Night shift help

Nurses General Nursing

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I just started a 11p-7a shift in a LTC facility and I am having a hard time adjusting. I am always tired and can't seem to get into a routine. I have only been working for about a week but I don't know how I can go on. I said when I started I will do this for a year and then look for a new job in a hospital, but I don't know if I will last a year. I can use any suggestions you may have for surviving the night shift.

Night shift is not for everyone and it may not be for you. And that is OK. If you cannot adjust ask to go Part time or switch to first or second shift.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Night shift is not for everyone and it may not be for you. And that is OK. If you cannot adjust ask to go Part time or switch to first or second shift.

Night shift isn't for everyone; it makes most of us miserable. But someone has to work it anyway. The OP has only been working night shift for a week -- that's not nearly long enough to know if they're going to be able to adjust or not. Switching to first or second shift isn't always possible -- someone hired for night shift may have to work night shift.

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Specializes in Neuro.

I was searching for a thread like this. I too started working nights 12-8am, it has been about three weeks now and my body is failing me. I'm hoping it gets better. I chop up my sleep. I have a 40 min drive home and to stay up I drink coffee so by the time I get home I'm sleepy and awake at the same time it's very weird. I sleep. 1030-230pm then 7-10pm. I usually wake up disoriented or with a migraine. I love my job, unfortunately I have to pay my dues, by working this shift

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I have been working at least 3-4 nights per week for the last year and I'm not adjusted to it yet. I'm actually miserable. I work 7p-7a. Get home around 8 depending on how the night went and get to sleep around 11 and wake up around 4:30-5. I just feel like I can't get enough rest and that my body is falling apart. I think I need a change but don't think I could cope with day shift in this particular facility.....any suggestions???

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It took me about 2-3 months to get used to working NOC. Blackout curtains are a must.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.

It's rough. I work nights Thursday/Friday/Saturday and stay home with 2 small boys the rest of the week. So I flip flop. I take a unisom to sleep during the day. My sleep is split. I sleep about 10a-3-4 pm and then again from 6:30ish-9:30pm. I've worked nights 6 years and it can still be rough sleep wise, even when I was full time nights. Ear plugs, ohm sound conditioner and black out curtains.

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Specializes in long term care Alzheimers Patients.

I have been working 2300-0730 for over 7yrs now .I still have trouble sleeping. I usually stay up until about 1330 and try and sleep 2130.Don't always sleep but I try and relax.

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Night shift isn't for everyone; it makes most of us miserable. But someone has to work it anyway. The OP has only been working night shift for a week -- that's not nearly long enough to know if they're going to be able to adjust or not. Switching to first or second shift isn't always possible -- someone hired for night shift may have to work night shift.

Some people do know after a week that they will not be able to adjust working nights. I am one of them and know several nurses who couldn't do nights after working just one night shift. Someone does have to work night shift but no one really has to if they truly don't want to. The OP has options. She can either tough it out until another shift opens up or stay on nights and hopefully she will adjust. There are many nurses who prefer nights over day shifts so the " someone has to do it " motto doesn't really apply 100 percent of the time.

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2.5 years of night shift here. I have learned that it's very unhealthy to flip-flop. It's much more bearable to stay at least halfway on the night schedule on your nights off work. I work 7PM-7:30 AM. On my nights off I stay up until 2 AM and sleep until 11AM or noon. I don't miss out on life that much-- still have half the day to live! :-) On the day *before* my next work day, I stay up until 4 AM and wake up at 2PM. Then I am fully rested for night shift.

I only totally flip my schedule if absolutely needed, such as important medical appt or if I'm taking a real vacation.

I have the advantage that my kids are in school all day so I can sleep. Even when there is no school they are old enough to care for themselves while I sleep. If I had small babies/children that needed care during the day I would probably either pay for daycare so I could sleep, or switch to day shift as soon as possible.

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I wanted to add that people's lives are in our hands (of course we know this). I owe it to them, myself, and my license to try to be as alert as possible while they are in my care. I chose to work night shift and I live a night shift life even on my days off. I can't burn the candle at both ends. I can't afford to make mistakes because I am too tired to notice something important. I can't afford to drive impaired because I'm so tired. My children need me. The people in the cars around me don't deserve to drive with me impaired. And I want to live as long as possible and as good a quality of life as possible, so I really try not to ask my body to flip flop so drastically on my days off. I really try to take the night shift thing seriously and know that it does take a certain amount of adjustment in my life, even on my days off.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Some people do know after a week that they will not be able to adjust working nights. I am one of them and know several nurses who couldn't do nights after working just one night shift. Someone does have to work night shift but no one really has to if they truly don't want to. The OP has options. She can either tough it out until another shift opens up or stay on nights and hopefully she will adjust. There are many nurses who prefer nights over day shifts so the " someone has to do it " motto doesn't really apply 100 percent of the time.

With respect, I don't think that one night shift, or even a week of them is sufficient to know whether or not you'll be able to adjust. It is, I suppose, enough time to decide that you don't WANT to adjust, and thus ensure that you won't. But with an open mind and a positive attitude, a week isn't enough time to determine that you cannot adjust.

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Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.
2.5 years of night shift here. I have learned that it's very unhealthy to flip-flop.

Oh yeah flip flopping has shown even more ill health effects than straight night shift.

However, I don't like your implication that it's selfish or unsafe to flip a schedule between the two. I get about 8-9 hours total of sleep on the days before I work and I sleep a full night before caring for my kids or driving them around. I don't work full time though. One of the advantages of working weekend nights, opposite my husband's schedule is saving on daycare and spending time with my kids during the week.

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