Night Shift Question/Advice/Tips

anotherone, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2013

Hello Everyone-
I will be starting working night shift by choice in around 3 weeks; the reason for this is the extra money and I will be able to have open days to attend school.
I thought I would ask some questions to those that have worked or currently do nights.
1) How long have you been/were on nights and what did you find that helped you the most to have a "normal" life?
2) What is/was your sleeping schedule like? Is the room completely dak? How many hrs of sleep do you find are sufficient for you?I know that most people in this floor are allowed to work the 2-3 shifts straight, which is great.
3) Tips/Advice for the night shift person you wish you knew?
Thanks and have a great weekend!

I guess I do not have a "normal " life. I don't really care because I hate day shift and it isn't worth it to me..... I have been working permanent nights 7pm-730am for 2 years. If I have 4 days off in a row, I might try to go to sleep at 2 or 3 am and get up "early" to be up for the day. But if i work 3 nights in a row and have 1 or 2 days off I will NOT be doing that. I rather sleep than get up after 4 hours to go out or do anyting. I might go to sleep the first day at 9am after getting home from work and sleep till 5 or 6 pm. For most of the year that means it is completely dark and I usually stay in . ...... when I am off it is still pretty dark outside until about 7am so i try to go to sleep before than. I many sleep anywhere from 4 to 16 hours a day. It all depends. I have no children or other responsibilities aside from being at work 3 nights a week. Sometimes I take soem benadryl to help me calm down and fall asleep.... I do not have room darkening curtains but am thinking of getting them. because with the sun shining in my face it is hard to sleep!.....

monkeybug · Feb 26, 2013

I worked nights for many years, and it really did a number on my health. I know lots of older nurses that have always worked nights and love it, but I could never adjust. I had some things that I did that helped to make it tolerable.

1. Phones are turned off. Some people will just never get that you need to sleep. I've heard a nurse manager say, "Oh, I'll call her (the night shifter) at 2pm. She should be up by then!" Why? Would nurse manager be up at 2 am? If it's a big enough emergency, some one will come knock on my door. Otherwise it can wait until I'm up.

2. A very dark room. I never found "light blocking" shades or curtains that could block enough light, so I usually would hang blankets on top of the curtains. Or black garbage bags, or aluminum foil. Anything to get the room pitch black.

3. A white noise machine to block out all the ambient noise. This was especially valuable when I worked as a travel nurse and lived in apartment complexes.

4. A cool room. You sleep better if you're cool.

Good luck to you. I enjoyed the work on nights. The pace is different, you don't have to see too many pesky nurse managers, and night shifters as a whole seem to work better as a team. I just couldn't get my body to get with the program! :sniff:

EMEddie · Mar 3, 2013

Thanks everyone for the amazing advice!! More advice is welcome! =)

Morainey, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2013

I used to do one night, four off, two nights, two off, three nights, three off. About a year and a half.

I come home in the AM and putter around a little bit - unload the dishwasher, take care of laundry, etc. Then I take a shower and usually sleep for about 6-8 hours, get up, and go back to work - if I'm going to be off that night I try to get up a little earlier so I don't feel like I "lose" so much time.

Tips and advice? Hmmm... bring HEALTHY food to work to snack on. I always want to graze at night, and I always have fresh fruit, yogurt, and some kind of carb like a bagel or toast. Eating at 5AM really perks me up to get through 6AM meds.

As far as the rest of the world... people don't get that you work nights. People will call you, "stop by but just for a minute", or call your sleep "naps". I finally learned to stand up for myself and tell people (my inlaws, mainly) to stop interrupting my sleep. Don't be afraid to insist on a quiet house (if you have the luxury of one!).

Good luck on nights. I like working on nights, but it requires a lot of adjustment and flexibility. I don't know how people with kids manage though! :confused:

nervousnurse, ASN · Mar 4, 2013

everything everyone else said, but one thing I didn't read was get yourself a DARK mask to cover your eyes. I have known RARE people who can't stand having that over their eyes, but I can tell you, the many years I worked nights, my mask worked at blocking out ALL the light!

As it got more difficult to sleep during the day, along with my trusty DARK mask, I added black-out curtains, too (you can get them at Walmart) ....I'm not sure, but I think the curtains also help block SOME of the temperature extremes in winter and summer?

Oh, and a NOISE MACHINE!!! I literally can NOT sleep without it! I love the "ocean" setting. Not only does it block out other noise, but hearing fake waves crashing is verrrrrry relaxing! (the "babbling brook" setting makes me feel like I need to go potty every 5 minutes....LOL!) I used to just use a fan---whatever your preference is! Some people swear by a low-volume TV or music.

I also think eating a light breakfast might help you fall asleep. I would be lying there at 9 am, trying to sleep with a rumbly tummy. I didn't want to eat RIGHT before going to sleep for obvious reasons, but sometimes I had to.

SO true about phone calls----many people just do NOT understand that you were AWAKE and WORKING all night and might wonder why you're sound asleep in the afternoon! :no:

Good Luck!!! I always had sooo much fun with my night peeps! There's a special camaraderie with night shifters! Oh, and don't be shocked if your coworkers invite you out for a cocktail after work....after all, even though it's 7 am, it's like our "evening".