Anyone here work night shift-past or present? Need advice pls.

HillaryC, RN, CRNA · Sep 7, 2004

I just worked my first night shift 3 weeks ago, and now I'm shifting back to days :) I had the same problem as you -- not being able to stay up very late the night before. I'm one of those people that's frequently tired, so I would nap during the afternoon before my first night shift. Try to have an easy day and nap if you can. Usually, after the first shift, I didn't have any problem sleeping during the day (even going straight from 8-4 or 9-5). I have blackout shades in my bedroom, which help a lot.

I believe No-Doz is just high dose caffeine. I'm very sensitive to caffeine, so I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate such a high dose. If I were you, I'd try caffeinated drinks first. Also, see how it goes before you take anything strong. I found that once I was on the unit, things were busy enough and bright enough that I was okay. Most people start to have a hard time around 3-5a.m.

Best of luck!

Hillary

directcare4me · Sep 7, 2004

Night shift is hard, it's just not natural for most of us. But I agree with the previous poster, and wait on the No-Doze until you see how it goes. Drink caffeine, and you'll probably be busy enough to stay awake. If you get really sleepy, wash your face, do some brisk walking---but DO NOT do what I did when working nights after years of day shift at another job--do not start smoking. I did this in my 30's after being an avid and assertive non-smoker--the nicotene woke me up. But as I said, DO NOT do this, because the nicotene is terribly addictive. And then, when you do finally get on permanent days, you will be a smoker. And it's hard to quit.

sjt9721, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2004

Just read some results from a study on caffeine (darned if I can remember where I read it) and they found that regular 'dosing' of coffee during a night shift worked better than 'loading up' at the beginning of a shift.

Also, avoid the candy machine when you 'hit the wall' after midnight. Stay away from simple sugars & quick carbs. Protein & plenty of water will help you along.

I would sometimes take 5 minutes (if they were available!) & sit in a quiet room. Eyes closed, slow/deep breathing...not asleep but relaxed! Then I'd splash my face with cold water to perk back up. It was amazing how that short amount of time could re-energize me!

Good luck! I worked nights for nearly 8 years & loved it. Night people are a whole different breed of nurses! :)

Shotzie · Sep 7, 2004

You know, some people realy can't work the night shift.

Call it biorhythms or whatever but I have hired nurses to work nights who just could not get their bodies to adjust.

I say still give it a try though. You may just need more of an adjustment period. Make sure you have dark shades on the windows or use a sleep mask to block the light. Have your room cool, with a fan on to create soothing white noise. Turn your phone off or move it into another room.

Eat lightly before you go to work and nibble on healthy foods while you are there. Avoid too much sugar and stop drinking caffeine about 3 hours before you go to bed.

If you have trouble going to sleep try 25mg of benedryl for a week or so but don't make it continuous.

...and if you find it just doesn't work for you, move on to another position. Nursing is too flexible to allow yourself to work in a position that doesn't fit you or your needs.

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 7, 2004

Eat healthy food when awake. Can the junk; your body needs all the help it can get to stay healthy.

Stay hydrated. I keep a liter of ice water at all times on shift, drinking from it throughout the night. I try to drink a minimum of 2 liters---really that is not much, considering I am there 12 hours and I do drink coffee/tea to keep "motivated".

Exercise regularly, yes I mean it. Take a walk or go to the gym to get that 30 minutes workout, you need it.

Can the no-doz. If you must use caffeine, like said above, do it with small doses, as in Tea. You at least get anti-oxidants that way. Commit to bringing a healthy dinner and snacks to work with you and when the urge hits to snack, or you have to inhale your food cause you are busy, you are not insulting your body with candy bars or chips to fill that need. You HAVE to eat well to stay healthy. Nightshift is naturally UNhealthy for most people as it is.

Commit to uninterrupted sleep during the day, however you must do it. Turn off the phone, Blacken the room, tell people never to bother you when sleeping unless the house is on fire. SERIOUSLY!!! Just because you work nights, does NOT mean you can and should get by on less sleep. Tell your coworkers and manager not to call during the day unless it's an emergency. After all, you would not dream of calling THEM at 2 a.m. right??? Trust me, It will slowly KILL you to lose sleep each week...studies prove it. Take it seriously.

