Flipping days/nights while keeping normal off days

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I remember reading here about various ways that people do this, but not sure what search terms to use to find the posts!

Basically, since I'm coming off orientation in a little over a week, I work 2/12's and 2/8's (we may go to 3/12's in Jan so yay!) anyway, I'll be off that previous weekend, then need to go in at 11p on Monday then the next day 7p-7a then off 2 days.

So I'm not sure how to best work that first night. We schedule 2 weeks of nights then 2 weeks of days, so it's not alternating days/nights in the same week.

One of the nurses I work with said she stays up all day/night until it's time to go in then she's really tired for the next morning to be able to sleep. I'm wondering if that's the only way? I want to keep a normal schedule on the 2 days I'm off in between. Thanks

[CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN]

I like your friends idea, you'll have more time to do stuff at night and get plenty of rest prior to the first shift.

Tip II

When I worked nights, following my three day stint, I would not go to sleep instantly when I got home. I'd try to last at least to one in the afternoon, sometimes five. This would allow me to be more regular the following days, since I would end up sleeping the rest of the afternoon and the night prior to the next day

Good Luck~!.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I try to sleep late my first day of night shifts. Tired the next morning and sleep all day. On my last day I get up after 4-6 hours of sleep and go to bed at 11pm or so. It takes a day or two to catch up and I'm usually back to normal until it is time to do it all over again!

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

I sleep as soon as i get home and am up at 3 pm for the day...if im still tired i take and hour or two nap later. I love it because i get to see my kids. I have adjusted well to this but even when i have 4 days off in a row i can't sleep at night without sleeping until at least noon the next day because of not sleeping well. Good luck!

[fiveofpeep]

I stay up all night the night before my first night. At least till 0300 but usually go to bed around 05-08 if I rally. Then I can sleep all day for my first shift. A lot of my coworkers just come in on their first night with 3hrs of sleep but I cant do that.

[Kiringat]

When I work 3 12s in a row, with 4 nights off, I stay up all night the night before (maybe a quick nap from 3-5am), then sleep all day until work. On my first day off, I will try to stay awake until at least 1 or 2 in the afternoon, take a nap, and then get on a normal schedule. On my days off, I try an do what my body wants, and seem to fall into a going to bed around 10pm, waking up about 5 am routine.

If I don't have a long stretch of time off, I just sleep when ever I feel like it, staying up the whole night before my first night on.