Night shift RN's :Do you eat in the morning after your shift?

Nurses Stress 101

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I eat pretty healthy and have a consistent workout routine, however I feel it's an uphill battle staying fit while working nights. I work 3 12 hour night shifts per week from 7pm-7am. My question to all the night shift RN's out there is do you eat after getting off your shift before bed?

I normally eat "breakfast" before my shift at 6pm, have a snack around 11 pm, a second snack around 3-4 am, and then I eat "dinner" before going to bed at 8 am. I have found if I do not eat something before going to sleep after my shift, I do not sleep well and wake up hungry around 12 p.m. I usually eat something light like egg whites and a piece of fruit.

Since starting nights about 18 months ago, I have gained about 7-8 pounds. I am trying to drop that weight and I'm wondering if eating before bed is stalling my efforts. I am currently 5'8 and 130 pounds, but was about 122-123 before starting nights. I have to work nights for at least another 6 months or so until a dayshift position open up, so I would appreciate any advice and insight my fellow night shift nurses can offer about ways to drop weight working nights!

Thanks in advance :)

Specializes in FNP- Urgent Care.

If I don't eat in the morning before bed I will wake up around noon, too! I try to eat something hearty and not just cereal... so oatmeal, eggs and toast, etc. I also gained a few lbs when starting night shift but I think that's because I found it much harder to keep a consistent workout routine because I was always "recovering." I'm still on nights but things are a little different because I'm 6 months pregnant now!

Specializes in ICU, Postpartum, Onc, PACU.

It sounds like you're doing well, but what's killing you is probably the odd sleep schedule. The better you can stick to either the night schedule or day schedule sleep-wise, the better off you'll be. It's the going back and forth (and I'm guilty of this too because of family things or stuff friends with normal jobs want to do on my days/nights off) that kills you physically.

If you have kids or a s/o who is on a normal schedule, then that might be hard, but once I figured that out after reading some studies on it, the weight started coming off easier again.

As for eating I do the same thing, something light, but every now and then a small amount of spicy curry or something like that sounds good too! :inlove:

xo

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