Try to stay with the schedule of nightshift wake/sleep cycles as much as possible, so your body can adjust and your rhythms stay intact.

Good luck. Lord knows, nightshift is NOT what I like, but it's what I work out of necessity due to my husband's schedule and that of the kids. Respect your need for sleep, healthy food and insist others do so too! Good luck!

HannasMom · Sep 7, 2004

Jetta is this a permanent shift for you or temporary?

diddoms · Sep 7, 2004

Off and on over the last 20 years here are soem of the tips I've got on offer.

Keep off the junk food. I try and eat fruit maybe yoghurt overnight.

Try and keep your normal; diurnal rhythmn as much as possible. I have breakfast at 0600 whilst still at work, go home and try to get straight ot bed.

I have lunch when I wake up about 1400 and then normal dinner before leaving for work.

Light: Blackout your bedroom . Black plastic or silver foil work quite well. When you are awake get outside and let some daylight hit your pineal gland. I like to get out in the garden for a few hours.

Keep the lighting up at work if possible. This will help you stay awake.

As a caffeine junkie, I have a rule, no coffee after midnight, otherwise I don't sleep as well the next day. I drink a lot of herbal tea or H2O on Nights.

Invest in an answering machine for the phone, and put the phone at the other end of the house. Put a sign on the front dooe warning people of the perils of waking a night dury worker. I had a run when the Jehovahs always seemed to wait until I was on nights before they called.

Exercise helps you sleep. I find swimming quite good.

Night duty isn't all doom and gloom. I've had some great conversations on nights. You really get to know yourfellow workers. I find people open up al lot more on nights, and it makes for a better appreaciation of your fellow colleagues.

Try and keep off drugs. I used to do 5 week blocks of ND, and out of desperation for a good sleep would smoke a joint in the morning to get me off to sleep. The only problem was I found my concentration was really ....what was I talking about:rotfl: I would councel against Temazepam and other benzos as these are quite habit forming. One colleague of mine got really hooked to the point where she used to take IV Midazolam. I try and do short 2 week blocks of nights which I'd rather do very often rather than doing long rotations less frequently. I find I can still keep my normal sleep cycle on nights off and revert to normal much more quickly.

Yes long term night duty does take years off your life, there are studies to prove it, so try to limit your exposure.

I hope this is helpful.

goodluck.

jetta1 · Sep 7, 2004

HannasMom, I'm probably going to be on nights for awhile, just until a shift opens up on days, whenever that is. I'm on the so-called "waiting list." I just hope it's not too long. It sucks because I was hired for days and then they told me I was going to be on nights and that I didn't have any choice. (I'm on orientation and during our meeting, I found out that I have 3 weeks left on orientation and that I was going to be starting on nights the next week! Ugh! ) I'm soooooo disappointed!:stone

Thanks to everyone for the helpful replies so far! Keep them coming! I'll stay away from the No-Doz!:)

LydiaGreen · Sep 7, 2004

I love nightshifts. Didn't think I'd be able to adjust to them but it was no problem. Here's my advice.

- Invest in room darkening shades for your bedroom and make sure that they overlap the window to keep out the sun.

- Turn OFF your phones. I have a cell phone that only my babysitter, children's school, and husband have the number to. If there is an emergency with my children, they will call that cell number. I will NOT give that number to anyone else - not even work.

- Find something you like for "gray noise". Some people use a fan with little strips of plastic. I prefer an aquarium. It will block out most everyday noises including my neighbour mowing his lawn.

- DON'T try to stay up late the night before your first NOC. Get a good sleep. Go to bed early even. Get a nice, long sleep and then try to have a three hour nap in the afternoon before you go in.

