Hey there. I am 7 months in to my first hospital job and it's policy that you work 12 hour shifts 50/50 day night rotation (once you hit three years you have the option to go full time days). I'm really struggling with nights. I've always been a morning person and they are very hard on me and my body. I tried different schedules: a month of nights and a month of days/ two weeks nights two weeks days/ randomly doing a night shift in the same week that I work days... nothing really makes me feel any better. I don't sleep well during the day, so I'm a walking zombie on nights, and very nauseous. I tried Prilosec and Tums for my stomach but no effect. I purchased black out curtains, a sound machine, I stop eating/drinking 3 hours before I attempt to go to sleep.... I eventually went to a doctor to get a prescription for trazadone, xanax, and zofran to get to relax enough to get more sleep (slight improvement there, but still struggling) zofran kinda helps when i feel sick but then i get sleepy so.... pros and cons.
Now, I love my unit. My manager is great, my co-workers are great, the experience I am getting is awesome. We all work hard and work as a team. I'm on the ICU and I don't ever want to go to another specialty, or even try another unit because I can't imagine it could ever be better than the one I am on. From the beginning I've felt welcomed and supported. Some days are tough, but that's okay. I can deal with being tripled and without a tech or sec, no complaints. I am good at staying calm when I'm in the middle of a code or talking to a crying or angry family member or patient.
But the nights.... I feel so awful while I work them and I feel like I've tried everything. I know everyone has to do their time.... But I am at the point where once I hit my year to just go PRN and work mainly days at a clinic. I want to tell my manager that I'm struggling with the night shifts (he is a good manager and usually very understanding), but I am nervous about it....
Make sure you're trying the melatonin early enough too - it should be taken several hours before you want to sleep.
Melatonin is ANOTHER drug added to the regimen. No med is free of complications. I have had a patient stroke due to melatonin. OP needs to stop medicating.. and start managing their work hours.
I really like the idea of looking into straight nights. Rotating is the worst. Maybe if you did another year of straight nights they'd waive the rotating requirement and then if you still hate nights go to days.
I have found that the mindset is huge. Talking to yourself about how much you hate them really does make them harder to do. When I was doing them.....straight home after work. Eat a light breakfast. Shower. Tylenol, benedryl, aromatherapy lotion/oils, black out curtains, very loud HEPA filter in room for white noise and air circulation. Lower the temp in the room. A/C if necessary.
I used to work a day shift weekend program. I'd do a 12 hour shift on Saturday and Sunday, then work a 12 hour night shift at my prn job on Monday night.
Usually I was so tired from my weekend shifts that it wasn't a problem to sleep in on Monday. I'd get through that shift then have Tuesday through Friday to recover.
You're manager might let you work a schedule like that if you're willing to sacrifice your weekends.
It sucks to give up your weekends, but on the plus side, you get 4 days off in a row to recover. Plus, it's easier to run errands during the weekdays when everybody else is working. And if you want to get away for a few days, the hotel rates will be cheaper on weekdays.
This makes a lot of sense for someone in OP's situation and would be what I'd want to try. Even if it was just to complete the year.
Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.
Oh man, I feel your pain and you have my sympathy. Rotating shifts are awful, dangerous and should be illegal. I worked full time nights at my first job and when I moved, the only option was nights or rotating. There were no full time day positions. I really liked day shift so I did the rotating thing for about a year and a half. I was better rested when I worked straight nights, let me tell you. Your body never knows what it's supposed to be doing. I was either nauseated all the time or starving. I was either falling asleep at the dinner table or so wired I couldn't even imagine resting. I freebased coffee, Zzquil and melatonin, depending on the situation. And wine. Not all at the same time, though. I was grouchy, never had the energy to work out, and had a really hard time spending time with my family. The only people who understood were my coworkers who were all equally screwy.
You're in a real pickle. It sounds like you are on a great unit that you really enjoy in a specialty that's both challenging and hard to enter. Part of me wants to tell you to stick it out for 3 years until you can do FT days but three years is a VERY long time to wait, especially when the shift is making you physically ill. Too many nurses subject themselves to physical harm all for the sake of the job and that's a culture we need to move away from, sooner rather than later.
