Night Shift

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 7, 2013

I read your post and thought "I think I'd KILL to be able to sleep like that" lol.....

Seriously, there's no one right way to do this. Some people do well stringing the days together, then having four off, but some just can't survive 3 12's (which, as you will find, are rarely "only" 12 hours).

Also depends how your unit schedules. Three one week, then four off, but next week you might have FOUR in a row depending on where the break in the week (payperiod) is.

Who watches the kids while you're working, or sleeping? That could make a difference in your plans, too.

Hang in there....you really will find a niche!

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · May 8, 2013

I find that 3 in a row is easiest for me. I am usually great by day 3. Breaking it up kills me because it takes me a day or two to acclimate and then I'm back on nights. I usually do 3-12s, one day off, 2-12s, one day off 1-12 and then a long stretch off. This way I can sort of maintain a nights schedule and I have at least 5-7 days off depending on where the break was and can completely flip back to days.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · May 8, 2013

I might add- on the "flip" day back to days i only sleep 4-6 hours, anything more and I'm a zombie.

Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

amoLucia · May 8, 2013

One shift is NOT enough shifts to see if there's a true problem. Just attribute it to excitement,newbie newness, etc.

If 11-7 does work out for you, your sleep pattern will adjust accordingly. If not, so be it, but give it a little time.

Even among us old seasoned 11-7ers, we sometimes have those times that set us off kilter, oversleeping or undersleeping.

solneeshka, BSN, RN · May 8, 2013

I only work one night shift a week, but I set my alarm for 2pm after so I don't get too much sleep. I never have trouble going to sleep that night. When I worked straight nights, I always preferred three in a row so that I only had to go through the adjustment once a week. Also, it makes it easier on you when you can get your same patients back. :-)

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · May 8, 2013

Wow, 16 hours of sleep? I agree, I would kill to be able to sleep for that long! lol.

It is going to take a few shifts for you to adjust to working nights. I remember when I worked my first night shift as an aide...I was struggling SO HARD to stay awake the entire night. After a couple of shifts it wasn't really a problem.

I also find that working your shifts in a row is better than having them spread apart, imo. It's easier for dayshift to get away with having their scheduled work days spread out throughout the week, but that's also because they sleep and work during normal sleeping and working hours. For night shifters, it's opposite. For awhile my manager scheduled me as 1 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, 1 on. I was miserable and was getting burnt out. I felt like I didn't really have a day off, because remember on your first day off you're still working for 7 hours that morning and then you spend half of the day sleeping.

When you do your shifts in a row, you typically have more days off...3-4 in a row, therefore you have more time to rest and recover.

Just my two cents.

newnurse1986 · May 10, 2013

My hours are not 11-7 they are 7pm-7am.

MommyandRN · May 10, 2013

That's a tough call. I sometimes preferred 3 in a row bc then it's over and done with. But I also REALLY liked 2 on, 1 off, 1 on. I liked that one night in between to get an actual night's sleep in. I could also be a real person for a day or two and get stuff done before I had to go back to night shift zombie. with 3 in a row I felt like I didn't see anyone or get anything done for like 4 days. It's up to you whether or not you want that one night off in between.

Regardless, definitely if you have the next night off and esp the whole week: only sleep for like 4 hours, get up at like 1pm so that you can get to bed again at a normal time. Only sleep till 3 pm and longer if you have to go back that night. That worked for me. Hope that makes sense.

MatrixRn · May 10, 2013

It is an adjustment period that takes longer than a few days. I am a night owl and prefer evenings or nights. When my kids were young, I did not work 3 nights in a row. It was too much to do that and keep up with them. Generally, I would at max two in a row. Running around on the floor all night, or all day, for that matter is very tiring.

My husband and I worked worked out our schedule. I worked 7p-7a. When I got off work in the am, I came home just in time to say goodbye to the kids. [He got them up and got them ready for school.]

I set my alarm for 2pm, showered and went to sleep. I picked the kids up from school. It worked well.

On the nights that I did not work I did not stay up all night, but I still stayed up until 1 or 2 am, just so the switch back was not hard.

It can be done. Once I mastered my schedule I found I had tons more time with my kids and spouse.

calivianya, BSN, RN · May 10, 2013

The best way to adjust IMO is by not ever going back to sleeping at night unless it's a really special situation, like a family vacation or something. I find that I can still get stuff done after I wake up in the evening. Department stores and such don't usually close 'til around 10 or 11 at night here and some grocery stores are open 24 hours, so late shopping is not a problem. I can imagine it would be hard to do this with children, though...

Racer15, BSN, RN · May 10, 2013

I like working three twelves in a row. I have enough days off in a row to sleep and then I am ok for my other days off.