So how do you deal with significant others on opposite shifts? I feel like my boyfriend doesn't get that I need my sleep. That he doesn't get my job isn't some mindless job that I push buttons.
we had a major fight two months ago when I was forced to sleep in our camper because he had his family coming over. Keep in mind I opted to pick up basically close to 200 hours of overtime in several weeks to help us get some extra cash so I was already stressed. He told his brother in law it's okay to mow the lawn so I was woken up. I wouldn't have been pissed if it was a neighbor but I was pissed at my boyfriend. He said I was rude and should apologize. I refused.
Now he offered to pay for a hotel room this weekend but then he changed his tune to they were only doing work Saturday (a day I didn't work). yesterday he springs it on me they were doing work all weekend including yesterday and tomorrow. He didn't work yesterday till after I left. I'm pissed about this. He knows I work Sunday. He claims he told me and he did. But then he changed it to just saturday. They didn't work friday till after I left because I threw a fit.
Am I being selfish in wanting to sleep well before working in an ER? That I may kill someone if I'm tired. I can have 5 or more patients with little or no ancillary staff. I could be triaging that night. He makes it sound like I am very selfish in my requests. Yes they are doing us a favor but it isn't like I am doing a job where I push buttons or stock shelves
I'd be hanging pictures, rearranging furniture, vacuuming, playing wall ball in the living room, jamming out to Pandora on blast all night long. Nope. I'm serious about my sleep. You don't mess with my sleep. lol
Some people have this attitude that you chose to work the night shift, so nobody should have to make any sort of effort to accommodate your sleep schedule. I think that these people should only be allowed to receive health care from places that are open during regular business hours.
One day, he's going to wake you up after the wrong shift, and you are going to lose it. Then, you'll either break up, or he will be so terrified of you that he even starts asking the neighbors not to mow the lawn until after 4:00.
Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.
Let's see,insensitive uncaring and selfish! The fact that you must now teach him a lesson is concerning and you really need to examine his character to see if he is worth keeping as a BF.
I remember when I first started working nights (8 hour shifts) I would come home and pass out around 8:30am and sleep until 2:30-3:30pm. My husband would come in and ask me the same thing about sleeping all day. It wasn't until he started working nights did he realize we are up all night while they sleep. Plus I was working 5 nights a week and on my off days my sleep pattern remained the same. Sleep during the day and up all night. We didn't get to spend a lot of time together on opposite shifts. But once he was on nights too it was better for the both of us.
I remember when I first started working nights (8 hour shifts) I would come home and pass out around 8:30am and sleep until 2:30-3:30pm. My husband would come in and ask me the same thing about sleeping all day. It wasn't until he started working nights did he realize we are up all night while they sleep. Plus I was working 5 nights a week and on my off days my sleep pattern remained the same. Sleep during the day and up all night. We didn't get to spend a lot of time together on opposite shifts. But once he was on nights too it was better for the both of us.
You'd think that would be pretty self evident, wouldn't you? SMH...
Yeah and sometimes it just takes someone to be in your shoes to understand the situation. And that he did.
I took my little girl to my unit once to pick up my paycheck. She was probably 4. She looked around the unit with a thoughtful expression and asked me "what do all the sick people do when all the nurses go home at night?" She didn't remember me working nights. She had a hard time comprehending how people could stay up all night to work. Apparently so did my husband, but he didn't have as good an excuse as our kid.
You need to explain to him how important it is for you to sleep. Even if you pushed buttons all night or was a over night shelf stocker, you'd need your sleep .
BecomingNursey
334 Posts
I'd be hanging pictures, rearranging furniture, vacuuming, playing wall ball in the living room, jamming out to Pandora on blast all night long. Nope. I'm serious about my sleep. You don't mess with my sleep. lol