Adjusting to NIGHT SHIFTS advice??

[nurse.sierra]

Hi everyone! I am a new grad RN starting my residency next month on a tele floor — I will be working FT nights 7pm-7am. I’m kinda nervous and scared that it will be hard for me to adjust, and I literally have no idea what to expect.

If you work nights (or have ever worked nights), what did you do to adjust? What are your off days like? What are your meals/eating schedules like? What is your skincare like? (I have a day and nighttime skincare routine—I’m wondering if I should flip them once I start working nights.)

Also, is it best to work 3 consecutive night shifts? Or is it better to spread the shifts out throughout the week?

Any advice or tips help! I plan on getting black out curtains and I already have a fan to block out noise.

[berdawn, ASN]

I keep my night schedule most of the time, but if I have more than two days off, I'll have a day time life. Any one have ideas on how to avoid a caffeine headache?!?! There are times when I just can't have my usual coffee and these headaches are the WORST. I doubled up on my ibuprofen today and still woke up feeling like I was getting whacked in the head with a mallet.

[guest52816]

I drink coffee on nights I work, during the afternoon, around 1500.

I never have a caffeine headache.

When don't work, I drink coffee 1100.

I NEVER drink coffe during my night shift.

Hope you find something that works for you.

[Mavnurse17, BSN, RN]

By now I'm sure you've already started your residency and may already have worked some night shifts, but I'll share my input anyway. I'm not a bedside nurse anymore but I spent the year that I was on nights.

At first I thought working 3 consecutive shifts would kill me, so I scheduled myself to work 2 on-2 off-1 on or M-W-S or something of the like to break up my shifts. It was nice to be like, "nah, I'm not back tonight, sorry," but it really did make my "days off" miserable. I remember specifically that I would sleep until 6 pm on my day off (coming off of a night shift), get up to do a load of laundry or dishes, and then go back to bed for a 2 hour nap. I sucked it up and started working 3 in a row, and while I was basically a zombie in between shifts and so tired by night 3, it gave me more time to really enjoy my 4 (or even up to 8!! depending on how I scheduled my next work week) days off.

As far as adjusting my sleep schedule, I chose to stay up basically until 6 or 7 am the night/morning before I was go into work that night and sleep the entire day. Looking back, I wish I had gotten a good night's rest the night before my string of shifts and just napped in the afternoon. I feel like maybe I would've gotten some more sense of normalcy that way.

Make sure you're eating properly. Again, hindsight is 20/20 and I believe I could've coped better with the physical and mental stress of not only nursing, but night nursing, if I hadn't eaten post-shift Jack in the Box and shoved Jimmy Johns down my throat 30 minutes before a shift.

Can't speak much to skin care. My skin was lucky if it got a cotton pad with Micellar water before I slumped to bed when I got home ?

Night shift isn't for everyone. I work in public health now, during normal business hours and my happiness has improved dramatically. Take care of yourself and don't feel too badly if you realize you need a change.

[Nurse8988]

I think you have to figure out what works best for you. For me it is important to nap before work my first shift of the week. I try to wake up early so that I am able to nap in the afternoon. I also try to work my shifts in a row to stay on night schedule. After working night shifts for the week in order to flip to day shift I’ll sleep for maybe 4 to 5 hours and stay up until my regular bedtime(around 10pm). I’ll usually be really tired by then and able to sleep. Food wise, I’ll eat a big dinner before work, bring a meal for during work and eat something light before I sleep at home. I have one skin regimen so that’s easy for me. Sometimes its hard to nap before first shift but it usually makes for great sleep after my first shift. Even if you cant sleep before a shift make sure you just lay and relax. Very important in my experience.

[Nurse8988]

I forgot to share that I use blackout curtains. I initially didnt use them but sleep WAY better with them. Highly recommended!