How do you stay awake?

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So, rumor has it that you all work long hours. How do you all stay awake so long? Tea, Coffee, Red Bull? Is your caffeine tolerance through the roof? Just some light discussion... :)

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I drink half a mnt dew then fill it with monster. That always keeps me going.

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I long ago learned the fine art of sleeping with one eye and one ear open......its really quite fascinating and weird to hear yourself snoring or your whole body seemingly feel like dead weight when your eyes are open and staring at the ceiling! :uhoh3:

Seriously, though......

I suppose it depends on where you work. Hospitals, I'd think you'd be plenty busy but I could see how someone would nod off while doing charting or working at a computer monitor. I've nodded off doing the books a few times....quite a sight to see, I suppose. You could even see where my handwriting would go south, literally. Get plenty of rest at home is about all I can say there!

My line of work, caregiving at supported living homes, that's a lot tougher. Partly because the job itself is easier (and yet still very difficult) in a way. Many, many homes have to have a staff, working alone, in them 24/7 no matter what the weather is like. While housecleaning and diaper care is pretty common, the truth is that in a lot of homes there's not a darn thing to do except make sure the home doesn't burn down late at night. Staying awake then becomes........difficult. A few homes I know of actually have sleep overnights (before you say something, just remember the pay is about 7.00 to 7.50/hr, and very lousy benefits), depending on what the clients' personal plans specify.

You try to find something to do, watch TV, read a book, do an extra cleaning chore (I always made it a point to do that One Extra Good Thing on overnights), read the policy manuals (ours was a stack about 2 feet tall), SOMETHING.

I drank soda pop and ate a lot of carbs, but the obvious problem is its bad for your health in the long run...almost certainly hastened the onset of my diabetes. All those danged bottles of Dr. Pepper. A gal I knew at work even spiked hers with SUGAR CUBES back in the day......as if there wasn't enough sugar in the stuff to levitate a horse. Brr!

In the end, you just have to fight the nods as best you can. I do not think we as human beings are constructed to work irregular hours (I worked a lot of daytime hours too, went without sleep in excess of 60 hours several times) for extended periods of timewithout falling asleep at one time or another. It's like that old wag about masturbation........3% are telling the truth, the other 97% are lying :rolleyes:

Your thoughts?

Tom

PS: I no longer work overnights. While those sleep overnights I hear of sound like a cool way to earn money, I'd rather work days and interact with the clients and supervisors, actually help out in tangible ways instead of just coming and clocking in, clean for half an hour, stay awake however (or not) then leave at 7. Just wasnt really very self satisfying, and then you either lose a lot of worthwhile time sleeping during the day and/or staying up so many hours with inevitable results. :angryfire

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

get plenty of sleep at home! that's difficult sometimes, i know!

i drink a lot of water at work, and allow myself one bottle of diet coke at the start of my shift. being busy helps me to stay awake, and if i'm not busy, i read the er and ghost threads on this forum. (for some reason, there's a lot more humor on the er forum than on the critical care forums!) chatting with co-workers helps, too. eating some fruit helps. (so does eating candy, but fruit is better for you in the long run.) i have nodded off at work -- anyone who tells you they haven't is a damned liar! :rotfl:

i've nodded off while charting and written some real nonsense before my hand slid off the edge of the table . . . fortunately, it's usually illegible! i nodded off once and fell off a chair -- had bruises up my side that lasted for weeks! and once i fell asleep standing up, leaning on the code cart during a code that had lasted for seven hours . . . woke up when the nursing supervisor pushed the code cart out from under me! fortunately, she thought it was funny and didn't write me up. :p

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.

Yep, Getting enough sleep during the day and/or evening is the key to working the Night shift and staying awake. i have one large coffee at the beginning of the shift & water after that. I eat a piece of fruit for my dinner here at about 0300. That's it. Nothing Magic.

When computer charting first began, I would sometimes get very sleepy, but once I got used to it, now it's easy.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

We are always too damn busy to get sleepy

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Call Center RN.

i have nodded off at work -- anyone who tells you they haven't is a damned liar! :rotfl: [/b]

i've nodded off while charting and written some real nonsense before my hand slid off the edge of the table . . . fortunately, it's usually illegible! i nodded off once and fell off a chair -- had bruises up my side that lasted for weeks! and once i fell asleep standing up, leaning on the code cart during a code that had lasted for seven hours . . . woke up when the nursing supervisor pushed the code cart out from under me! fortunately, she thought it was funny and didn't write me up. :p

i have never fallen asleep at work! i take offense to this. i am a natural night person. i drink 3 mountain dews in my 12 hour shifts. i am generally too busy to get any sleep. i get tired between 4:30am and 5:00am so i put drink one of my mountain dews at this time. but that is when it is time to pass my thyroids, and put on my nitro patches and i can't sleep when i am having to run down 4 different halls at one time. :angryfire

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I work 10 hour shifts, from 2 to 12mn.

I get my sleep at home, and plenty of it. Make sure of it.

I'm single, and no children at home, so that makes a huge difference I know.

I used to work 2 jobs, a part time in a nursing home, in addition to the one I have now.

Sometimes I was meeting myself coming or going, but I always made sure I got my sleep at home. I can't go 24 hours with at least 8, so it's a must for me.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I'm ok if I have a drink of water or something to quench my thirst. Perks me right up. If I'm really tired, I need to move around.

But there was that night that I nearly nodded off when taping report. :uhoh21: Until I heard myself mumbling unintelligibly, I never would've thought it could happen!

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I work in the continuing care unit and i do alot of night shifts as well as evenings. I find the hardest part is around 0400 just before residents start ringing. I always feel run down at that time. I don't get too much sleep at home, two kids under 6 is always fun. I do have my stash of coffee and iced mochas to keep me going. :chuckle

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As a 911 operator working 7p to 7a it is hard, sitting on your butt, not moving makes it harder. Just try to sleep at home and I am doing better know I am off the Mtn Dew and work out often.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Big time coffee addict here, and I hate that, because as I age, my stomach is getting a little sensitive. :)

I've been trying to switch to drinking more tea.

I've sat down to chart before and have gotten whiplash a time or two from fatigue in the middle of the night. It's awful.

Sometimes, I get up walk up and down several flights of stairs to wake up.

Usually though, I'm too busy and focused to get tired. It's on the slow nights, when everything is calm, and everything is done that I get really tired and have to up the caffeine intake.

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