new nurse, rotating shifts, sleep tips needed!

Published

Specializes in Pediatric Specialty RN.

Hello All,

I searched the threads to try to find an answer to this specifically and I found some that relate to FT nights, but I wasn't able to locate one for rotating shifts, although I'm sure it's been asked before. So I apologize if this is a repeat!

I'm a new nurse on orientation. I just got my schedule for the next few weeks and some of the weeks my schedule is like this: Monday day 7a-7:30p, Wednesday Night, 7p-7:30a and Friday Night 7p-7:30a.

I am trying to figure out when to sleep - or what is the best sleeping schedule for this.

I can stay up late on Tuesday, sleep some during the day on Wednesday and work the night shift Wednesday night. Do I try to take a nap on Tuesday during the day? But how do I get on a schedule with a day between my two night shifts? For example, when I get home from my overnight wednesday, I'm going to want to sleep during the day on Thursday. Do I do that and then try to stay up really late on Thursday again and sleep during the day Friday? Or do I go to sleep regular time on Thursday and try to take a nap for Friday? I'm thinking I almost want to make my schedule like it was 3 nights in a row. Yes? No?

Any advice or tips for rotating shifts would be great. If I were all days or all nights that would be easier probably, but since I'm doing rotating, I don't know when to make my "days" and "nights". These will be my very first night shifts as I lucked out in nursing school and never had to work any. Any guidance would be helpful!

Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

I would sleep 3 or 4 hours Wednesday evening before the night shift, then - when you get home in the morning - sleep another 3 or 4 hours. After that, stay up the rest of the day and sleep the night. This puts you back on a day shift for your day off.

Alternately, you could sleep all day and stay up all night until you finish your Friday night shift, and then sleep 3 or 4 hours Friday morning when you get home. Set an alarm if you need it to wake up after only 3 or 4 hours, because you need to stay up for the rest of the day in order to sleep that night.

I would prefer to do it the first way, but that's me..

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

This isn't at all helpful but good grief. How do employers get away with this? There is no way I could do rotating shifts.

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×

That is an awful schedule. They expect you to flip all in the same week, then don’t even schedule your nights together?

No way would I ever do that. How can any facility think that schedule is ok?

To answer your question, you sleep when you can with that schedule and expect to be tired.

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×

That schedule doesn't sound remotely doable for the long term and I would be having a conversation with my manager regarding common scheduling patterns for the unit once you are off orientation. That being said, for your sanity, I would treat the W-Th-F as three night shifts (sleep during the day on Wednesday and stay up Thursday night). On Saturday sleep for a couple of hours when you get home and then get up and resume a normal schedule. Fair warning, no matter what you do you are going to feel like crap until you get used to this schedule.

4
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Specialty RN.
1 hour ago, Wuzzie said:

That schedule doesn't sound remotely doable for the long term and I would be having a conversation with my manager regarding common scheduling patterns for the unit once you are off orientation. That being said, for your sanity, I would treat the W-Th-F as three night shifts (sleep during the day on Wednesday and stay up Thursday night). On Saturday sleep for a couple of hours when you get home and then get up and resume a normal schedule. Fair warning, no matter what you do you are going to feel like crap until you get used to this schedule.

The good news is this SHOULD only be for the two weeks that’s on my schedule. After that, I work out my schedule with my preceptors and I won’t do this to myself! And after orientation we self schedule so again, I’ll avoid this if I can! I’m required to do half and half day and night shifts, but so many want strict nights on my unit that trading days won’t be an issue...off orientation that is. Most of the other weeks of orientation I’m on strict daylight. I think the issue came because one of my two preceptors will be away so they put me with another preceptor for those two weeks who is a night nurse only.

I’m nervous about this schedule though because I’ve never done night shift!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
23 minutes ago, Nurse Magnolia said:

The good news is this SHOULD only be for the two weeks that’s on my schedule.

Well that sounds much better and confirms that I think you'll do better if you maintain the night shift schedule W-Th-F for that two week period. It won't be fun but it will be less difficult than switching all over the place.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

Whenever you are in such a horrible situation you should plan to "sleep extra". So plan on trying to get at least an extra two to three hours per 24 hour cycle to help offset the effects on your rhythms. You may also find OTC melatonin and various OTC sleep teas useful along with "white noise machines" and blackout curtains, and keeping the house extra cool. Your family should also understand that you are in "combat mode" which is to say right now your primary focus is sleep, and work.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion