vent for those who work midnights

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

WHY WHY WHY can't people be more understanding of those of us who work midnights?????

This is a small incident but apparently it's the straw that broke the camel's back. My friend "L" and I were on the phone and she wanted me to meet her for something. I was like, "I don't know. I'm really tired. I got up early." She says (kinda smugly), "Early? It's 4 pm. I've been up since 6 am." Now mind you, she hasn't worked in 2 years. I kinda snapped back, "Yeah, early. I went to bed at 10 am after working all night." (Late for me.)

I used to date a guy who insisted (along with his mother) that I was lazy for "sleeping all day." Uh you sleep when I work!!!!! When, exactly, am I supposed to sleep????? Grrrrrr!!!!

I have to leave my phone turned off because my mother (who also hasn't worked in years) insists on calling and texting me during the day for nothing. Then she gets mad because I don't answer. There was an emergency last year but they couldn't get a hold of me because my phone was off. And I said, "That's because you call me all the time and wake me up! When it's ok for me to call you just to say hello at 2 am, I'll pick up the phone at 10 am." And she still calls me during the morning, so my phone stays off.

Just complaining. It's so annoying. Please have some consideration for those of us who work a different shift than you!:uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3:

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I completely understand what you mean!!

My dear mother had a court date this morning and she woke me up at 10 am banging at my door (just after I fell asleep from a night shift) to accompany her. She was actually shocked when I said "absolutely not" considering I have to work tonight as well!! She definitely ruined my sleep and now I'll be a zombie. Then she called me around 1 pm in reminder to pick up my little brother from school. I can't seem to get her to understand I work nights!!!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i had that problem when i worked straight nights. i solved it by actually calling my folks at 2 or 3 in the morning just to chat. dad used to work nights, so i would have thought he'd get it . . . he did get it after just one 2am phone call! i've done the same thing to friends who just didn't get the message.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Yeah, I keep my phone off. My parents were clueless. I worked nights even when I started college and they would be like " you have this to do or that to do" I already only got a few hours becuase I took daytime classes and worked last night.

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Working afternoons isn't much better - home from work at 12:30, in bed around 1:30 - 2:00, mother in law always liked to call about 8:00 - oh are you asleep?! Or be knocking on the door at 9:00. If we were up, we'd be in our robes. GRRRR....

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People just dont understand. I also am made to feel lazy for "sleeping all day" but I work 12 hour night shifts and I am TIRED. I try to keep to my schedule on days off too, so I dont have to reprogram my body. I dont know how I will ever be able to take a vacation or leave my phone on. Even my husband gets anooyed with my sleeping sometimes, although he seems to be coming around.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

I love that hubby (who is home suring the day) guards me like a dragon guards its egg. No calls or visitors unless its an emergency. I actually get a little mad when he lets me sleep too long. Lol. But I still get my mom or random relatives calling in the middle of the day.

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Specializes in PP, Pediatrics, Home Health.

I hate how people don't understand.My mom used to work nights as a CNA when I was about 2 years old and hasn't worked there in years.She bragged all the time that she could work 3 nights shifts in a row without having any sleep because she was looking after me, my sister and my baby cousin while my aunt worked days so she couldn't get any sleep in until the weekend.She gets frustrated with me all the time!I vary between night and day shifts, but when I work nights I just want my sleep!I usually do have to stay up until my hubby gets home or get a 2 hour nap in when my daughter takes a nap because my mom doesn't think she needs to look after my daughter just so I can get some sleep in.It frustrates me to no end!Just because she could do it, doesn't mean I can do that too!

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Specializes in Correctional Nursing, Orthopediacs.

This was so good and true. Hate rude people that think I do not need sleep after staying up all night.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

My parents were too funny when I worked overnights. They knew I'd answer them even if I was sleeping. (I worked full time nights while going to school full time, and lived with them.) At the time I had much better credit than they did, so they'd ask me to 'borrow' my credit card to visit my siblings at school out of state.

I didn't use my cards much and wouldn't realize what happened until I got my statement that included a charge for a hotel in WV. (They always paid the bill at least). It was pretty funny sometimes.

They were good at least, in that they helped me put light blocking shades in my room and my mother wouldn't start her "wake-up" calls until around 4PM if she knew I had to be back at work by 7PM.

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i had that problem when i worked straight nights. i solved it by actually calling my folks at 2 or 3 in the morning just to chat. dad used to work nights, so i would have thought he'd get it . . . he did get it after just one 2am phone call! i've done the same thing to friends who just didn't get the message.

this is the perfect solution for those who just "don't get it." people who think only of themselves will generally not recognize their own rudeness until they made to experience it directly.

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Specializes in LTC.

I'm not working nocs anymore, but I used to and my husband would always call me on his lunch break for no real reason, just wanting to chat. He finally got the hint when i started calling him at 3 am when I took my break just to see what he was up to. If he had a day off when I had worked the night before and needed to sleep, by noon he would be asking me "When are you going to get up? Are you going to sleep all day?" Grrrr. Still makes me mad thinking about it and it's been a year and a half since I was working straight nocs.

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