I was just wondering on how do you guys schedule your shift.
In the normal person in the morning (lol), you eat breakfast somewhere from 5am-8am, lunch between 11am-1pm, and dinner between 5pm-8pm.
So how do you plan you meal on a 12hour nights shift. At least in the most "ideal" and safest way.
Since you will be asleep in the morning around (8a-5pm example), when do you eat your breakfast, etc.? I know you can't have lunch because technically you're asleep.
I just don't want to have an unhealthy lifestyle especially when nights are very prone to it.
Do you eat dinner or breakfast before starting your shift?
I am only concerned because skipping meals or irregular eating habits tend to make me eat more when I see food and make me crave more.
Have worked night shift for three decades. I look ten to fifteen years younger and always win at the carnivals for guess your age. I eat dinner before work, snack around 10 and lunch at 2-3. I stop all eating at 4AM, so I basically skip breakfast.
I eat when I come in from work because I'm hungry. Also eat right before work because I don't know when I'll eat again. And snack periodically at work.
I try to eat clean and eat whole foods whenever possible. So it doesn't matter when I have what meal, as long as I eat.
I eat around 1600 or 1700. Then I bring a snack for around 2300, and then I eat a small meal at 0300. That being said the first 2 weeks I worked night shift I didn't really eat because I wasn't used to being hungry in the middle of the night. That will go away and as your body switches over you will find what works best for your body.
The worst part is getting off at 0700 and wanting a burger and not being able 5 find one except for sonic. Sonic is night shift friendly lol
Specializes in Medsurg, Public Hlth, School Nurse, Acute Rehab.
I gained about 30 lbs on nights working 12 hour shifts so I never quite figured it out. I tried eating breakfast before work and eating 'dinner' before going to sleep, but I started having really bad acid reflux and was popping antacids like crazy. After 2 years of that I'd had enough. Miraculously, after I started working days again that weight disappeared on its own. I did nothing different other than eating breakfast in the morning and eating dinner a few hours before going to sleep. Although I'm sure not going to sleep right after getting home on days helped too. I agree with the one poster who stated that you'll never be at 100% on night shift. I tried and failed. My body just couldn't handle it.
Love night shift! When I switched to nights, I looked at it this way;
I would normally eat breakfast 1 hour after waking up, lunch 6 hours and dinner 12 hours and then swap it. I eat a big "breakfast" small-ish lunch and med-size dinner. I won't eat after 5 am though, don't want to sleep on a full tummy (just like I don't eat after 7pm).
MrNurse(x2), ADN
2,558 Posts
Have worked night shift for three decades. I look ten to fifteen years younger and always win at the carnivals for guess your age. I eat dinner before work, snack around 10 and lunch at 2-3. I stop all eating at 4AM, so I basically skip breakfast.