Night shift for new grads.

Dacatster, ADN · Dec 8, 2015

Personally I stay on same sleep schedule as much as possible

LPNtoRNin2016OH, LPN · Dec 8, 2015

After watching my husband work nights for 3 years I can tell you what not to do: Do not attempt to stay up during the day and catching few hours of sleep in the evening. Do not do a few naps throughout the day. Do not do seven night shifts in a row with a few hours of sleep in between -- this is how I came to find my husband ASLEEP in the driveway one morning, I thought he had a heart attack. Nope, just so tired he pulled in and zonked out, SO not safe. I had to put the foot down there and force him to regulate himself on his schedule. He wanted to stay up during the day with the kids and I (I go to school/work in the evenings before he leaves) and he would end up sleeping 2-3 hours/day. He gained weight, etc etc. Be disciplined, do not let anyone interrupt your day sleep.

LPNtoRNin2016OH, LPN · Dec 8, 2015

Oh and one handy thing I have learned to do at night is put my phone on "night mode". I tell those who need to know for emergencies that if they call my phone more than 3 times in 10 minutes, they will ring through. Everyone else goes to voicemail. This came in very handy the other night when my co-worker attempted to drunk dial me at 1:30 and 2 am last night :up: I called her back at 7 am when my 12 month old woke me up because I wanted to make sure she was ok --- guess whose hungover self wasn't happy bout that lol??

mrsjonesRN · Dec 8, 2015

Hello! I am a new grad nurse (graduated 2 months ago) and tonight I start my FIRST SHIFT EVER as a nurse (IMCU, nightshift) It is currently 1230 am on Monday and my shift starts tonight at 1845. Does any seasoned night shift nurses have any tips/advice for transforming into a "night owl" from morning person... and surviving while doing it?!?! I do have a "black out" sleep mask on its way in the mail, and I just bought melatonin. I am trying to stay up as late as possible right now so I can sleep during the day before my shift, too... I was just curious if anyone else knew anything that I could implement into my new work schedule.
Thanks!
--Nurse_Brezo

I have worked night shift all but 11.months since I graduated nearly 5 years ago. The best thing you can do, if possible, is to keep your night shift routine. It will help you so very much. When I first started nights, I took melatonin before sleeping. After a while I didn't need it. I also make sure there's no extra light and I keep my room nice and cool all year round...makes for better sleeping conditions. Make sure you eat little snacks thought out the night to keep your energy up and glucose levels stable. It will take a little while to get used to nights, but hang in there. Good luck!

kdkout, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2015

You've gotten a lot of really helpful advice already. This is a very serious topic to me now that I'm back on nightshift, in my mid 40s & hoping to stay on nights. Dont have the energy to deal with dayshift drama anymore & all it entails. I also love the atmosphere of nightshift, the quietness (although it's not less work - just quieter), the camaraderie and the extra $$. Find that I enjoy being a nurse SO much more on nights.

The most important advice is to keep your bedroom as dark as night, use white noise, and dont flip back and forth to days. Here's a good article about it:A Sleep Schedule that Works for the Night Shift | Sleep Education Blog

I use a MARPAC Dohm DS white noise machine. They last forever, can go with you on trips and are not annoying to listen to like some of the apps I've tried. NEVER keep your phone/ipad in your bedroom, and stay off of it the couple of hours before bedtime. PROTECT your sleep and treat it with the importance it deserves. My friend used tin foil in her windows but I bought black out curtains ("Eclipse" brand at Bed, B & B). I also cut a strip of an extra curtain and laid it on top as a "dust cover" so that light cannot escape from the top or the sides. My bedroom is as dark as night at any time of day, & that should be your goal. I also bought a cheap alarm clock that is always dark - you cannot see what time it is unless you push on a button. (I noticed that even a low light with blue numbers would still wake me up). I turn my husband's clock away from me. The kids/hubby have to be awake and downstairs by 830am and only hubby can come upstairs while I sleep since he's the quiet one. I achieve this with a baby gate on the stairwell - which also keeps out the dog and his noisy lab tail banging happily against the wall. If you do not live alone, consider a sign on your door that says "Do NOT wake me unless bleeding or dead." Sometimes spouses dont get it, and kids really dont get it - which is why I use a baby gate to keep them out. (They're over 10). Keep your room cold so you dont wake up sweating; dont use an electric blanket to sleep in or dress too warm when you go to bed since the house will heat up during hte day. (We turn the thermostat down at night). I've noticed I'm cold a lot more on nightshift. (Probably perimenopause and a confused thyroid). An electric "throw" or blanket over me while I'm downstairs helps that. Also, I get ready for work with a "Day Light" which is one of those "Seasonal Affective Disorder" lights you can get on Amazon. I do this because this time of year I dont go outside before work and it really does wake me up.

If you are young you can forget this part for now- but for other oldies like me reading this- some research says nightshifters are at increased risk for all things cardiovascular-related/CAD, diabetes and I cant remember what else. Brain tumors? Breast cancer? It's all depressing, esp when you have nightshift coworkers who've died from these issues. That means you have to try harder to be healthy and watch your diet & actually exercise. For me, the stress of dayshift and my body always waking up at 430am, even on days off, became just as bad as the "unhealthiness" of working nights. I'm no longer constantly stressed out at work; that has to account for something!

I always drink a big cup of coffee from home when I leave for work. Starbucks is $$$ & only a weekly treat - it adds up! Dont get into that habit. I drink mostly water at work & always bring food. I'll have another small cup of coffee at work but I have to stop drinking it by 2or 3am at the very latest or it'll screw up my sleep. I found a research article that said that coffee at the start of the shift, but then black tea later, decreased the subjects' cortisol levels.....so now I'm drinking black tea @ 1-2am with lunch instead of coffee.

I have yet to figure out the excercise thing because if I get up and exercise I feel guilty for using that time away from the kids when there already is less time together....but if I wait to exercise until @ 10pm when they're asleep, then exercise wakes me up so much I'm up until 9am the next day when I'm trying to go to bed by 4am. If anybody has advice on this, please share below.

If anybody has advice on how to figure out the "cuddle time with hubby" issue that is seriously lacking now, also please share below but keep it PG so I dont get kicked off of here! :-)

It's great to grocery shop at midnight, help the hubby out by cooking at night, doing a little quiet cleaning, reading a book, watching TED talks, catching up on studying for work...I can think of a lot of good things about nights. Maybe because I'm finally getting the alone time I've needed for a decade! :-)

When I leave for work I write notes or put tiny little gifts on my kids' pillows for them to find at bedtime; that has helped them not to miss me so much. I dont really understand why this is harder for them - I'm a lot less grumpy now. They dont remember I did nights for years when they were little.

Accept that you are on nights for now, dont lament it and spend all of your time pretending you can do things in the morning when you cant. The ones who hate nights are usually the ones without childcare (that used to be me) OR the ones who do things on dayshift when they should be sleeping. Dont flip back and forth.

In the summer buy an air conditioner. I use a $400 portable one (DeLonghi) from Costco that I can easily put in the window. It's not super cold in my room but cool enough to sleep comfortably and noisy enough to cover other noises. It took me years to buy an air conditioner and yet it was the best $ I ever spent! Even if you only need it a few weeks per summer, it's TOTALLY worth it.

You can do this! Who knows, you may love it!

nutella, MSN, RN · Dec 8, 2015

I worked rotations shifts when I was a younger nurse and besides what everybody already mentioned (especially the black out curtains and sleep mask) I also had a sleeping bag in my car and some other items. Because my commute was not always quick I had to pull over more than once after a night shift and sleep for some hours in the car - luckily it was not winter but the sleeping bag opened as a blanket and the window a tiny bit open helped...

