Night Shift for DUMMIES

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Anyone working NOCS...RNs, LVNs, CNAs...

Share your hidden secret to everyone how you survive the night shift...How you handle stressful shifts; what you do to get patients to do your bidding etc.

In addition, little known keys to surviving one's days off...how you pamper

self...and dealing with those dreaded Mood changes.:nono: :madface: :uhoh3: :o :uhoh21:

Does this tea have a high caffeine count?

Nope, no caffeine at all. Coffee and caffeine don't help me stay awake, never have. What caffeine does do is not allow me a proper sleep; it keeps me from staying asleep. But it also doesn't keep me awake.

I'm not sure why I like chai so much, it has a very pleasant flavour.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.

chai gives me gas!!!

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Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.

The one thing that really helped me when I worked night shift was to have a routine when I came home from work. I wore sunglasses on the way home (too much sunlight wakes me up), had a rule of no caffeine after 2am, ate a nice bowl of cereal (it is breakfast time after all!) and watched one TV show (nothing too stimulating, I liked PBS). Then, it was off to bed with cardboard blocking the window and my noise machine on "Ocean waves". I didn't have a problem with having my cell phone on my nightstand, because only family and friends have this number and know not to call me unless it is a true emergency. The ringer on the landline was turned off during the day.

Now that I will be working 12 hour shifts instead of 8's, I will probably have to make some adjustments...

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The key to not being tired on nights is a good sleep during the day. I always had to unwind after work. I limited the activities to about 4 hrs. Regardless of when you go to sleep the main thing is that you stay asleep. Turn off or down phones if possible and as said repeated, dark room is a must as well as a mild background noise. I used a small desk fan.

It became so much habit that I can not sleep without the fan on now that I am on days.

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Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.

I'm a 12 hour night shifter.

I love it so far. However, it has been an adjustment. I have to leave my house no later than 6pm to get to work by 7pm. I get up around 515pm, however i'm usually up around 430ish as thats when my fiencee c omes home and decides I should NOT be asleep. lol.

On nights through a stretch I usually eat breakfast/dinner on the way to work and it usually includes some caffeine. Through the night I will drink caf. but now that im used to it i dont get tired too much. In the mornings I get home around 815am, eat something, watch tv and go to bed no later than noon, try by 10, sleep to 5....on the day before my first shift i dont do ANYTHING! I usually have slept the entire night before that but then I try to sleep all day even if i have to take something (which i usually dont bc it makes me super groggy even after i wake up)

On my last day when I get off I get HUGE startbucks coffee as we have a starbucks in our lobby. On my days off I pretty much operate on a 24 hour schedule.

Sometimes Ill sleep till like 4 or 5 in the afternoon then wake up for awhile, then go back to sleep...sometimes I sleep all night and get back on a somewhere normal sched. sometimes I wake up at like 0300 and i;ll be up for hours...i make a lot of middle of the night grocery shopping outings.

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I worked a yr of noc shifts. 2 12's and 2 8 hr. I never got adjusted to nocs no matter what I did. I felt like I was in a daze for a year. Hope it works out for you, I gave it a try but just couldn't hack the sleeping in the day. I tried the darkness, meds, eating before going to sleep, not eatting etc.. Good luck and hope you are not like me!!

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