well. But in the mean time, does anyone have any suggestions?

Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I worked nights for 20 years and I LOVED it but the older I got, the more it started to affect me. I turned 40 and it all went downhill!!!! I visited my doc because I could not sleep more than 1 hour for every 24 hours. I was dizzy all the time, I was in a stupor, my anxiety was over the top, I cried all the time, could not make decisions, my husband said I was just a "shell", I was a total mess. I was thinking maybe I had something wrong with my thyroid because I couldn't sleep anymore. Everything under the sun I had tried and nothing worked. I simply could not decompress, I was like a pressure cooker. My jaws constantly just hurt terribly, I had chest pain(never told the doc about that one because I didn't want anything done), I was so keyed up. So he advised me to try a day shift job and for the first time in 20 years, I am sleeping now, usually about 6 hours per night and I feel so amazingly better. I am a whole new person now. It took several months but I've been on a regular day shift schedule for about 9 months now.

It has been very hard on my husband but he loves me so much, he just cries when he hears me sawing logs. He was so worried about me when I was a mess like that. He has taken over a big part of the parenting role that I was doing, like picking up the kids off the bus at 3:15, carpooling to all the basketball practices and music lessons and church activities. He is even cooking some and doing some laundry. He is such a dear sweetheart and I am way blessed. I LOVE all these things and I loved being a mom but my body would not cooperate and I guess my body was saying I can't "have my cake and eat it too anymore". I do miss doing the things and showing my love to my family by cooking for them, taking them to their events and having a nice safe harbor for them when they come home from school and hubby comes home from work, I actually have grieved and cried many tears because I miss all these things. My heart aches to be able to love on them while they are still at home, they are only here for such a short time!!!!

This job nursing is just tough, there's no two ways about it. Its a way of life. I know my kids understand and they see what I go through. I don't know why I've been so blessed. I sure don't deserve it!! I am thankful for the time my body allowed me to work nights and be here for my kids and my husband and care for them. I never regret that for a minute!

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Specializes in ICU.

Yes, there is such a thing as nightshift syndrome, I forget the actual name. The critical care pulmonologist who specializes also in sleep diagnosed me with it. I was the same as you after 4 years of doing I couldn't take it anymore and finally got a dayshift. I was falling asleep at the wheel, getting sick ALL the time....

I hope this is medical advice, but some have tried Nuvigil. Ask your doctor about it.

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Please tell me about thisb "noise machine" where you get one and what it is called. Also if anyone could recommend a good place to get blackout curtains, I would appreciate it.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

There is a white noise iPhone app. Mine was free but there are several versions. It has ocean waves, rain, fan, generic white noise etc. We use the rain or the white noise ones.

I've also heard of tuning a radio to static for a cheap white noise fix.

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Hi!

I think there are many many factors involved to be considered while working nights, as everyone here has so aptly commented on. Here's my two cents:

I did 12 hour nights straight for a while and found that I did best when I had one coffee before or at the beginning of my shift, then only drank green or black tea after that. I usually would try to not have any tea after about 1am, however, once and a while I would if I was really tired. I find that the amount of caffeine intake is really important to sleep quality - even if I can sleep after having caffeine - sometimes it is not a restful sleep.

Good luck!

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I'm back on mights after a few years of day shift, and I'm finding it harder this time around. I have reasons to stay on nights that aren't going to change for a few years, so I'll have to make it work as well as possible.

Eat carefully. Find out what your body likes - which can be woefully different from what your tastebuds like, sigh - and eat that way.

Exercise.

Protect your sleep.

Expect less from yourself. Set your loved ones up to expect less from you. If you get up on your day off and you feel foggy and hazy and lousy, it might mean you need to go back to bed, or it might mean you need to exercise. Or drink more water. Or all of the above. Or something else entirely. It is highly unlikely that it means you need to clean the house or cook dinner or whatever else you can delegate to perkier folk.

Nurture yourself, same as you would anyone else you love.

Make sure the room you sleep in in dark. White noise is very good.

I find it very important to my own well-being - and this is harder to do on night shift - to get time outdoors, in daylight, and also at night under the stars. Taking off my shoes and feeling the earth on my bare feet, stargazing, or yes, hugging a tree - you can just put your hand on the bark and take a moment to really feel the experience. What I really SHOULD do more of is actually finding ways to have FUN. (I love kayaking, but I haven't been in far too long.) Don't let yourself get bogged down in "work, sleep, be useful" all the time. Feed your soul.

Easy advice to give others, rather challenging to apply to myself.

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A balanced diet and getting some exercise may help - other than that- checkup with your MD?

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Specializes in Neuro, Med-surg..

An old thread but I am as of this second suffering from night shift syndrome. I am always physically and mentally exhausted even after working only working nights for about four or five months. I'm always canceling social engagements with friends on days off because all I want to do is sleep (12-14 hours sometimes), and I'm ill often. The flip side is like that of the OP: my floor is extremely busy on days and I still get really behind during the slower pace of night shift (this is my first RN job and I'm having a rough go of it). It would likely improve things if I switched to days, but at this point it would be a bit much.

I'm sure by this point in time the OP has sorted out her schedule but I thought I would add my voice to the chorus. I started off strong but it took it's toll on me!

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Specializes in Endoscopy, OR, ICU, HIV, Bariatrics.

I have utilized ear plugs, black-out curtains, and still an eye mask. I have tried melatonin and Valerian root extract, but I'm not much of a fan.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I have utilized ear plugs, black-out curtains, and still an eye mask. I have tried melatonin and Valerian root extract, but I'm not much of a fan.

I don't blame you. Neither of those ever worked for me, either. Unfortunately, the stuff that DOES work is either expensive (ziprasidone, which I use for dual purposes) or habit-forming (Ambien). And you don't really want to go to benzos if you can help it, even though they are very effective. Benadryl is good for some people, even though it's not really a long-term solution......and it tends to make for some screwy dreams and a lot of grogginess in the morning.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

I know this is an old thread but it sounds like you were maybe sleeping too much. 6-8 hours works best for me on 12 hour nights. My latest question is why do I get so bloated at the end of a night shift?!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I know this is an old thread but it sounds like you were maybe sleeping too much. 6-8 hours works best for me on 12 hour nights. My latest question is why do I get so bloated at the end of a night shift?!

I usually get the same amount of sleep. Don't know if its best, but it's what I can get. :p

I wonder that too! I'm always soo bloated at the end and I've been doing night shift 5-6 months now.

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