I can't stop dreaming about the NICU!~

[babyCNP]

Hi all,

My name is Jenna and I am a new grad nurse in a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit. I have been working there since the end of July. I love my job and am extremely happy with where I am at; I couldn't imagine myself doing any thing else. I am pretty comfortable in the environment. I have been working night shift for about a month and a half now. My problem is, however, when I get home and its time to go to sleep, I can't actually relax and get into a deep sleep. Literally every time its time to sleep after I work, I get into that "twilight" zone where I'm not awake but I'm not sleeping, and I "dream" that I'm at work and I'm super busy, babies are crying and need to be fed, or there's a baby that needs something and I can't figure out what it is. I wake up several times and tell myself, "you're at home, go to sleep, there's no babies here!" but as soon as I settle back down I go right back into the dream again. I need help, I literally feel like I'm going crazy and I'm losing lots of sleep over this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much!

Jenna, RN BSN

Level 3 NICU - Cleveland OH

[Warpster]

Nursemares are something nobody talks about at nursing school but I think we all have them: the one when it's almost the end of your shift and you've been dealing with this and that and realize you haven't passed a single med and where the hell is the cart and why is the med list written in Sanskrit? Or the one where they all code at once, who's got the crash cart and what do you mean it hasn't been checked for six months? Or the one where you're just back for a per diem shift at a job you despised and you're ducking the unit manager because you know if she sees you, fur will fly...

Nursing is stressful. Stressful jobs give us rotten dreams and the nursemare is just one type of those. They're often pretty funny when you wake up and think about them. It's just tough waking up and feeling like you've already worked a full shift.

[Grlpwrd]

Haha I have totally had dreams where I am near the end of a shift and I have a patient that I never even assessed/saw/gave meds to the entire shift! At least I am not alone :)

I take Ambien to help me sleep, not every night, but it helps so much...I swap from days to nights constantly because I have small kiddos and find it difficult to stay on a night shift schedule when I'm off. There aren't too many that can get restful sleep during the day without a little help.