Night Shift and Phone Calls from Family - Vent

[incublissRN]

When I switched jobs at the beginning of November I also switched from days to nights. I have adjusted well and like it for the most part. Unfortunately, my mother has still not figured it out yet. I've tried several times to explain it to her that I go to bed at about 10 am after I get home from work, yet she still calls at 3-4 pm on days after I've worked expecting me to be up. She tells me I "need to get up and move around." This comment infuriates me!! :angryfire I need at least 8 hours of sleep to be able to do that! Granted, I was depressed after I graduated and I know she was worried about me but it has gradually gotten better after I started my new job.

I would turn my phone off but I live by myself and I'm worried that there will be an emergency and no one would be able to get a hold of me. I've thought about calling her at 4 am but for some reason I feel bad. Maybe I just need to suck it up and do it so that she gets the point. She's a teacher's aide...it's too bad it's Christmas break. I think I'd like it better if I called on a day that she worked

[ONSnrs]

Screw feeling bad, call her at 0400!!!! Do that a few times and I guarantee she will get it.

Hallelujah to that. How many times have I wanted to do that with the people who call me at 1200, 1300 etc. etc. It is the same people who habitually do it knowing that I am sleeping. They deserve it but I just cant be that cruel.

[htrn]

Call mom on your way to work at 2300 - "Hi Mom, on the way to work and wanted to chat." Call again at 0200 "Hi Mom, just got a chance to sit down and wanted to ask you a quick question." 0400 "Hi Mom, I was just wondering if you wanted to have breakfast/coffee/a beer with me after I get off work today?" 0600 "Hi Mom, just wanted to make sure you were up and out of the shower.....

She might not speak to you for a few weeks after a night like that.

I've worked nights for five years now - NO ONE calls me during the day unless they really have to. If I have a sick kid at school or am expecting a phone call, I change the ringer to a mild, quite ring and take it to bed with me. Other than that, it is unplugged and I wear ear plugs and a sleeping mask.

Good Luck.

[Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN]

I worked Nights for almost 30 yrs. Even being retired now the best sleep I get is between 10 am and 3-4 pm. I still have the ringer off on the bedroom phone. If there is an emergency, someone wil come to the house and wake me. I have stopped many people from calling me when I am asleep with the calls at 3-4 am. Even my own kids and dad. Esp. my dad. Nothing worked better on my daughter because I woke up the new baby twins a couple of times. She was stuck listening to not 1,but2, babies screaming. She never ever called me again in the daytime.

[squeakykitty]

This is a little off topic but.....What about that nice sweet kitty cat of mine that stands in my doorway an hour or so before I have to wake up and howls because he's lonely and wants someone to pick him up and hug him? (Cat, you could have waited until my alarm went off. )

[banditrn]

This is how I handled it:

Of course, I didn't sleep by a phone - but one of my DIL's wanted to borrow my van to go shopping one day - so she sent my son in to wake me up and ask!!:angryfire Well, he knew better, and I could tell he knew he was in trouble.

The next nite at work, I called their apartment at 4AM - it woke my now exDIL - I asked for my son, when he got on the phone I asked him what they were doing? All in a very pleasent voice, mind you! Learned lated that it woke the baby up and she wouldn't go back to sleep. Teeheehee! My son was apologetic, but the ex was PO'ed!!:rotfl: Don't wake ME up in the middle of my night!