I've heard of rotating shift struggles but your circumstances seem extraordinary. I would maybe try getting documentation from your physician and speaking to your manager. It sounds like your coworkers are pretty understanding and friendly so hopefully they don't get all bent if you get to switch to day shift.
Good luck with this. I'm sorry to hear that these shifts are ruining what sounds like an otherwise excellent job.
Be grateful that you have what it takes to be an ICU nurse, and that you've found a good unit with people who like you. Some of us wish we had that ability and that experience.
Coming from someone who works strictly nights, you will have a much easier time keeping the same sleep schedule working straight nights. Even on my nights off i make sure to stay up until at least 6am so that i'm on a semi steady sleep schedule. You will feel less lagged and won't have to rely on meds to fall asleep. Also, Like someone else said previously, rotating shifts have been proven to be terrible for your health.
I feel your pain, OP. So many people dislike their coworkers, bosses, or jobs in general. Here you've got what sounds like a great environment yet the hours are doing you a tremendous disservice.
I can only echo what others have said. See if you can get on straight evening or straight night shift, give up your weekends if need be in order to be on a straight shift, try Ambien, Benadryl, Melatonin, maybe Dramamine, there are others (Compazine) that might give you some deep sleep, and all the other things - phone off, white noise, dark shades, and so on.
Try talking to your boss and get creative. Don't just present him with a problem, but offer a couple of solutions, as suggested here.
Id find a different job and start looking, that to me is the dumbest thing ever, you need to A train on the shift you are going to work as things have different rhythms . you're body wont be able to adjust and the stress of a new job then working midnight and days, it took me months to half a year to adjust to midnight's and thats all i worked.
It's most likely the rotation that's throwing you off so bad, not the nights. If your facility allows, I would consider switching to nights full time until you are eligible for days. And why I understand that nights aren't ideal, (I'm a day lover but am working nights for the time being), you will most likely adjust better to the set schedule. Some people just can't rotate. It gives them anxiety just thinking about the switch. And that's okay.
If if that's not an option here are some tricks I've learned. Stay away from booze unless you have the next 24 hours off. Even two glasses of wine can have a poor effect on sleeping.
Whether you are working days or nights, follow the same routine the best you can. If (when working days) you come home and have dinner then watch tv for an hour before bed, do the same when you work nights. Falling into bed, desperate to sleep is a guarantee that sleep will be evasive.
Stick with the longest rotation possible. The less you have to switch, the better off you'll be. figure out which switch is hardest for you to do and get the max days off between them to slowly adjust your body.
Bring healthy snacks and munch regularly through the night. It's not unusual for people to have blood sugar issues when they're overtired, leading to nausea. Also wear layers. Often the temp drops at night and we get cold. If you find yourself sitting a lot at night, get up and move around.
Maintain at least a similar schedule on your days off. You don't have to be up until 8 but try to stay up until 3 or 4am and sleep late.
And lastly, put your phone on do not disturb, (it will let calls go through if someone calls repeatedly). But threaten family and friends with physical harm if they bug you during your sleeping time. If they ignore your request, start calling them at 3am to discuss whether or not you should've chosen a different color polish when you got your pedicure two days ago. They'll get the hint really quickly.
Lastly, if you just can't hang and nothing is working, explain to your manager what is happening and say that you want to stay there more than anything, but you just can't do it. She might know of another critical care department opening that doesn't require rotation, or at the very least, you'll have an excellent reference.
Specializes in Med/surg,orthopedics,emergency room,.
It sounds like you have a great group of co workers as well as a good unit. I would at least speak with my manager and tell him you are having a hard time (physically) adjusting to nights. I worked nights for over 10 years, and I STILL sometimes feel like a vampire!! Some folk just aren't the "night shift" kinda folk! See if you can get your rotation shortened maybe? I hated rotating but it was like that. Once I didn't have to work night, trust me, I DID'T!!!! Now depending on the assignment I work dayshift and evenings. One trick I learned was I would stay up about an hour or so after I got off, to wind down, then I would hit that bed!!! It is an adjustment! Good luck, and good night?!
Been there,done that, ASN, RN
7,241 Posts
Melatonin is ANOTHER drug added to the regimen. No med is free of complications. I have had a patient stroke due to melatonin. OP needs to stop medicating.. and start managing their work hours.