I started a night shift position a few months ago on a med-surg floor and am not tolerating it well at all. I used to sleep like a baby, anytime anywhere, and now the most I can sleep is in 4 hour chunks, day or night.
I have tried all the suggestions: black-out shades, masks, fans, warm baths, relaxation techniques before bedtime, adhering to a night schedule on my "days" off, etc etc... and I still get very interrupted sleep. I'm exhausted all the time and it's doing a real number on my migraines. I have CONSTANT headaches and neck pain. Also, I feel my dysthymia threatening to crawl back in my life. In short, I'm miserable.
I'm not a new grad and actually left a nice job with regular hours for this current job. Why? In hindsight, it was due to part peer pressure, the "grass is greener" phenomenon, the offer of much more money, and better benefits. So there lies the dilemma. This current job offers fantastic benefits and, yes, much more money. The current job offers free healthcare for life if you stay with them for a certain number of (several) years which my old job does not offer.
I do have the option to go back to my old job but they only have a per diem position open for me. I could go on my spouse's insurance, however, if I took the per diem position at my old job, and I'm sure I could eventually move back into a full-time position in time with full benefits.
Basically, I'm at a quandary because I feel so physically miserable and am not crazy about the current job. I think I was crazy to leave my old position to work the floor again, especially when I know so many nurses are trying to leave the floor! Also, the current place I work is behemoth, and sometimes I feel I've sold my soul to work there. The culture there is... weird and different, to say the least. But long-term and practically-speaking, it would be great for me, if my body could just tolerate this God-forsaken shift. In the short-term and health-wise, I think going back to my old job would be wiser. What should I do??
I've worked night shift for years both straight nights and rotating shifts, also worked full time nights with other responsibilities, like full time school. I prefer the night shift work atmosphere. However, I have to say that I truly believe a good deal of my downhill health state is attributed to working nights as well as working too much. If I had it to do over, I would have opted for the sunlight because the reasons I willingly worked like this never panned out. I would prefer to have good health now. I could be just as miserable but at least my failing health wouldn't be contributing to my misery.
I have been working the night shifts in a couple of hospitals for 10 - 15 years now, and I love it! Wouldn't trade it if they offered me the same pay to go to days. I am by my nature a very structured and organized person, and from my experience, this is next to impossible to achieve on a day shift. What with patients coming and going for various appointments and tests, Drs needing this and that (right now!), administrators wanting to call a meeting or an inservice right in the middle of 10 things going on, and phone calls from a variety of other depts., I can never seem to get my feet on the ground. I always feel like I'm chasing my tail, and the ones who suffer are the patients. There is just never time to offer a kind word or doing something out of the way for them. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for nurses on days working under these conditions, which is why I seldom give anyone a hard time about leaving some things undone at the end of their shift. "Don't worry about it, I'll get it" has always been my outlook. I like the feeling of being able to pace myself, of being able to give some comforting words to alleviate a patients fears, of feeling like I'm actually accomplishing something. In other words, maybe it's just your focus that's causing the problems. Patient care first, extra money as a pleasant aside. Along this line of thinking, if you have many obligations during your days (family, friends, appointments), this will cause a lot of chaos to your sleep patterns. Extra money will never be as important as your health. Try changing your focus a little, not just sleeping tricks, and see what happens. I hope this helps a little. Good luck.
Specializes in Labor/Delivery/OR/Pediatrics/Nursery.
SqueakRN,
How long have you been taking the Topomax? I was started on it for migraines as well, and it took approximately three weeks or so to become 'normal' after beginning. The symptoms of the Topamax were extreme fatigue, nervousness, nausea and restlessness. It's important to get to the theraputic level for migraine control of 200mg BID (If I am not mistaken) in small dosage increases. It worked well for me once I got to that level. I have since stopped taking it now for a few weeks, due to decreased appetite and weight loss. I have worked the night shift for 5 years and there have been some sleep problems here and there, but would not work days for twice the pay. One medication I use PRN is Sonata. It's an older medication, but works very well. It is said to put you into REM sleep more rapidly. It only requires about 4 hours of sleep (unlike Ambien and others), and you wake up refreshed, but is also effective for longer periods of time. It also does not have the reputation of sleep walking/activities that Ambien is known for. Just a thought... In the long run, as others have stated, your health must be the number one priority. Good luck to you!!
That night shift....ugh...nights are just not for everyone. I'm a new grad. So of course I was thrown on nights, which I hated. I was recently blessed to go work in a doctors office with better hours and pay. No more night shifts and I want go back. Good luck just remember to think about your health!!!
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
For me it was not. I took a lower-paying job because I couldn't handle nights anymore. It was affecting my health, my weight and my depression in a big way. I've been working days again since September and I'm a MUCH happier person.
Ruthfarmer
153 Posts
You may not live to work the 25 years. Leave the night shift pronto!