How do you stay awake?

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Jan 30, 2005

I worked nights 7p-7a for 12 years. For the first 10 years or so I would get sleepy around 0500 but that was also the time to get really busy so it worked out okay. The last couple of years I was getting sleepy after midnight and struggled to stay alert. I finally had to quit because I felt as though it was ruining my health. Praise the night nurses! More power to you! I for one could not do it anymore for any amount of money!

rnmaven · Jan 30, 2005

Night shift is tough......sometimes when you're really busy it's a breeze but since we NEVER get OFFICIAL breaks it's hard to keep going though those 12-13 hours and be totally awake. Believe it or not, we DO try to let the patients get some sleep so for me, that means charting between 1 and 3 AM and as soon as I chart.......BOOM, it's time to fight off the nodding off!

I feel that this wouldn't be half a problem if we could just leave the floor for 1/2 hour, put our feet up and relax. But with the shortage of nurses, you can't leave the floor and burden your comrades with your patients......it just doesn't work. So, we make coffee and eat......two things bad for the body. It's a tough shift.

sillyme · Jan 30, 2005

mountain dew, mountain dew, mountain dew and if you even start to feel a little sleepy..... just start talking with co-workers about the ghosts lurking around, believe me you'll jump at every sound and sleep will be the furthest thing from you mind.

*PICURN* · Jan 30, 2005

Get to sleep EARLY the night before! I have to get to sleep at 9:30pm to get a good night's sleep to be on the road to work @ 6:15

Compton · Jan 31, 2005

mountain dew, mountain dew, mountain dew and if you even start to feel a little sleepy..... just start talking with co-workers about the ghosts lurking around, believe me you'll jump at every sound and sleep will be the furthest thing from you mind.

I am surprised to see how many of you are choosing mountain dew. I thought there would be more coffee drinkers?!?! You know - dark black coffee, huge starbucks coffees with milk and sugar or nutrasweet or splenda... I thought htat was the waker-upper of choice. Surprising.

LindaMarie76 · Jan 31, 2005

Hey Night Shift -

How many of you out there have fallen asleep while driving home?

Linda

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2005

I worked 8 hour night shifts for over 10 years. I do not use caffeine. I did not nap/sleep at work. What I did do was make sure I got a full 8 hour sleep in before coming to work. Caffeine is no substitute for that.

boulergirl, CNA · Jan 31, 2005

How many of you out there have fallen asleep while driving home?

I have almost nodded off behind the wheel several times (I guess they call that microsleep? Where your body gets sleep any way it can if it's deprived long enough?). Never fell asleep, though. Just spent the whole drive doing this :yawn:

As for staying awake at work, I tend to drink coffee with lots of creamer and sugar, or Coke. I'm trying Stevia in my coffee now and it makes me feel different. I feel like this: :smokin:

With sugar or artificial sweeteners, I felt like this: :eek: :sniff: :bugeyes: :lol_hitti

NOT fun...

plumrn, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2005

This made me remember something funny! I remember when we use to tape report, every once in awhile someone would nod off while they were taping! They would start talking really slow, then just nothing-dead air. Then a 'hrrhmmf' & a giggle, and usually, 'oh sorry, almost went to sleep there'.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2005

Hey Night Shift -
How many of you out there have fallen asleep while driving home?
Linda

In the days I live 30 minutes away from work a few of those long traffic lights caught me dozing. Fortunately I haven't fallen asleep while driving. Now I live only 7 minutes away it is better.

MelRNNC · Feb 1, 2005

Starbuck's bottled Frappuccino and a Power Bar at 3 AM

Compton · Feb 1, 2005

As for staying awake at work, I tend to drink coffee with lots of creamer and sugar, or Coke. I'm trying Stevia in my coffee now and it makes me feel different. I feel like this:
With sugar or artificial sweeteners, I felt like this: :lol_hitti
NOT fun...

What is Stevia? I have seen that mentioned a couple times but don't know exactly what it is? Gotta be careful with artificial sweeteners, a lot of people I know don't even realize that Splenda is an artificial sweetener because of the misleading tagline, "It's made from sugar so it tastes like sugar". There are even some lawsuits being filed against them for improper marketing. Anyone hear about that?

btw - I am drinking mountain dew right now becuase of all of you.. :)