night shift is really hard on me...

[LuvPedsNrsg]

I just started working as a new grad on a night shift position. This is not my desired position and its been really hard on me. I've been added to the waiting list for days, but now mgt is trying to add nurses before me who have been there longer than me. So I'm thinking I will be doing nights on this unit for a minimum of 2-3 years. I'm a person who is prone to depression and anxiety and working nights is exacerbating this problem with the lack of sleep and odd hours.

I want to start looking for another job either outside of this hospital or in a different department. I understand I probably won't get hired immediately somewhere else, but I want to get the ball rolling. Should I discuss this with my nurse manager asap or should I wait a few more months?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i just started working as a new grad on a night shift position. this is not my desired position and its been really hard on me. i've been added to the waiting list for days, but now mgt is trying to add nurses before me who have been there longer than me. so i'm thinking i will be doing nights on this unit for a minimum of 2-3 years. i'm a person who is prone to depression and anxiety and working nights is exacerbating this problem with the lack of sleep and odd hours.

i want to start looking for another job either outside of this hospital or in a different department. i understand i probably won't get hired immediately somewhere else, but i want to get the ball rolling. should i discuss this with my nurse manager asap or should i wait a few more months?

if you just started working nights, you don't know whether or not you can adapt. give it some time. lack of sleep isn't a night shift problem, necessarily. you are sleeping during the day, aren't you? please tell me you're not attempting to stay up all day so you can "do stuff."

as a new grad, and especially in this economy, you ought to hold on to the job you have. i know the grass always looks greener elsewhere, but get some experience and learn all you can at this job before you go looking for another. if you can even find another. there is no perfect job, anywhere. there aren't very many new grad positions that don't require some nights.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

If you have a provider tha helps you with this, consider asking them for ideas. If you are prone to SAD, light spectrum therapy can help.

Good luck in finding a solution. In the end, a job isn't worth your health.

[rn/writer, RN]

With noc shift, it isn't only the sleep challenges that can cause problems. Lack of exposure to sunlight can sometimes lead to something called Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition that can cause or aggravate depression.

I would suggest talking with your doc and asking about this.

You can also Google this and find suggestions for coping. Try to make sure you get some time in the sun each day. There are also full spectrum lights available (but don't go spending a ton of money on them--there are reasonable priced models out there).

As for the sleep thing, it can take several months to get accustomed to a nocturnal schedule. Here are some tips--

Make sure your room is really dark if you need that to sleep. Some don't. But if you do there are good shades and other window treatments to help. I know a couple of people who cut cardboard to put in the window frames. If you paint the outward-facing side, it shouldn't look bad.

Turn off your phone. Make use of an answering machine. Let friends and family know to call you only for an emergency. Do what works for you, but don't let anyone make you feel bad for "sleeping all day." A few members have mentioned that with frequent offenders who should know better, they called that person at 3:00 AM to chat so they'd know how it feels. You absolutely must take your sleep schedule seriously for others to do so.

Don't try to rocket back and forth between daytime and nighttime hours. I shift my sleep only half a shift and snooze between 4:00 AM and 12:00 PM on my days off. It's less of a shock to my system, and there is still plenty of time to get things done in the afternoon.

Try to find the plus side of working nocs. Go out for breakfast. Enjoy driving opposite the rush hour traffic. Revel in the relative quiet on the floor at night. We do plenty on noc shift, but we don't have to deal with the phone ringing as often or the many daytime staff members from other disciplines.

I've worked noc shift for many years by choice. The willingness to work nights is real bonus when job hunting.

I wish you well.

[Rabid Response]

I've been working night shift for three years, and I still hate it. During the first year my health was crap, and I thought I was going to die.

I tried all the "natural" solutions to feel better, but working night shift is not a natural state for me. I couldn't sleep during the day, and the fear of being too tired to work at the start of my shift made me too anxious to sleep. I would sit up in bed and look at my clock every 20 minutes for the first few hours and averaged 3-4 hours sleep a day. I would spend the whole night at work feeling dizzy and nauseated and stupid. The drug, Provigil, helped a lot, and the last two years have been bearable if not enjoyable. Talk to your doctor about whether you are a good candidate for this drug.

I'm not sure I would quit the job if I were you. It's hard to find work now, especially for new grads, and the only shift available most places is usually night shift. When I was hired, my manager said I could easily transfer to day shift after six months, but here I am three years later working nights thanks to the bad economy and my low seniority. I am just so grateful to have a job that I try not to think about it.

Hang in there. It can take a long time to find a way to make working nights tolerable.

