If I can't sleep NOBODY CAN!

Nurses General Nursing

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The life of an insomniac night shift nurse is one that is truly misunderstood. Tomorrow for example, I have to attend a work related class that starts at 7:30am which means I have to "get up" by 5am due to the commute. Sadly, after a few hours of attempting to sleep it's 0107 and I can tell already that tomorrow will be a day filled with me consuming enough caffeine to turn my heart into a drummer for a heavy metal band and that by tomorrow evening when I make the hour long trek back home my driving will be comparable to that of a 94 y/o with Parkinson's and dementia. Despite all this, want to know what makes me irritated? My partner is sleeping without difficulty, snoring ever so softly enough that you just know he's have wonderful dreams about grassy fields and Unicorns with pretty white wings.

Oh yes it's very petty of me, indeed my irritation boils down to one simple thing: Jealousy... because my partner can get 8-9 hours of sleep no matter what's happening in the world or his life without pharmaceutical intervention each and every night, and myself? Nah, I get the luxury of unintentionally frightening young children because I look like a Zombie thanks to the effects of my sleep deprivation.

But honestly whether you're a night shifter or prone to insomnia or both, we always get phone calls right when we finally DO fall asleep and it's always from someone who knows us well enough to know what our sleep schedule is like, or our partners/wives/husbands etc. never have difficulty "accidently" waking us up right as we doze off, but God forbid we accidently wake THEM up or we get snarled at.

What is the point of this thread? Good question, and honestly I don't quite know myself haha, just thought I would share my thoughts as I'm sure many of you can relate. Time for one more cup of herbal tea then attempt one more time to get at least a couple hours of sleep. Although the selfish, petty, cynical side of me wants to run through the house screaming and laughing obnoxiously as loud as I can, and when my partner crankily demands me to explain my behavior, simply say, "If I can't sleep NOBODY CAN!!"

I can relate, I'm an insomniac. I'm in my last year as a nursing student and its full time clinical which includes night shift. Its actually the early morning starts that get me, because I can't fall asleep at night.

Also I hate it when I get someone drop in during the day or phone and they say 'oh did I wake you?, were you still asleep? ' Like you're some sort of lazy bafoon that sleeps all day and night.

My husband does that. I go to sleep around 10 or 11am and sleep till 8. He'll talk to his friends like all I do is sleep and I'm a lazy bafoon! I work 40 hours plus mandatory overtime plus voluntary overtime PLUS another job.

Specializes in TELEMETRY.

I can relate to working nights.... I did it for about six months and was never used to it... I would go to sleep at nine am and wake up at 2pm... never felt rested. I was always annoyed that when everyone was going home to settle down.. id have to go to work.....

i work nights, but i can't relate. okay, i'm the party pooper. sorry, maybe i'm just bitter because i'm working five 12 hour shifts this week (three of which are nights and two of which are days) and i have two children and a husband to juggle in between. oh, let's not forget school. not that i would ever complain about working 60 hours both days and nights along with having a major exam.

no, i don't get it. i signed up for this. my husband sleeps soundly because he's not crazy. my son's teacher tries to call me to "talk about his progress" at noon because she signed up for a normal job. staffing calls me because they know i'm nuts and that i might just come in to work.

nope, i don't have the "if you can't sleep nobody can" syndrome. btw - i have an hour commute and two young kids. did i mention school? oh, wait, i signed up for 20 hours overtime? was i awake? yes, i was.

Specializes in OB.

2:15 am here and, of course, I'm still awake and cruising Allnurses!

My biggest issue is that if I am awakened by the phone during the day I will answer it while still asleep and for some reason feel compelled to lie and deny that I was sleeping. From what I have been told I sound quite alert, but will wake later with only a vague memory of have talked to "someone" about "something".

I'm apparently very agreeable also, have actually bought magazine subscriptions in my sleep and one boss who figured this out would call me at noon to sign me up for extra shifts!

Now the house phone gets unplugged and only the cell phone remains on!

Specializes in LTC, Med-Surg, IMCU/Tele, HH/CM.

since i started working night shift I have never gotten more than 2 consecutive hours of sleep even with, I'll say, high doses of sleep aids. During the day I can't sleep because of many reasons, the main one being endless phone calls (if I take my phone off the hook people will knock on the door thinking I'm having a crisis). During the night I can't sleep either. On my days off I'll end up with the oddest sleep patterns like sleeping from 5p-7p, 10p-12a, 7a-9a. I never feel rested.

