Night Nursing

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Hi! I have just recently started an ICU position as a new grad. It was a 24 week program and I think it really helped me feel more comfortable.

My question is.......How do new nurses adjust to working nights...especially if you have never done it before? Do you sleep for shorter periods of time? When do you run your errands?

I am finishing my orientation and headed to nights as well. I'm a night owl so I think I can manage on my work days. My question is... what schedule do you keep on your days off?

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Specializes in Telemetry.

I sleep normal hours on my days off, go to bed around 8pm though. If I work one night then work the following I take 2 benedryl and sleep from about 9am-4pm. If I have the next night off I come home and nap for an hour or two then go to sleep normally around 9 or 10 that night......goodluck!!! It isn't so bad!

I always considered myself a morning person but almost a year into night and I love it. I actually had to wake up at 530 am for jury duty one morning and I just about died having to get up!!! Normally I wake up early anyways..about 7 or so, but just going through the motions....I cant imagine myself doing days.....

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This is a great thread. Im going to be working a 32 hour position 11p to 7 am. I believe it will be rough in the beginning but hopefully it will work out.

Just have to get into a schedule.

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Specializes in Pediatric neurosurgery/general pediatric.
I'm so glad to see this thread! I just accepted my first nursing job in ICU, too - also on nights (7p-7a). I've never worked nights in my life and am a little terrified by it. Not sure how well it's going to work out with my family (2 little kids) as well. Any tips for handling motherhood and working nights? :)

I have three kids and work nights. I have found that most of us night shift moms with small kids try to catch up on sleep on our days off. I know that I can't do three nights in a row. I do two in a row then another during the week. My smallest is 22 months, so it is difficult. I try to sleep as much as possible the night before and try to take a nap before work. Coffee is what keeps me going. Bottom line I go without sleep more than I should, but sleep when I can. As you do more nights you will find what works best for you. Congrats on your new job!

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Specializes in CVICU.

I work 3 nights in a row, and my solution to the sleep problem involves champagne and orange juice. :coollook: Tastes great next to an egg sandwich, and puts me right to sleep. :zzzzz

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i did nights for 6 months and changed to days.......they way i got through was if i had work i would come home at 8 and sleep til 4 or 5 id get up get a shower and eat and go to work if i dint have work the next day i would come home at 8 and sleep right away until like 2 or 3 and i would forcce myself to get up i would eat, run , do errands making myself tired enogh that when 9 or 10 rolled around i could sleep throught the night and be backon a normal person schedule.....until i had towork again and then i would get up early that morning do my errands and come home by 1 and nap till 4 or 5 again and then shower eat and go to work......its hard but somepeople love it.....i couldnt do it i was sick and losing wt so i went to days ....people say do it for a year and you'll know....but trust me.....in 4- 6 months you know

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Perinatal, Float.

I've worked nights most of my years as a nurse, have 3 kids and worked at some point in all of thier infancies, even homeschooling and building a house...that was tough. now all 3 are in school so I don't have to cram my work time on weekends. On weekdays my husband would stay home to watch the kids so I could sleep in the morning. Now he doesn't have to, I wake up before the first kid gets home from school. the best thing I have started doing now is lay down a couple hours before work. You have to really guard that time though... sometimes dh will plan an evening out...argh! I have to remind him I have to work and I dont do well without my nap first! (my shift: 11-7)

It is tempting for other people to realise you are always home (during thier waking hrs) so think you are always available, but you really have to guard your sleep time!

Question: do any of you take Ambien or Lunesta or something like that?

my husband said if I had to resort to drugs that I should quit nights. I do pretty well getting sleep when I need to, but there are times when it is harder. that is when I usually take a benadryl. 2 benadryls give me that paradoxical reaction which is really inconvenient!!

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Specializes in NICU.
Question: do any of you take Ambien or Lunesta or something like that?

my husband said if I had to resort to drugs that I should quit nights. I do pretty well getting sleep when I need to, but there are times when it is harder. that is when I usually take a benadryl. 2 benadryls give me that paradoxical reaction which is really inconvenient!!

I've never taken Ambien, Lunesta, or even Benedryl to help me sleep. Usually in the morning I take a melatonin and it makes me sleepy. It also helps me to stay asleep ..... I sleep better through the day. I used to take Tylenol PM, but I prefer the melatonin now.

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I worked 7p to 7a nights as a tech and now I am working the same schedule as a nurse. I don't have a spouse or children which makes it easier to sleep days without missing the family.

These are some of the things I have found helpful.

1) Keep the room dark, I have thick black curtains to help with that.