[blamejoe]

The suggestions above are great. I would definitely discuss this with your doctor if you are prone to depression, because the lack of sun (as well as the lack of social contact we night shifters deal with) can impact that. And sticking to your sleep is paramount. I've done nightshift for the past 6 years, including the time I went to nursing school, and learning to put sleep as a priority, even over family events, is the only reason I made it through.

It took me 9 months to fully adjust to working at night and sleeping during the day. I got so good at it that I had trouble during vacation weeks to return to normal. Eventually I just decided to roll with it and now during vacation weeks I stay up late and sleep in every day (like those daytimers dream of...) like 4 or 5 am late and waking up around noon or 1pm.

There are huge pros to staying on night shift for 2 years as a new grad. Understanding all the things that really go into nursing happens on nights. The pace on days is almost always faster and it's harder to get away from one patient to move to the next. You organize that on night shift. You also learn so much about so many various conditions and patient needs that you develop a good foundation of knowledge - it will make interacting with doctors and other colleagues much smoother.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Are you taking any sleep aids, whether OTC or prescription? I can't suggest a specific med, but if you need to, talk with a doctor who can. That might make a huge difference. Agree with Miranda, who suggests blacking out your room (my husband cut out two big pieces of cardboard and painted the outside-facing part white). That is a HUGE help, as is white noise from a fan or white noise machine. I have two fans that I crank up all the way and they drown out any noise from my son, my husband, neighbors cutting their grass, or kids playing outside.

I'm a nightshifter for whom nights is difficult. I work two 12-hour weekend nights and that's about all I can take. (My first nursing job was 4 nights a week and it almost killed me.) I have to switch to days on my days off and that is difficult too....it's ideal to stick to a nocturnal schedule on your off days but sometimes that's not an option.

And...there are some people who just can't do nights, period. And if after giving it a good try, you find you are one of them, bide your time and make your switch to days and don't feel a lick of guilt. My best to you.

[Daly City RN]

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I would give my body and mind a few months to adjust if I were you. Consider yourself very lucky that you have a job in this economy. It took me about six months to adjust to the night shift and the extra pay was nice too.

Night shift suited me well when my my daughter and son were young. I took care of them before school, drove them to school, I went home to sleep, I picked them up in the afternoon after school. My wife stayed with them during the night. It was hard but we managed to raise our two kids into adulthood.

I used dark-colored and thick curtains to block out the sunlight and used earplugs to help me sleep. Caution on the earplugs though, you may not hear the smoke detector if there's a fire. Tell everyone you know not to call you during your sleep hours. And of course you may have a cousin like mine who could not understand why I could not attend her kid's birthday party at 12 noon on a Saturday.

As the saying goes...you can choose your friends, but not your relatives.

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[blamejoe]

Provigil also helped me, more while I was also going to nursing school and the classes were after a shift, but still - I suggested it to my doctor and it made a difference; I only had to take it maybe 25% of the time.

[twoangels]

I was a new grad, and after 3 months I left my dream job due to health issues I am certain were caused by working night shift. I too, suffer from depression and anxiety and I had some of the worst panic attacks I've ever experienced while on night shift. I did not feel safe at work because of how "off-kilter" I felt. My blood pressure was up, my heart rate was always up, and I felt extremely short-tempered all of the time. It was like living on a different planet. I was making $35.00/hr and I resigned- not an easy decision. I think a lot of people may think it's crazy to leave a dream-job and a great paycheck like that behind, but I seriously thought that long-term I would shave years off of my life if I stayed. So, I left and I've never looked back. You have to do what's right for you. No job is worth your happiness or your sanity. If I were you, I would discuss your circumstances with your manager. If they can't move you to days within a reasonable timeframe, I would start job hunting right away and keep that on the down-low. Best wishes to you!

[PMFB-RN, RN]

I just started working as a new grad on a night shift position. This is not my desired position and its been really hard on me. I've been added to the waiting list for days, but now mgt is trying to add nurses before me who have been there longer than me. So I'm thinking I will be doing nights on this unit for a minimum of 2-3 years. I'm a person who is prone to depression and anxiety and working nights is exacerbating this problem with the lack of sleep and odd hours.

I want to start looking for another job either outside of this hospital or in a different department. I understand I probably won't get hired immediately somewhere else, but I want to get the ball rolling. Should I discuss this with my nurse manager asap or should I wait a few more months?

*** Did you ever try working night shift before you spent a lot of time and money investing in a job where working night shift, especialy for newer nurses, is to be expected?

[twoangels]

*** Did you ever try working night shift before you spent a lot of time and money investing in a job where working night shift, especialy for newer nurses, is to be expected?

ummmm..... how is this post helpful? sheesh!