Night shift nurses

Hello all, I am a new nurse who will be starting a new job very soon. Next week is my "hospital" and "nursing" orientation, then the following week I'll start working night shift with my preceptor.

My question is to all you night nurses out there: What do you do on your nights off? I am a night owl, and plan to stay up all night on my nights off, but I'm thinking that watching T.V. all night might get boring pretty quickly. What do you all do?

Looking forward to hearing about it~

I play on the computer, watch tv, clean house, get bills ready to be mailed the next day, wash dishes...things that normal people do during the day. lol. Ive done night shift for almost 3 years and I just cant do it anymore. Im going to days in one month, and Im counting down the days! Im a night owl too, but for some reason working at night just didnt digest well for me. For some, its the only way to go. Good luck!

Catch up on sleep! haha :) Then as people have previously posted do "normal" things that people do during the day. Watch TV, do laundry, clean, bills, etc etc. It's easier on the weekends because there is more things to go out & do, but during the week its just kind of a time to sit back & relax a little.

I SOMETIMES GO SHOPPING TO 24HR PLACES. (NO LINES) CATCH UP ON HOUSEWORK. SOMETIMES JUST LOUNGE AROUND. DO WHATEVER i HAVE TO GET DONE.

Sleep, watch TV/movies, play online, talk on the phone with other nightowl friends, do laundry/clean house, etc, etc. I never get bored, I love my night time!

I work 5/6 in a row. Love it. On my night offs to switch back, I only give myself a couple of hours sleep, then sleep well that night.

I work 3 in a row and then have 4 days off so that I can live a "normal" life on dayshift then stay up the whole night the night I have to work and sleep all day, then go in that night. Seems to work pretty well. I could not "live" on nightshift 24/7, my wife would kill me.

Hello all, I am a new nurse who will be starting a new job very soon. Next week is my "hospital" and "nursing" orientation, then the following week I'll start working night shift with my preceptor.

My question is to all you night nurses out there: What do you do on your nights off? I am a night owl, and plan to stay up all night on my nights off, but I'm thinking that watching T.V. all night might get boring pretty quickly. What do you all do?

Looking forward to hearing about it~

Well welcome to nursing. Best of luck to you.

Okay, night shift. It is very hard on the body. I've done 12 hr night shifts almost 10 years now. Ooh, no sweetie, you can't expect to stay up all night on the nights you don't work. You will be exhausted. You already mess up your body staying up to work the two or three night shifts a week (are you doing 8 or 12 hr?). If you stay up additional nights it is extra burden your body doesn't need.

The day after a night shift, sleep as much as you need. I recommend to try to sleep more of course if you're scheduled to work again. Then go back to being a day person if you're not scheduled to work again.

Believe me even if you think of yourself a "night owl" actually working a shift will make you realize it is not the same. Being on the internet or watching TV all night is not the same as taking care of patients, thinking, charting, making rounds, passing meds...

You cannot live a life of 7 nights. I think your body would fight it.

Two/three night shifts in a row is all one can reasonably do. And boy will you be tired after them. Sleep when your body tells you to. Some of my coworkers do not "pre-nap". I feel better if I do. Others don't sleep as long after a shift if they're not working again. You'll learn what works for you. But no, do NOT stay up the other nights you're not working.

Well welcome to nursing. Best of luck to you.

Ooh, no sweetie, you can't expect to stay up all night on the nights you don't work. You will be exhausted. ....

The day after a night shift, sleep as much as you need. I recommend to try to sleep more of course if you're scheduled to work again. Then go back to being a day person if you're not scheduled to work again.

You cannot live a life of 7 nights. I think your body would fight it.

Two/three night shifts in a row is all one can reasonably do. And boy will you be tired after them. Sleep when your body tells you to.

I SO AGREE with this post--I cannot imagine staying up all night on my nights off. I switch back right away(as I have 3 nights off after 4 on) and get up early with my hubby at 5 am for his job!

Thanks everyone for your replies. Like some of you said, I guess as long as I sleep when I'm tired, I will figure out what works best for me. I know when I was in school I had a tough time going back and forth; I had very early classes, and worked 2nd shift as a student nurse tech. It was hell working until midnight one night and getting up at 6am for class just a day or two later. My body didn't really like going back and forth like that, which is why I think I'd be better staying up on my nights off. I guess everyone is different and I'll just have to see what works best for me in the end. Thanks for all your suggestions!! :)

Thanks for the info in this post. I'm orienting to the ED right now, and when I'm done, I'll be on 3p -3a, 3x a week. I am also a nightowl, but plan on trying to be as much on a "regular" sleep schedule, well maybe going to be around 12 or 1am, on my nights off. I am looking forward to getting onto my schedule soon, as being at the hospital now for 6:45am is just killing me! I'm sooooo not a morning person.

Added question, since I've only worked to 3am a few times in the past: what is your eating schedule? I'm a diabetic on a pump, so eating times are not so important to me since I can adjust my pump, but I worry about weight gain, since we all notoriously eat horribly (at least every night shift I've ever done, myself and my coworkers tend not to eat as we should!).

Also, caffeine is not a problem for me. Let me rephrase that: I can drink a lot of caffeine without it affecting my sleep, which probably means I need to cut back, but I don't use it to stay awake. How much caffeine/coffee do you night-shifters consume?

Thanks!

I go right back to a usual day schedule, I hate working nights but the money is good and the shift calmer...I know some people maintain that biorhythm but I just can't! Good luck..