2) Turn off the ringer on your phone or you will be disturbed, and if your phone won't let you turn off the ringer buy a new phone. I keep my cell phone on a charger next to my bed and those people I trust not to bug me with something that is not important have been told they can reach me on that phone. This works mostly because I don't give out that number to everyone.

3) Keep the same or similar sleep schedule on your days off as much as you can. Your body adapts to a particular wake/sleep schedule and trying to go back and forth between sleeping days and sleeping nights can be very hard on you.

4) Find the late night or 24 hour stores/resturaunts/movie theaters in your area if they exist. It is not uncommon for me to do my shopping at 3am.

5) For those things you can't do at 3am try to schedule them for on the way home or after you normally wake up. I usually sleep from 9am to 5 pm and that leaves me a few hours in the evenings to do the things I can't do late at night.

6) If you have trouble adjusting find something that will help you get to sleep. I keep some sleeping pills in the bathroom and if I am still awake at 9:30 am I usually will take one to help me get to sleep. If sleeping pills are not your thing find something that works for you.

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Specializes in Medical.

I've been working nights now for six months and have recently asked to go to a different shift. I became so depressed, quit seeing my friends, family, didn't want to go anywhere or do anything. All I was doing was working and sleeping. Now after reading all of your posts I wonder if I made a mistake because I love the shift, the nurses, no ancillary staff around etc. But when 10:30 rolled around I became miserable having to leave my family and go to work. What to do? What to do? Nursing hours suck. I was so looking forward to having a different schedule than the normal 8 to 5 that I've done all my life, but have found that I am a person that needs routine in my life and with nursing you just don't get it.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I've only been on nights for about 1 month now (7p-7a) but I am doing prettygood with it so far. I use Lunesta occasionally (like when I have to get up early to run an errand before work) so I can sleep when I need to. If I don't absolutely HAVE to get to sleep at a "normal" time for a day person, then i just let my body decide when to go to bed. If I have to get to sleep so I can get up the next morning, I take Lunesta. Its working for me pretty well so far.

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Specializes in NICU.

3) Keep the same or similar sleep schedule on your days off as much as you can. Your body adapts to a particular wake/sleep schedule and trying to go back and forth between sleeping days and sleeping nights can be very hard on you.

4) Find the late night or 24 hour stores/resturaunts/movie theaters in your area if they exist. It is not uncommon for me to do my shopping at 3am.

5) For those things you can't do at 3am try to schedule them for on the way home or after you normally wake up. I usually sleep from 9am to 5 pm and that leaves me a few hours in the evenings to do the things I can't do late at night.

6) If you have trouble adjusting find something that will help you get to sleep. I keep some sleeping pills in the bathroom and if I am still awake at 9:30 am I usually will take one to help me get to sleep. If sleeping pills are not your thing find something that works for you.

All good advice! Regarding these hints...

3. I do this pretty often. It drives my husband crazy, but if I try to flip flop my days and nights too much, I get really screwed up. It's just easier to stay up pretty late on your nights off and sleep in the next day. Not totally the same schedule, but maybe go to bed at 4am and sleep until noon. If you try to go to bed at 9pm on your days off and wake up by 6am, you're going to screw yourself up! Of course, once you have a family this is going to be impossible, but if you don't have kids yet, try staying a night owl on your days off.

4. I do most of my grocery shopping in the middle of the night. I also have some friends that work nights (not at my hospital) who I'll meet for a 10 or 11pm movie, then we'll go to a 24-hour diner or Denny's and chat until 4 or 5 am. It's really great to do this on our first nights off, because we've already slept all day.

5. I do a lot of my errands in the morning on my way home. I'll go to the post office, bank, etc. That way I can get it done, then go home and go to sleep until it's time to get ready for work. This works better for me than going right home to sleep, then trying to wake up early and get my errands done before work. I sleep better knowing I've already done what I needed to do for that day. Plus, I'm not driving home from work like a zombie because my bedtime is more like 10 or 11am (sleep until 5:30pm) and I'm not exhausted yet.

6. It's good to develop some sort of routine to get your mind and body ready for sleep. Some take a bath every morning and then go to sleep. Others read. I personally play on the computer for an hour or so, then watch TV until I fall asleep. If I'm still up when Gilmore Girls is over (ends at 10:30am) then I know I need to go to bed. My trick to sleep, in bed or on the couch, is that when I start to feel the sleepy pangs, I immediately turn over to my other side. Sounds weird, but it's my way of signalling to my body that I'm ready for sleep. It started when I'd always watch TV before bed - when it was time to sleep, I'd just roll so I had my back to the TV and it helped my brain shut down. Weird, but true.

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