I currently work days (7A-7P) and I will be moving to nights, and on a different unit, in a couple of weeks. I have always wanted to try working nights since I have always been a night owl, but I am getting more nervous about this new committment with each passing day! While it is true that getting to work at 7A is a terrible thing, the thought of getting home around 8:00-8:30A is kinda tripping me out.
Here's my biggest problem, kinda embarrassing, but here goes: I have been a sleepy person for seriously like the last 25 years. I have often wondered if I have CFS. And no, it's not just laziness. I remember this problem most poignantly when I was in the 7th grade. Looking back, I know I was quite depressed too, but I honestly never have seemed to recover. I fell asleep in just about all of my classes, despite constantly rocking my legs, deep breathing, etc., really making a concerted effort to stay awake. This went on all through college. Anytime I have come back home from anywhere (high school, college, or even later from work), I would immediately have to lay down and nap. Often times for hours. Back to the 7th grade issue...I remember very clearly being barely able to lift one foot in front of the other to walk from the school bus to my home. It felt as if my body weighed 500+ lbs (but I weighed about 100). It was hard to breathe even sometimes - took too much effort. Fast forward to my first degree, age 20 or so, living on a lively college campus...."NurseCherlove, there's a great party tonight. You're gonna come tonight, right?". "Yeah, but I'll probably be late. (I had to have a lengthy nap). This has been a humiliating disability for most of my life!!!!! I have no other health problems! I am of average weight. My depression is medicated/managed well.
Fast forward to now....I have been taking Provigil for the last few months to help me basically be able to make it through my work days. However, it really does not help that much. Adderall worked much better and offered me the best quality of life thus far. However, I have even managed to take an Adderall while laying down for a nap in the hopes that I would wake up shortly, bursting with energy, and still managed to sleep for a few hours!
So all of the above verbosity was simply to demonstrate that I do indeed have a problem being some kind of hypersomniac. My life mostly centers around work and sleep. And I work dayshift!!! So have I made a huge mistake by accepting a nightshift position??? I'm afraid that I will now have to sleep even more, and will then have even less time for doing other things, like, oh, having a life!!
Last thing, and I'll shut up...Ironically, I have started waking up a little earlier on my days off now (recent change in med regime) and not sleeping 20+ hours at a time. And now I'll be moving to nights.
If you have read all of this, God bless you. Sorry for the long post. I just want to have more of a life and this has been a disabling factor for most of my life (I'm 35). Any advice on the best way to have at least a pseudo-normal life (not that I really have that now) while working FT nights would be much appreciated!!
Thanx!