How does working night shift impact your FAMILY?

aachavez · Jun 22, 2013

Im 27, single and no kids. I live near family, so the only time weird schedules gets tough is around holidays. Fortunetly everyone is pretty flexible, and tries to plan stuff so I can be there. Dad was in the navy for 20 years so I guess we're kinda used to odd-ball hours.

naptimeRN · Jun 27, 2013

I am married, no children (yet). I work 3 days per week 3-11p and sometimes 11-7a. In my opinion, both of these shifts are terrible in terms of a social life, but IMO better for working life (I did not like days). I am part time. I would love to do two 12's, but we do 8's here (I would probably be willing to do FT if we did 12 hour shifts). What makes the evening or night shift tolerable to me is the fact that I am lucky enough to only have to do it part time. I could not do this full time. I give SO MUCH credit to those that can mentally, physically, and emotionally work those shifts full-time.

Katie71275 · Jun 27, 2013

I haven't started nights yet but that's the shift Ill be on after orientation. I am hoping it won't be bad! In the Fall, the kids will be back in school, my 3.5 yr old will be in daycare/preschool during the day, and I'll sleep during the day. I plan to get up when the bus gets here and we will go get my youngest from daycare and cook dinner & do homework and then off to work I'll go. I'm hoping this will help us avoid daycare, plus I'll get to spend 3-4days with them a week if I work 3-12s.

KATRN78 · Jul 1, 2013

I only do overnights every other weekend. My husband says he can't sleep well when I am not there. My dogs wont get in the bed, they sleep by the front door waiting for me. Poor guys.

However... I love the night shift. I like it dark and quiet! :)

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Jul 1, 2013

I like the idea of night shift, however, I can't sleep during the day. When I did have to do 11p-7a I would sleep from 7:30-10:00 and go in, home and in bed by 9am. BUT phones, lunch, school day ends at 2:00--I would get up to 3ish hours of sleep at a time. Which just was not helpful for anyone, including me. And I too was the running around during the day getting things done person.

If you are childless, and your partner works during the day, it can be easier, sleep 9a to 4 or 5p, have dinner and go into work.

BUT you can't flip back and forth easily, so no time with your partner on their days off, etc

7p-7a was NOT a favorite of mine....by 2am I was just about at my wits end. And knowing I had just 9a-12p of for sure sleep, it was a struggle...

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2013

Well, here's a question for you then: Would your life be better or worse if you worked eight hour nights instead of twelves???

I used to work five 8-hour night shifts per week from 10:00pm to 6:00am and absolutely hated this schedule. My life basically revolved around work and sleep and basically turned into a bleak, isolating existence. My two days off only felt like one day off because I spent that first night off sleeping for many hours.

I now work three 12-hour night shifts per week from 6:00am to 6:30pm and love this schedule because it enables me to have four days off weekly.

GundeRN · Jul 2, 2013

It works great for me! More money and I never have to ask for time off if my kids have a program at school, I just loose a little sleep. Of course I'm still fairly young. I've only been a nurse for a year, but I have been a night shifter for 12 years. Evening shift is the one that destroys my family time.

Sometimes I think I like twelves, and sometimes I like eights, I am still undecided about that. There are positive and negitive sides to both.