Nurse_Brezo · Jan 5, 2016

Thanks for all of the comments! For the most part, I have been doing some of these suggestions already. Even though, I never have trouble relaxing and falling asleep when I get home in the mornings, I may try lavender oil in my sleep mask. I tend to have a "normal" sleeping pattern on my nights off (meaning, I sleep all night) then the night before my shift, I stay up late the night before so I can sleep all day the night of my shift. At work, I drink coffee at the beginning of my shift, then switch to water around 3 am so the caffeine won't affect my sleep. Once I get home, I shower and eat breakfast and go to bed. I usually sleep from 930am-4 or 430pm. thanks again!

Neural · Jan 5, 2016

Keep something similar to a night-shift schedule throughout the week.

Eat well, drink lots of water, limit caffeine and alcohol. I think many people would agree that a drink after a long night's work sounds appealing, but it's been proven to make one's sleep lees "restful".

Darken your bedroom, wear eye shades, and create some ambient noise with a fan or something.

Limit distractions, mostly notably the cell phone.

Possibly look into sleeping pills such as 5mg Ambien on worknights.

Thats is my routine, and it made working nights for a few months bearable. However, I took a day shift position as quickly as possible, and now I work twice as hard and don't get the differentials!

ArtClassRN, ADN, RN · Jan 5, 2016

My first job was med-surg rotating 8 hour day/night.

I never really could do it.

kdkout, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2016

I replied earlier on 12/8 and wanted to update:

I've found that I cannot sleep unless I go to bed at 730-830am EVERYDAY and get up by 3-4pm EVERYDAY. In other words, the same exact schedule no matter if I'm working or not. When I tried to go to bed even a bit earlier @ 4 am I didnt sleep.....or IF I did sleep, woke up really early.....couldnt nap before work.....which made driving home after work very dangerous. It's probably my unforgiving age, but I really have no choice but to stay on the same schedule. If I do that I'm safe at work and safe at home. I also am feeling a lot better now that I'm actively working on exercise and walk the dog more often. Good luck! I've asked nearly all of my coworkers these same questions and the only ones who are functioning well on nights are the ones who keep the same basic schedule on their days off. I can tell you, though, if that sun is shining when I wake up - I go outside immediately (!) before it gets dark out. Super impt for my psyche and vit D levels. (Plus I take Vit D)

Elladora · Jan 5, 2016

This is a reply I have to someone else having issues switching to thirds so some of it might not apply. :)

When it's time to switch to nights, you need to train your body to do just exactly the opposite of what it's been doing. The first day I need to sleep, I stay up as late as humanly possible the night before. Sometimes I manage to stay up all night, sometimes I'm doing good to last until 1 am. At 7:00 am or so, I take a Benadryl or a Melatonin - something that will help me rest, but not zombify me. The first couple of days are hard, because your body is trying to make you adjust back to what it wants.

Days off, I try to maintain my sleep schedule as is. Otherwise I try to modify it a BIT but not flip flop back and forth. (I might go to bed at noon instead of 7 am).

Eat a regular meal! I eat what I consider lunch in the evening, before I leave for work. I eat what I consider supper midway through my shift, and I eat what I consider breakfast before going to bed - something light, but something substantial enough that I won't wake up because I'm hungry. Snacks are not enough to get you through a shift.

Avoid caffeine later in your shift! I cut myself off at 3 am and switch to water.

Develop a sleep routine. This is your body and your brain's cue that it's time to sleep! (For me, taking a bath, putting on jammies, eating breakfast, reading in bed).

I also have a noise machine (and a fan) and I diffuse calming essential oils. Also, make sure shut off your phone!

What didn't work for me? Exercising before sleeping (it winds me up), watching tv in bed (I get too caught up in the shows), or having anyone around (I'm nosy, I like to listen!)

Realize there are some days you just won't sleep, no matter how hard you try.