How do you do nights?

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Specializes in Peds, developmental disability.

This topic is not altogether new, but we have new posters who work the night shift.

What is the secret to doing 2 or 3 twelves? The tiredness really creeps up on me and my motivation is poor after the first night. I get 8 hours sleep between shifts, but the drive home is long, which limits my sleep hours.

Worst of all, it takes at least a day, maybe more, before I get rid of this feverish, nauseated feeling during my recovery.

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Specializes in Peds(PICU, NICU float), PDN, ICU.

When I worked nights, I kept a regular schedule of being up at night even on my nights off. I'm a might person, so it wasn't too bad. I'm unable to flip back and forth between day and night, so its all or nothing for me. But if I work days, I can work 1st or 2nd and flip back and forth somewhat ok. Because I'm a night person, I have a tendency to want to stay up later after working second shift which ruins my sleep schedule for going back to first. I get the nauseous feeling when I gave to be up earlier than my internal clock wants. But nights are no problem.

Caffeine is my friend on any shift for any length of time. Also bringing things to do helps when all I'm doing is watching someone sleep (ok, ok, monitoring a sleeping pt).

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

I work mostly 8 hr shifts, but 2 of them are 10 hr and I do have the occasional 12 hr shift. I get home around 7:30a and I march upstairs, pop my melatonin, get ready for bed and climb right in. No TV, no eating, no socializing w family. I give myself 7 hrs sleep, sometimes 7.5. I'm fortunate that melatonin does the job quickly.

My kids barely notice the difference- I'm trading the traditional work time for traditional sleep time. I'm up before their school bus drops them off, and I go to work after they are in bed. I can do this with little problem bc my husband is unable to work due to RA and tends to the children's schedule.

I do not find private duty taxing so I usually do 6 nights/week. I find that it's a total waste for me to bother taking many days off, as I'm just puttering around the house alone while my family is in bed. On my nights off (Fridays) I stay up until 3 or 4a, and then get up around 10-11a to enjoy Saturday w my family. Then I try and grab an hour or two nap before I work that night.

I don't always work like this- in the summer I work weekends only, and live on day shift w my kids, take naps before work and drink lots of coffee all night. Also in the summer I take about a month off all together and do camp nursing so my kids can go. It's a good life!

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One of my kiddos is very stable. He sleeps all night and has a continuous feeding. I take my laptop. I start off with watching some movies or tv shows on it. I bring dvds for my laptop if there is no internet. I play some games, read. I also drink a lot of water, take a walk every 30 minutes and wipe down medical equipment.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

I watch movies on Netflix, message my overseas friends, work on my research projects, organize and re-order supplies.

I Have a PICU job 2 nights a week that's 7p-7a and work my private duty case 2 additional nights/ week 11p-7a. On my nights off, I generally stay up until 3-4am and sleep til noon-ish to make the adjustment infinitely easier. My youngest child is 18- so no little kid worries for me any longer.

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Specializes in Peds, developmental disability.

It looks like, for some people, night shift is--all or nothing, for their schedule.

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I work both days and overnights. So I do switch back and forth. I know everyone cannot do that. I work Tue-Sat during the day. On Saturday I take a nap after my day job then go to work for 9pm-5am, come home on Sunday morning and go right to sleep till about noonish, work Sunday overnight 10pm-6am, sleep right after work till noonish, then start my dayshift week all over again on Tuesday. I am doing Sundays temporarily until they find a regular nurse.

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Specializes in Pediatric.

I work one NOC shift per week. I find it terribly challenging. I do think some people adjust to it better than others. At the moment, I have limited options with which to work with, and I need the 7 hours this shift provides.

I always take a long nap before my shift. I drink coffee. I get up and walk around. Sometimes I will do the patient's family dishes. No matter what I do, I always feel my eyes closing. It's hard!

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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Specializes in Lvn to RN, new grad med/surg.

I used to be able to flip back and forth. After 4-5 years, it's much easier to stay up during my nights off and continue my regular schedule even on my days off. Sometimes I end up watching tv by myself while the family sleeps, but I tell myself it won't be forever as I am going back to school, I use the time off and down time at work to work on homework. :)

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