Night shift nursing

[musickx2]

I am a nursing student starting my preceptorship doing graveyard 7pm to 7am. When I am start my first night shift should I stay up all night the night before and sleep that day then go to work that night? or should I take sleep the night before and take a nap the day of my first shift? Also what do you do when you work a night shift then have a day off then work another night shift? what are your sleeping habits when this happens?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I've been a rotator for almost 5 years. I do not stay up all night the night before my first night. If I am working on, say, Wednesday night, I would go to bed at my "normal" time on Tuesday night and wake up whenever my body decides to wake up on Wednesday. If I didn't have a lot to do that day, I'd try to take a nap in the afternoon. That doesn't always happen though and very often on my first night shift, I'll have been awake for close to (or sometimes more than) 24 hrs by the time I come home.

[beeker]

I try to stay up til about 2 or so before my first night shift, then I sleep from 2-6ish, then I shower get my clothes ready etc run errands, then go back to sleep from like 10-2. During the day my body sleeps in 4 hour increments, I have no idea why. After working a shift or two, I have no problem sleeping all day. I stick to this schedule even on my days off, but only because I am new to night shift and trying to adjust. So far it is ok unless I work 3 shifts back to back then I am broken for a few days.