For those that work off shifts

ohjoyy · Jan 27, 2009

happens to me all the time.

midnitelpn · Jan 27, 2009

I work 12mn-8am & haunt my house on my pass days...I'm up & down all night!

carluvscats · Jan 27, 2009

Yes, happens to me too. On my days (nights) off, I always think I'm going to "catch up on my sleep"...... nope, almost never happens. I've completely flipped schedules. I guess for the most part, it's a blessing since I do sleep so soundly during the day. Just wish on my nights off I could sleep soundly with the husband. The price you pay for such shifts!

VORB · Jan 27, 2009

I work 7p-7a FR-SA-SU nights. On my days off I'm a morning person, awaking naturally 5-6am, then taking nap in the afternoon and going to bed at a reasonable hour -- by 11pm, anyway. Then on my first night back, I pop a benadryl and take about a 4 hour nap before going in, and I'm right back into my nighttime schedule again.

applesRN · Jan 28, 2009

I'm about to apply for a position of 3 7p-7a shifts. I am a day shift person! and have been all my life, minus about 6 months of night shift early in my career. I never got well adjusted to night shift. I also have fibromyalgia, so good restful sleep eludes me most of the time, anyway. I will definitely have to make some adjustments, and buy some solar-blocking curtains! How long does it take you to get into the night shift routine when you first started?

VORB · Jan 28, 2009

Before I got into nursing, I had other nighttime jobs, but never 12 hour shifts. I was a truck driver for a while, also worked nightshift at a hotel, plus I owned a bar at one point. So I was used to working at night, but I was usually home before the sun came up. The first few times leaving the hospital after the sunrise was a little weird, but only for a month or so.

I always pop a benadryl when I come home and have to be back that night. Otherwise I'll sleep about 4 hours and be wide awake and have to squeeze in a short nap before work. The benadryl allows me to sleep the 6-7 hours that I need if I'm to be back that night.

This sounds weird, but it works for me. I live in an apartment and my bedroom has two windows (unfortunately one facing south and the other west). I bought a box of contractor bags at Home Depot that are like leaf bags but heavier. They're like 3 mils thick (versus 1.3 for leaf bags, which do not work for this because they break down in the sunlight and lose their darkness), and 43 gallons I think. Anyway, I stapled those up over my windows and it's like a darkroom in there. And with the curtains over them, no one would know I've got trash bags up in my windows, haha. I used to think it didn't matter whether it was light or dark, but that's not the case.

I wouldn't trade nightshift for anything. Way too busy around there in daytime, and way too many people around too (doctors, physical therapists, social workers, etc, etc). I would say my first and last 3 hours each night are busy, and the middle 6 hours are fairly quiet unless I get an admit or something weird happens -- which never happens in a hospital, LOL. The dayshifters have 12 hours of hell. No thanks. Between the night pay and weekend pay, it's also about $10/hr more, thankyouverymuch.

dorimar, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2009

Too funny,

I have worked nights (7P-7A) for probalby the last 18 years or so. I didn't have trouble sleeping in the day until probably the last 8 years. Now, I have no trouble falling asleep, but cannot stay asleep past 3-5 hours. I just started taking benadryl before bed and this has really helped, except i wake up feeling kind of drugged (wears off soon). I have never had a problem getting back on a day shift schedule on my nights off, although it is very important to work your nights in a row--not this one on one off crap that people who don't work nights try to schedule us sometimes.

DoeRN · Jan 28, 2009

I work nights and have done so for years. I can switch back to days but I am usually cranky when I do so. I try not to do so much but I don't know any doctors offices or shopping malls that are open at 4 in the morning so of course I have no choice. If I have just worked a night shift and have to get up the next day I will come home go to bed around 8-9am (granted if I did not receive that 6 am admit from the ER lol) which is a little early for me. I will sleep til about 1 or 2 pm and stay up until around 9-10 at night so I can get up in the morning and run errands. I also find myself getting really sleepy around 10-11 am because that is my usual bedtime. Your body will adjust but what I find difficult is that people who do not work night shift can not understand why you sleep your whole day away. So I usually turn my phone off in the bedroom during the day. I like night shift because of what everyone says. Less people around and the pts are sleep for the most part and visiting hours are over. I would not trade it for the world.

allnurses Guide · Jan 28, 2009

I am just plain a night person. I really prefer to sleep in the mornings, and get a lot done between 10 PM and 3 AM. When I have to switch to something that needs early morning stuff, I can only do it for a few days.

In school I always did best if I studied late at night. I take long distance courses, online, which lets me do my papers and stuff during the night.

I couldn't stand rotating shifts, and switched to evenings or nights more than 20 years ago. Never regretted it.

NurseKatie08, MSN · Jan 28, 2009

I work 3p-11p Monday-Friday. I have definitely flipped schedules. I don't function before 11am, and I sleep late even on the weekends, because I don't go to bed until between 2 & 4 am. Yesterday I volunteered to work 7a-3p ontop of my normal shift, and getting up early was torture.

medsurgrnco, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2009

This topic has been covered repeatedly. Suggest you do a search to read info from previous posts.

When I worked nights, what worked best for me was to only sleep 5-6 hours after the last night shift. If I slept longer, then I would have more difficulty going to sleep at a reasonable time that night to switch over to being awake during the day on my days off. I would also use doxylamine or Tylenol PM when having insomnia. I would eat a good meal with coffee immediately after getting up on my days off, but not have any other caffeine during the day. I found if I forced myself to get out of the house, I would have more energy.