Can't sleep during the day

[MissAnna]

Hello everyone,

I'm a new grad nurse about to hit my one year mark. I've been working on a busy medsurg unit for almost a year and I don't think I can handle nightshift much longer. I'm having a lot of difficulty sleeping during the day and wake up several times. I have blackout curtains, a/c on, ear plugs, noise canceling machine, and I tried using melatonin and benadryl. The walls in my apartment are thin and I can hear my upstairs neighbor footsteps and opening and closing the balcony door/windows. It has been progressively getting worse since my neighbor was furloughed due to covid. I tried speak to her, but she states that she's not being noisy, just doing activities of daily living, and that the walls are thin. To make matters worse, there is intermittent construction. My landlord never tells me when there will be construction, even though I've asked him multiple times to give me the heads up since I work nights.

I really want to move out of my apartment and I talked to a lawyer. She stated that because I signed a one year lease I would be accountable for rent for the entire year. My landlord told me if I could find an acceptable replacement tenant to sign a one year lease, then I could get out of my lease. I have been trying diligently to find someone to move into my apartment. It has been very difficult, given covid and my apartment is on the pricey side (2k per month).

I asked my manager if I could switch to day shift. He told me not right now and he wants me to hone in on my skills. I don't believe I'm performing up to par. I had a medication error in Nov 2019. I gave the severe pain medication instead of the breakthrough. Patient was completely fine. I wrote myself up and as a result my manager gave me an action plan and my probation was extended 2 months. In hindsight, I wonder if I didn't write myself up, then perhaps no one would have noticed. My manager said the action plan stays on my record for 1 year. I am considering applying to different units for day shift, but I'm nervous that I wouldn't be hired because of my medication error.

I'm so exhausted, depressed, anxious, and lost. I would be OK with working nightshift if I could sleep in my apartment. I would be OK with sleeping in my apartment if I could work day shift. My lease ends Nov 30, which is around the same time the action plan would be off my record. Is there anything I can do before that? I don't think I can last another 4 months.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I feel you. I didn't sleep well the entire 9 months I was in Afghanistan, we had very thin plywood walls and I could hear everything while trying to daysleep, plus there was a 50 cal weapon right outside my room, incoming mortars, and I couldn't medicate to sleep because I was the only ER/trauma nurse on the team and was always on call, no matter what, just in case we had traumas come in. I was exhausted - really beyond exhausted, whatever that is called. Not getting sleep is simply MISERABLE and it affects everything. I think you should look for dayshift positions. Daysleeping is hard enough in a house that doesn't share walls, and it sounds like you are doing everything you can to get sleep. I still sleep light and hear every noise, even with a sound machine going. Good luck!!