new night shift nurse always tired on days off

Davey Do · Nov 13, 2018

I hear you, ddrn97!

When I worked 8 hour MNs for about 10 years and stayed on a MN schedule, I was as fine as frog's fur. When I worked both 8's and 12's, it was difficult. I've been working straight 12 hour MN shifts for nearly two years now and am still not moving in greased grooves.

During the Summer I try to change to a day schedule on my days off, you know, with the long hours of sunlight, nice weather and stuff. Heavy duty exercise helps with this: I work out, do long bike rides, and am active in other ways on my transition day. I feel exhausted and easily sleep at night on my days off and do okay.

Now that it's cold and the days are shorter, I allow myself to sleep to my heart's content and more or less stay on a MN schedule.

When I was 25 years younger and worked 12 hour MNs, it was no problem. Heck, I worked full time, did HH per diem, did jobs as a free lance artist, and TCB's without problem!

Now that I'm nearly 62 years old, after I work my three twelves, I feel like I deserve recognition and laurels!

Good luck, ddrn97!

boywithacoin, BSN · Nov 13, 2018

I'm a night owl anyway, so I maintain my NOC schedule all the time, unless I'm off for an extended period of time or have to be up during the day for something. Switching to a day schedule is really hard on me, and I end up, like you, feeling like I'm sleeping all the time, day and night. Some of my younger coworkers can flip flop back and forth, but it's easy enough for me to just structure my life to a night-time schedule.

That being said, supposedly anchoring sleep is very useful for shift workers in making sure they're getting enough quality sleep. You can google it, but basically, it's where you make sure that you're sleeping at the same 3-4 hour time period every day, regardless of whether you're working. So, for example, maybe you sleep from 0800-11000 every day, even on your days off. so your work days could look like sleeping 0800-1600, and your days off look like sleeping 0100-1100.

I don't know, I require a lot of sleep regardless of night or day sleeping. Give me 9 hours at least, please.

angiebelle440 · Nov 13, 2018

You are telling my story! It isn't so bad in the summer, but now that the sun is lower, I am sleeping a lot more- especially if I roll over and fall back asleep at about 1600- because it's dark out by 1700 here, I might just sleep way later than I intended.

If you feel like something is wrong, though, it doesn't hurt to get checked out. My PCP was very much against shift work, and would ask me when I was switching to days every time I would see her. It's been 8 years now- I'm pretty happy here.

It is true that the first day off is kind of a twilight zone day- useless, even, if you just have one or two days off before another chunk of work days. I have to switch to the Bright Side on my chunk of off days- I have 4 kids and a husband that works, so they need Mama around. So every other week I get 6 days off in a row. Some weeks off are better than others energy-wise- I haven't found a reliable formula yet. I figure if I'm tired, I should take it easy and sleep when I can- maybe my body is fighting off something. Exercise, good food, activities, outdoors and fresh air, and light is all good stuff for the waking hours.

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Nov 13, 2018

I use to love nights when I was young and single.......6years ago I was working 12's in an ER...... I felt obligated to be awake when my husband got home 4-5......so I had to do the supper preparation thing, maybe laundry multitask......when you work nocs ,we are working against our natural biological clock........but after a while our bodies adjust to our new biological clock..." I don't mean this ugly, but if I was single, or widowed...." I would still be knocking down 12 s at the ER on noc... Shift-- today I do 3/4 time, approaching full time inhome health...... but I guess since I'm 69.5 years old, sometimes feeling tired is natural.....

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 13, 2018

I am a new grad nurse who is working on the night shift for about a month. I love night shift and prefer it as opposed to day shift. When I am working, I do not feel tired. I also have no problem sleeping during the day. However, on my days off I feel exhausted and feel like I am wasting my days. I do not want to do anything on my days off because I feel so tired. If I worked the night before, that whole day after work I sleep and get up around 5 pm. Then, I start to feel groggy and tired by 10-11. I will take an hour or two nap and then be up all night and sleep for a couple of hours overnight. The next day i will be up early, then feel tired around noon and go back to sleep and then sleep all day and take another really late 10 pm nap. I have always loved taking naps but I never felt like I needed to sleep this much before I started this job. Has anyone else on nights experienced problems with feeling tired like this? I am hoping I can figure out a better sleeping schedule on my days off but I am starting to worry if something is physically wrong with me causing me to feel constantly tired.

When you're a new grad, it's pretty normal to be exhausted on your days off, days or nights. You are transitioning from being a student to being "the nurse" and there is a lot of stress in the transition. I remember when I started (on days and evening shift, so 7-3 and 3-11), I was so tired I could barely force myself to do anything on my day off, including grocery shopping, cooking or laundry! I've also experienced the same thing after medical leave . . . come home from a shift and go straight to bed until the next day.

There's an outside chance that there's something physically wrong with you -- it's worth a visit to your PCP if you're worried. But I think it's probably just what we used to call "reality shock."

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Nov 13, 2018

I find it easiest to stick to my nights schedule on days off. Whereas between shifts I might sleep 0900 to 1600 or something, on days off I'm do 0400 to 1200 or around there. Any possibility of doing that?

If you need or prefer to be awake during the day, I know a lot of people who try to be up by 1200 to 1400 when they sleep after their last shift. I've tried that and it is miserable, lol, but it can be done. It helps to get up and immediately go exercise or run errands, and then you can try to be in bed a little earlier that night.

You're only a month in; it'll get easier! Your body will adjust and your days off will feel more productive and meaningful soon, I promise. Hang in there!

cleback · Nov 13, 2018

That was me on nights. Sorry to not be more hopeful but I don't know if it will get better. Some people handle nights better than others. Consider it that you're earning your differential on those days.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Nov 13, 2018

You are experiencing difficulty with switching your circadian rhythm. Some people can do it, some can not. I could not do it. I slept the entire time I was not working. And I was still tired.

Best wishes to you... I will bet the rent you need to get on day shift.

xcontra57 · Nov 14, 2018

I am in the same situation. New Grad RN on night shift. I have finally found what works for me. On my first day off I only sleep for 2-3 hours. Then I go to bed later that night at a normal time with my wife. The next day I wake up feeling refreshed. It still sucks because you pretty much spend that first day off being tired. But hopefully you have 2-3 days off so the remainder of your days are better.

Leadkrm, RN · Nov 14, 2018

I work 12 hour nights. What I do is my last shift of the week, when I get off in the morning, I only sleep until noon or 2 at the latest. Then I get up and use my day. I'm tired and ready for bed around 10pm-11pm that night. I am back on a day schedule the rest of the week until my next shift.