I'm ALWAYS tired sigh

MLMRN1120 · Jul 25, 2011

I have been on night shift for over 2 yrs now and I am in the same boat! Exhausted all the time, and all I wanna do is sleep on my days off..this has led to me picking up massive amounts of overtime since I don't enjoy my days off anyway..I've started taking daily vitamins and b12 and also trying to eat healthier and increase my exercise in an effort to psych my body out, make it think it is more energetic than I actually feel.. it stinks, hang in there!

himilayaneyes · Jul 25, 2011

Sounds like then solution to this problem could possibly be fairly simple. Switch to days if possible. I was tired of feeling exhausted all the time and being cranky all the time on night shift. I switched to days. You get to keep your natural circadian rhythm on dayshift. So try to switch if at all possible. Working extra on days still isn't as bad as doing your regular time on nights if you desperately need the differential. Nurses often look to the most complicated thing like I must be anemic or have thyroid problems. All those things are possible. However, it could just be the normal toll of night shift. Some people are nights and some are days...sounds like you need days. Good luck with everything.

nurse678 · Jul 25, 2011

Thank you! Unfortunately day shift is not an option for me anytime soon. I'm still a newbie and there are many others ahead of me who are in line for days.

crb613, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2011

I have been on nights for five years....so I know how you feel. I am always tired, but when I work I can only sleep a few hours at a time. When I am not working all I want to do is sleep....possibly because I am so sleep deprived most of the time....I am going to days in a few weeks, and hoping this will make a difference. People that do not work nights just cannot understand how hard it is on you, and that is very frustrating. I seems like even if you do sleep....you do not rest during the day....it is just not the same. I wish you luck, and if nothing is medically wrong then you will just have to sleep, sleep , sleep....and hopefully your body will adjust, and so will your family.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2011

Please try not to worry, these were the EXACT symptoms I had when I worked nights.

Some people can adjust to nights, some can't.

I know you need to work, but life is REALLY too short to feel this way. Please consider other options.

Home care, private duty,,, anything but nights. :yawn:

ICUenthusiast · Jul 25, 2011

I sympathize. I have a sleep disorder myself, so I take a particular interest in such things.. what you may have is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_work_sleep_disorder .. it is definitely worth getting a sleep study done if your insurance covers it. By some off chance you actually have sleep apnea then there's a possible answer, or if you don't, they can rule out most other things and diagnose you with some umbrella diagnoses.

Of course, if you do the sleep test, and the night time sleep test is negative, you will have to stay the next day usually to do nap tests. These are to rule out things like narcolepsy and similar sleep disorders. :)

If they diagnose you, they may give you a script for something like ritalin or provigil. Stimulants carry a lot of stigma amongst individuals, and I had to fight the stigma within my own family.. but after getting diagnosed and taking these drugs, I feel like my life's so much better. Before, it felt like I was always in a fog fighting to stay awake.. now, I'm alert and happy and clear-minded. I just take my script in with me to drug tests just in case. And as for my family? I gave them a big **** off, they don't have to live with my issue and until they do, they aren't allowed to judge. :)

Best of luck, excessive sleepiness can be such a horrible issue and ruin your day-to-day life ;(

Sehille4774 · Jul 25, 2011

I have been on night shift for over 2 yrs now and I am in the same boat! Exhausted all the time, and all I wanna do is sleep on my days off..this has led to me picking up massive amounts of overtime since I don't enjoy my days off anyway..

Same here with the overtime!

I was wondering if the excessive tiredness dispute adequate sleep could be a symptom of depression, maybe stemming from the isolation and effects on my personal life from working nights. But I also think I have sleep apnea. Gonna get a sleep study soon I think.

Sparrow23 · Jul 25, 2011

Sorry, but first thing that popped into my head when I read this was those stupid radio ads that play constantly: "Do you suffer from shift-work disorder? Try Nuvigil!"

:rolleyes:

Note: I am NOT suggesting this!!! This awful ad is just always on and it's stuck in my head!

But seriously, try switching to days, or even evenings. It's amazing what being alert can do for your work and, oh yeah, your life. Good luck, and I hope it's nothing more serious.

Sparrow23 · Jul 25, 2011

And to ICUenthusiast, no offense meant with my previous post as I see you do have this disorder. I am happy that those meds have worked for you. I just really really hate those ads!

NoviceRN10 · Jul 25, 2011

I sympathize. I have a sleep disorder myself, so I take a particular interest in such things.. what you may have is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_work_sleep_disorder .. it is definitely worth getting a sleep study done if your insurance covers it. By some off chance you actually have sleep apnea then there's a possible answer, or if you don't, they can rule out most other things and diagnose you with some umbrella diagnoses.
Of course, if you do the sleep test, and the night time sleep test is negative, you will have to stay the next day usually to do nap tests. These are to rule out things like narcolepsy and similar sleep disorders. :)
If they diagnose you, they may give you a script for something like ritalin or provigil. Stimulants carry a lot of stigma amongst individuals, and I had to fight the stigma within my own family.. but after getting diagnosed and taking these drugs, I feel like my life's so much better. Before, it felt like I was always in a fog fighting to stay awake.. now, I'm alert and happy and clear-minded. I just take my script in with me to drug tests just in case. And as for my family? I gave them a big **** off, they don't have to live with my issue and until they do, they aren't allowed to judge. :)
Best of luck, excessive sleepiness can be such a horrible issue and ruin your day-to-day life ;(

My sister-in-law is a flight attendant who does overnight/overseas flights and she mentioned Provigil to me when we were discussing sleep issues. I'm surprised you don't see that mentioned more often in these forums. Does it work?

Kayemin · Jul 25, 2011

I used to work 12 hour night shifts a few years ago. I too was tired all the time. I could NEVER get enough sleep. I napped all the time. Nothing I tried to decrease my exhaustion worked. My kids started telling people that "Mom sleeps all the time". I felt incredibly guilty about it, but I just couldn't stay awake. I even feel into a depression that I had to take medication for. Finally an opportunity to go to day shift arose and I jumped on it. I knew that I felt really "bad" on nights, but I didn't realize how bad until I went to day shift. I felt like a new person. I was amazed at how much better I felt. Soon I was off the medication and haven't needed it since. That was several years ago. Hang in there and just try to get on a day shift as soon as you can.

I'm ALWAYS tired *sigh*

I'm ALWAYS tired sigh