The best shift for me was always swing but that doesn't seem to be an option around these parts. So I'm taking an 8a-5p job and hoping like crazy that "normal" work hours will help me create a more "normal" sleep pattern. I'd sell a kidney to get 8 hours of consecutive sleep every night.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

I'll be starting nursing school in a month but I can't wait to go back to working nights. As a patient registrar I worked two 12's & two 8's each week. Sleeping from 8am to 5pm was the only sound continuous 8-9hrs of sleep I ever got. I'm also a night owl but even now I can only manage to sleep 2hrs at a time before something wakes me up.

Specializes in Neuro, Cardiology, ICU, Med/Surg.

I'm a day-night flipper, sometimes more than once in the same week, much to the amazement of my colleagues. My secret is chronic sleep deprivation, secondary to the presence of 20 month and 6 month old daughters in my house. I can fall alseep pretty much anywhere at any time, though I never get more than 5 hours of sleep (and that's when I'm lucky!)

I don't usually have much trouble falling asleep in the mornings after a night shift, but if I'm awoken around noon, sometimes it's hard to fall back asleep, and I might lie awake for awhile (usually falling asleep just early enough to be in a deep sleep when the alarm goes off).

My mother in-law has that mentality about my being lazy for not jumping out of bed at noon to help around the house (as if 2 or 2-1/2 hours of sleep should be enough for me in between 2 night shifts). And she is a retired psych nurse who worked nights.... But they had cots and used to nap for a few hours every night.

I really enjoyed your story, amazing that you still have such a good sense of humor after being so sleep deprived! I can totally relate ... although I don't usually work swing shift , I do work three 13 hr night shifts every weekend!! Yes, EVERY weekend. I suppose that could be a contributing factor as to why I don't have a significant other to wake me up! Lol I do enjoy the 4 days off, but I swear if one more person asks me " are you sick? Are you ok?" .... I'm gonna snap! Yes I'm ok ( I think ) , I just always look like a zombie with these dark, puffy eyes and unsteady gait! Oh well... maybe one day we will all leave the life we know as " no:eek:cturnal wanderers"

I'm a day-night flipper, sometimes more than once in the same week, much to the amazement of my colleagues. My secret is chronic sleep deprivation, secondary to the presence of 20 month and 6 month old daughters in my house. I can fall alseep pretty much anywhere at any time, though I never get more than 5 hours of sleep (and that's when I'm lucky!)

I don't usually have much trouble falling asleep in the mornings after a night shift, but if I'm awoken around noon, sometimes it's hard to fall back asleep, and I might lie awake for awhile (usually falling asleep just early enough to be in a deep sleep when the alarm goes off).

My mother in-law has that mentality about my being lazy for not jumping out of bed at noon to help around the house (as if 2 or 2-1/2 hours of sleep should be enough for me in between 2 night shifts). And she is a retired psych nurse who worked nights.... But they had cots and used to nap for a few hours every night.

what's funny is that you don't say you have a 20 month and 6 month old daughter - but that there's "the presence of 20 month old and 6 month old daughters in my house."

then you go on to say your mother in law "has that mentality about my being lazy for not jumping out of bed at noon to help around the house."

i'd dare say you definitely do not have the typical family situation. in fact, if i had go guess, you and your wife (who doesn't work) live with your mother in law (who also doesn't work) and the two of them care for the children.

i could be wrong, but not very often.

what's funny is that you don't say you have a 20 month and 6 month old daughter - but that there's "the presence of 20 month old and 6 month old daughters in my house."

then you go on to say your mother in law "has that mentality about my being lazy for not jumping out of bed at noon to help around the house."

i'd dare say you definitely do not have the typical family situation. in fact, if i had go guess, you and your wife (who doesn't work) live with your mother in law (who also doesn't work) and the two of them care for the children.

i could be wrong, but not very often.

Who cares what this person's personal situation is ! Wow, why so judgmental ? Just sayin

Who cares what this person's personal situation is ! Wow, why so judgmental ? Just sayin

it's not really that i "care" but it's a bit different situation than someone who can't sleep because they have kids to care for or a spouse who has an opposite schedule compared to someone who "has the presence of children in the house" and a mother in law nagging them.

just saying.

Specializes in LTC.

My problem from working nights is that I am not used to sharing the bed. On the nights I am off its hard to get to sleep when you stretch out and bang into the person next to you. Also the snoring!!

To the original OP love the post gave me my first laugh of the day!

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