Night shift nurses...How many hours of sleep do you get?

[lpnin03]

How many hours of sleep do you typically get each day??

[kersti]

I try to get 6 or 7 hours of sleep. But of course, sometimes the kids get sick, or there is a function at either school or kindergarten or the postman rings like a madman at 1 in the afternoon and I can't get back to sleep after, or my full bladder wakes me and I can't get back to sleep after visiting the loo or or or....

(You get the idea)

[tinderbox]

I usually work 2-3 twelves in a row (7p-7a). The night before my first noc on, I try to stay up till 4am, so that I will wake around noon or so the next day. To prepare for my first noc on, I get up around noon, eat breakfast, do errands, chores around the apt., etc, then lie down for another 2 hr nap before waking up at 1730 to get ready for work. I live about 5 minutes from my work and fortunately, do not have kids, so when I come home, I shower and am able to sleep from around 9-1630. I also MUST turn my phone off. I think that noc nurses deserve the same privilege of having as uninterrupted a sleep as possible as day nurses. I also take Melatonin during my stretches. If I have several days off in a row (i.e., 3 +) I will switch back to living a regular day schedule by going to bed early (i.e., 0200 am) on my first day off. :)

[froghair]

the night shifts were i work are from 10.45 - 07.15. 8 1/2 hr shifts suck id much prefer 10 hr shifts. im usually in bed by 08.30 and if i sleep for 4hrs im doing well, if i sleep for 6hrs its a record. ill then get up do a few things and then get back into bed around 4-5pm and get up around 10pm

[NorthernRose]

Sleep? What's that?!

I try to make it to bed by 9:30, usually get a couple hours good sleep, then I'm up and down about every hour/hour and a half. hard to sleep with 2 grandbabies under 3 years old terrorizing the house!! My husband works nights also, I have noticed if I can get him out of the bed...I can sleep!!

While I was in school, there were days I would get 1-2 hours sleep a day. It's better now, I get maybe 4-5 hours but broken up. I've found the time I want to sleep is usually just before I have to get ready to head to work : (

Go figure!!

I do feel like I'm always in nap mode and that this has slowed my metabolism. Any one else feel the same?

[tinderbox]

Nurses getting only 1-3 hours of sleep before going to work??? You guys, this is scary.

[jesshopper12]

Anyone else find themselves getting sick a lot when working night shift? This past week & a half I've had a cold and the stomach flu (which I'm finally getting over after 4 days...). Not to mention I get migranes much easier. I am struggling to feel "normal" when working the night shift. Although I prefer the slower (but still busy!) night shift, I'm struggling...