Night shift madness!

kimmicoobug · Sep 20, 2003

I also advocate the darkened room. I have a dark green fleece blanket AND a red fleece blanket across my window...Works great. I sleep really well on the days I have to work and find myself less sleep deprived than when I worked days. Now my issue is that on my days off I want to sleep during the day and stay awake at night. I just can't do that since I get too lonely. I have been doing nocs for about a month. I love night shift, though, so hopefully it will get better.

Todd SPN · Sep 20, 2003

Took me 6 mos to get a sleeping pattern down. I can work NOC shift, but prefer 3-11. As for days, I just cant' get up.

redwinggirlie · Sep 21, 2003

Not ready to throw in the towel on nights.... giving myself a few more weeks. Then I'll know for sure. Actually, I got off this morning feeling pretty good. This, after having four days off. Thanks for the tips. I've got this insulation thing in my window that I cut to fit from Home Depot. It's styrofoam type material and blocks out light and some of the noise. Trouble is, I just never take it down and it's ALWAYS a cave in my room.

The people I work with are great, and I sure don't miss the docs and family and intercom and the phone while I'm working. egads the phone!.... YUK

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2003

nIGHTS REMAIN THE BEST TO WORK

YOU CAN WORK ALL NIGHT AND GO GOLFING IN THE MORNING

YOU CANT WORK ALL DAY AND GO GOLFING AT NIGHT, LEGALLY, ANYWAY.

jude11142 · Sep 22, 2003

I have to agree with you here. LOL, I am 44 and work 2 16 hrs shifts(3pm-7am), usually on mondays and wed. I used to work full-time nights back in the mid 80's and loved them. I was able to get the sleep needed, felt rested etc............but now??? I worked last Friday(extra shift 11pm-7am)and now today supposed to work my double. Well, though I hated to do this, I just called out. My body is exhausted, I feel stomach sick, tired but I can't fall back asleep. It is hard to say how I will feel at 3pm, but I didn't want to take a chance and not call out then come this afternoon and I still don't feel good and call out. We are asked to call out atleast 4hrs before our shift. I feel stressed out too. I get so angry with myself when I get run down like this. Granted, I don't call out often(this is 2nd time since Dec), but I have had to force myself in the past to make myself go in. I wasn't sick but felt tired, cranky etc.....Usually by the time I get to work, the evening shift is so busy that I don't have time to feel tired,lol,but come 1am, then I am starting to get that sick feeling. Sorry to be venting but read this post and wondered if this is because I am older that I am feeling this or what? I am going to get to bed early tonight and though you can't really catch up on sleep lost, I think that it may help.

JUDE

Originally posted by mjlrn97
I used to love night shift, until I hit 40....that's when my body just started refusing to be a good sport anymore. I got sick, developed aches & pains, was depressed, and was generally a brass-plated B****. I did much better once I switched to a 9-to-5 job, and better still when I went to my current 3-11 shift. (I'm definitely NOT a morning person either.) And on the rare occasion when I do work graveyard, it takes me a full 48 hours to feel normal again.......unless it's an extra shift (for which I make over 40 bucks an hour), it's not worth two days of feeling like something the dog dug up under the house.

happygray · Sep 28, 2003

I have worked 11-7 for years and now I am working in a Rehab. Hospital after working years in a Nursing Home. I find myself lost and scared, I am used to being responsible for over 40 Residents and now I can't handle 16 Residents. HELP