Specialties Private Duty
Published Feb 9, 2016
So I'm not a great night person & I'm gonna start NOCs. It's hard enough working nights but in PDN it's even harder because you don't get up & walk around. So what does everyone do to stay awake during night shifts in PDN?
OrganizedChaos, LVN
1 Article; 6,883 Posts
Thank you! I think my body just didn't have time to adjust since I only worked a few nights on the other case. I know I can do it, I just need to adjust my body to it. Thankfully it's only an 8 hour shift.
SDALPN
997 Posts
Give it time. If its not working for you after a couple of months, it may not be for you.
Oh yeah, avoid caffeine so you can sleep when you get home. I'd have a soda when I got to work. After that, no caffeine so I'd sleep when I got home. Good luck!
Thank you. I am a night owl right now, I can't fall asleep before 1 or 2. I'm sure I will be fine once I switch my sleep schedule.
sgdehart
1 Post
Slap yourself in the face as hard as you can tolerate. Just don't let anyone see or hear you do that!
slap yourself in the face as hard as you can tolerate. Just don't let anyone see or hear you do that!
hahahahahahahahahaha!
darliff
10 Posts
Getting yourself on a good sleep schedule helps a lot. I'm a night owl, and frequently was awake until 5-6 am on nights off, but those extra 2-3 hours made a huge difference, in addition to "wind down" time after shift. When I first started I kept a 64 oh ce thermos of coffee with me, and finished it every shift. Now a few cups over the 22 hour and I'm fine.
One of my cases involves me being in the dark room with the pt, and that took a while to adapt. I starting bringing my Kindle and the brighter light while reading vs a book light in a book also helps quite a bit imo.
Thank you everyone for your great tips!!!
Alex_RN, BSN
335 Posts
You will be surprised by how effective a nice crunchy apple can be in perking you up.
JustBeachyNurse, LPN
13,952 Posts
Not something you always want to eat because m:1. Some of these homes have minor infestations and the fruit flies & ants will home in on your fruit. 2. You might wake up your client if too loud.
I'm not a fan of apples anyway. I prefer oranges.
spiderslap
48 Posts
Wow! You are just like me! Monster coffee, stretching, and podcasts in one ear. Yep! At one job i had my whole laptop set up. Youtube rabbit holes...
I have started taking melatonin to get my circadian rhythm to adjust. I also consume caffeine and theanine. I listen to podcasts and bring a book. I also bring a journal to write in if im in the mood. If you can be on your phone or computer, the skys the limit.