Night shift syndrome

[SweetsRN522]

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?

[Insomniac-88]

I did nights for a short period of time when I first graduated over a year ago. I tried everything from blackout curtains, ear plugs, white noise, Gravol, valerian root, melatonin, sleeping masks and probably a few more things I'm forgetting.

Like a few posters here, all I did was sleep on my days off. I felt horrible on nights. I was getting sick more often, and could never revert back to normal daytime life on days off. That means I cancelled family outings, didn't see friends and so on.

I eventually stopped working nights since it was doing more harm than good for me. I don't know how you regular night shifters do it, but I applaud you!

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

I've worked permanent nights for almost 3 years, but the trick is NOT to revert back to a daytime schedule on your days off. Logically, you will be tired because with only a few days off, you're reverting from nights to days back to nights.

Sometimes I sleep poorly during the day, but mostly, I'm fine. I think whatever works for you is the schedule you need to keep. I am nocturnal by nature and more alert at night than I am during the day. I've always hated working days, and I'm tired until 1000 am. Days are a struggle for me.

[ABitterPill]

I've worked night shift now for over ten years and all can tell you it is still not easy. Working 3 twelves is not easy and the older I get the more intolerable it all becomes. The best things I've found is to eat healthily (you can really pack on the pounds working nights. I've found that when I'm tired, I crave carbs), drink plenty of water, exercise and get your sleep! I've been pretty darn lucky because I've had a set schedule so I don't have to work random nights during the week...it's always the same. That really makes it more tolerable but it is still difficult because I then get back into "normal" day living the nonworking nights and then my body has "adapted" so that usually on the night that I return to work, I'm able to sleep some that day. Then do my 3 nights--(come home, sleep, get up and return to work--for the other 2 nights). But that 4th day, at the end of my stint, is a completely lost day--I'm completely useless, irritable and difficult for that 24 hours. The next day is a little better, the third day I'm more "normal" and then the fourth, completely back to normal and ready to do it all over again!! I'm single, unattached, no children and no life!!! And after these 12 years--I'm looking to change that!!

[TheWalkingDeadNurse]

Your adrenals are putting out more and more adrenaline to keep you going at night, because you are not supposed to be working at night, you should be sleeping, or so your body thinks so. Long term exposure to the increased adrenaline makes you hypersensitive to EVERYTHING, and it will cause changes in your hormones and neurotransmitters and it alters your sleep which makes you feel even worse. I'd have your cortisol levels checked. My guess is that they will be really high as mine are. And check your vitamin D levels, those would be low too since night shifters sleep during the day. So your immune system is less efficient. My body is seriously jacked up, and I started taking vitamin D supplements, and I've finally made the decision to never work nights again. It's taking me a long time to find a job, but I can't go back to nights! Some people are fine and adjust easily. Some people just can't do it.