- A recent study stated that animals impair entering REM sleep because they fidget or dream or whatever. If you have pets, you may want to keep them out of your bedroom when you are on NOCs. My pets LOVE to sleep all day and do not disturb me in the least. Guess it just depends on the pets. I have co-workers who have to let their animals in the bedroom with them or they scratch and whine at the bedroom door all day.

- There are many different types of ear plugs. Find out which ones you like and use them. I can still hear the cell phone on my night-stand but don't hear the louder noises my neighbours make (one does automotive bodywork in his garage).

- Do NOT take NoDoze. When I was a student, I was going to try the Stay Awake brand of caffeine pills - bought them and everything. My clinical instructor quickly produced some study about caffeine pills and the effect on the heart. One of my classmates ignored her warnings and sure enough became quite tachy and went into a little panic attack. If you need caffeine to stay awake, coffee or tea. This works great for me because I usually only drink one cup of coffee a day. On NOCs, I have one coffee at the start of the shift, and one half way through.

- Make a sign for your door. Mine says "Nightshift Worker Sleeping - Do NOT Disturb". The word "not" is in big, bold letters and underlined several times.

- Keep BUSY on NOCs. There is certainly more paperwork to do on NOCs (checking orders, checking kardexes, pharmacy orders, chart audits) in addition to regular duties. But, if it is a slower shift (say most of your patients are independent and only require your routine checks), keep busy by stocking EVERYTHING. I stock the med room, the linen carts, the IV trays, the nursery, the L&D rooms, the cardiac unit (provided there are no patients admitted to it - do NOT want to interrupt the little bit of sleep they do get). And, if you're a new RN like me (graduated in May), stocking everything is a great way to not only stay awake, but to learn where everything is.

lilhippy007 · Sep 7, 2004

Hey!

I've just started a midwifery degree so I am in school again at the moment! But before that I worked as a health care assistant in my local hospital. I nearly always worked nights and I go used to them pretty quickly!

My tips are:

Sleep during the afternoon before your shift if that is possible. Draw the curtains and shut your eyes. Put some gentle music on if it seems strange sleeping during the day!
When you are on your shift, make sure that you have some food with you. And I agree with the others when they say to try and keep off the junk food. Take some meat or protein of some kind (I'm a veggie!). Raisins are good for keeping your energy up, as are fruit bars and stuff like that.
Make sure that you have enough to drink. Have plenty of water with you and money for the coffee machine! Coffee works wonders when your eyes are starting to droop!
If you have essays and things to catch up on then take them with you. You will be fairly busy in the evening and the morning, but there is usually a patch between three and five when you are very tired and don't really have anything to keep you awake! If you don't fancy essays then take a book or some drawing! May sound daft but if you are the kind of person who is likely to fall asleep then you will be glad of anything that might help you keep awake!
You should have at least an hours break in a twelve hour shift. If the nurses don't mind and you are drowsy, then go to your staff room and have a little snooze! Make sure you ask the nurses to give you a knock though in case you sleep right through!! (If you're lucky then they'll leave you for longer than you are meant to have!!!)

Last but not least, don't worry! The work at night is generally the same as the work during the day so just do as you have been taught and ask if you aren't sure! Good luck! I loved working nights and never had a problem getting to sleep the next day!

:zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz :zzzzz

HannasMom · Sep 7, 2004

Jetta, it takes some time but you can adjust to the nightshift. I hated it when I first started July 2003. I actually cried some evenings before work, because I was so tired. I was a day person too.

Nightshift is a matter of attitude. You either hate it and won't adjust or you end up loving it. I love it most of the time. I take a melatonin occasionally to help me sleep. I take a very tiny dose of it. It's only 300 mcg and it works well. I don't feel groggy after taking it.

I also stay up on the nights I'm off and have regular sleep and awake hours. One nurse I know sleeps a few hours in the morning then sleeps a few hours before work. It works for her. Another one stays up most of the day then sleeps from 2 pm or 3 pm until 9 pm. She doesn't require as much sleeps as I do, she claims. :rolleyes: But it works for her and she gets lots doen during the day.

LydiaGreen had lots of good advise and we are here to help you through this. It can be done, at least until you can get on days.