Night shift and Sleeping

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This is a spinoff thread from the thread about the nurse getting caught sleeping. I have always wondered if everyone stays awake on night shift (RN Wise). I am a CNA (getting my BSN in May) and every NURSING HOME I have worked in, workers have slept between rounds mostly CNAs but some nurses (LPNs). I have a big fear that I will end up falling asleep during night shift in the hospital and was wondering what keeps night shift nurses up at night??? Is it an easy feat or does it require a bunch of coffee and willpower???

Specializes in Post Surg.

i am so busy on nights, i would not dream of sleeping. patients sleep at night, ha!

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Specializes in PCCN.

I have insomnia- so I figure I might as well put it to good use and work during that time. I am never tired at work on nites. Even when I get home I still have to take benadryl and some other things to get to sleep.

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Specializes in Ortho-Med/Surg,Heme/Onc.

I drink about a pot of coffee during shift, never once fell asleep. Plus I have insomnia as well

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Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.
I loved nights, stayed busy with L&D but after 3 yrs.. I started to vomit every night at 2:30am..Could not say I was really that tired, I kept warm, kept moving and mostly was busy..did not matter if I ate or drank or did neither... after about the 3rd week of this vomiting for 30 mins every night shift..charge nurse reported it to NM and she had slot to move me to days. But I disliked the hospital politics of days and left and went to homehealth.

Guess my body is just not cut out for nights.

I've started feeling this way in the last month or 2 after working midnights for 2.5 years. I wonder if it's the schedule making me feel that way. I haven't vomited but I have stomach aches and body aches. I also can only sleep like 5 or 6 hours during the day suddenly. Blech.

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Specializes in cardiology.

ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!?!?! I have never heard of night shifters getting to sleep on the job. I work on a cardiac step down unit and we are as busy if not busier than day shift. Now I understand why everyone thinks night shift is lazy, at first I didn't get it, but if there are nurses out there that actually have time to sleep... I'm just appalled to be honest. :mad: I just don't know what else to say. I hope potential RNs out there aren't reading these posts and thinking for one second that night shift is some how easier and you may even get to sleep and get paid. IT'S NOT TRUE!!! Nursing is a 24 hour job and it's hard work night or day!!!

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My wife said everyone on her unit(cardiac) slept in the breakroom for 2 hours on their break. They just combined all their breaks into one. Instead of taking 3 seperate breaks.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Step-Down, MedSurg, LTC.

In three years of working nights I've never taken a nap. I believe there was one night when I laid my head down on the nurses' station for about 4 minutes, but then couldn't even think of closing my eyes. I don't get a "paid" lunch break, but I usually try to get off the floor for about 15 minutes once a 12-hour shift.

I've been so exhausted at times, but there is always something to do at night to keep you busy. Whether it's rounding on patient rooms to make sure they all have a suction setup, folding isolation gowns for floor stock, or stocking the computers on wheels, it's mindless work that can keep you going when it's a slow night.

Note that this mindless work happens infrequently for me the charge nurse, who is usually dealing with my own poopy assignment and everyone else's poopier assignment.

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Wow, this is crazy! I can't believe people are admitting to sleeping on the job.

I am a night owl and loved working nights. I was always to busy to even think about sleep. On a busy med-surg floor there is always something that needs to be done.

I did know of one nurse who fell asleep on the job and he was quickly fired. I felt a little sorry for him, his family was having a hard time and he worked two jobs. But sleeping on the job is a quick way to get fired and he knew that.

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Specializes in LPN.

I am offended. Why do people think nurses sleep on night shift? Who comes up with this stuff? Everyone used to believe nurses were in the oldest profession, if you know what I mean. These naive beliefs should have gone by the way side years ago.

I think the grass always looks better on the other shift. I could look at Am and PM nurses chatting, eating and drinking coffee, (none which i have time to do), and get all upset. I wish I had time to read magazines, and talk on the phone, and paint my fingernails, all of which I have personally seen AM an PM nurses do. Why can't we just be glad if someone has an easy shift - once in a blue moon. - Not that it ever happens on nights.:no::no::no::no::no::no:

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
My wife said everyone on her unit(cardiac) slept in the breakroom for 2 hours on their break. They just combined all their breaks into one. Instead of taking 3 seperate breaks.

What is this "break" that you speak of?

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Specializes in ICU, PACU, ED, Peds.

Worked nights for several years. There was a study in the 90's about giving night shift workers a power nap (20-30 mins) in addition to their break time. The results included a decrease in med errors. This would be a great EBP project!

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Coffee and willpower for me :) The nurses I work with do not sleep on the job, thankfully...except for one LPN, but actually I find her in the breakroom quite often watching TV or talking on her phone or SLEEPING instead of keeping an eye on her patients...

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