night shift tips

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I am starting the night shift in a couple weeks. Can anyone recommend some earplugs, etc that I can buy online. Any other suggestions for sleeping during the day would be greatly appreciated. :rolleyes:

Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

I use a fan and turn off the phone. I have worked nights for 25 years and any one who values their sleep doesn't call me before 5 pm or they can count on a call from me to shoot the breeze around 2-3 am stops them every time

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.
And do NOT drink caloric beverages to keep you awake. You'll gain unwanted weight.
Well said. I haven't found a single substitute for work as a way of staying awake :) If I feel a bit sleepy, I take a walk, visit people and see what happening around the site.

Dalzac :: LMAO! Nothing like payback! :D

Hmmm, it's 4:40am already...:chuckle

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Good luck to you. You'll find a groove that works for you. I agree the first week or two is tough. For me it was very hard to stay alseep all day.

I splurged and had someone measure a blind that blocks out all light. I use a fan for noise.

Lately I've been having trouble with my days off. Either I sleep all day on my days off and prowl all night, or I take a series of naps. For me it was eaisier working 5 8's because I kept a group. Three 12's is harder. I just sleep when my body says sleep.

Good luck!

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During my off days I adjust to live a normal day life. Everyone I know at work does this. So don't think you have to totally live a night life because the fact is, is that your body is very adaptable.

Actually switching your schedule from nights to days then back to nights is the worst thing you can do to your body as a night shift worker. As a previous poster mentioned, get on a schedule.

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Tips to survive-

1. Don't drink coffee after 2 or 3 am, as the caffeine stays with you for like 6 or 7 hours afterwards.

2. Dark, heavy blackout shades for the windows.

3. A nice satin sleep mask.

3. White noise... a white noise machine/humidifer/fan/ air conditioner (in the right time of year.)

4. TURN OFF THAT PHONE and put the answering machine in another room where you can't hear it. If someone is so desperate to get a hold of you, they can send the police to break into your house and wake you up.

5. A consistant routine helps. Some people go to bed right when they get home from work and get up in the late afternoon, some stay up til a certain hour and then get up right before they need to go to work.

6. Drugs- Perhaps not a good thing to get into, but when you need a little help, some people use tylenol PM... an old supervisor of mine had a script for ambien which she refilled every month. When I worked nites, I used to cut one of my flexeril tabs (for my back) in half, which helped when I was having problems getting to sleep. But like I said, its not a good habit to get into.

7. If you have a family, they really need to truely UNDERSTAND that you need your sleep, so no waking you up for nonemergent causes. My brother never GOT this one through his thick skull for our mom who worked nite shift all our lives... Grrrrr!

Missy

Great tips, but number four is my favorite. Too funny:rotfl:

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I've always been a night-owl (Mom even had me enrolled in afternoon kindergarten - back when you only went half a day- because she had so much trouble waking me for morning kindergarten), so sleeping during the day and working at night isn't too much of an issue.

But, sometimes I find that going straight into a nice warm/hot bath with the morning paper and a beer or glass of wine helps the sleep arrive. Sleep masks annoy me, and seem to slip off, so I sewed a little rectangular pillow filled with flax seed and lavender and that goes over my eyes. The weight helps my eyelids accept being closed, and the lavender soothes and relaxes me.

Oh, it's been said before, and bears repeating - turn down the phone and answering machine, with warnings to family and friends that interrupting your sleep is a big NO-NO!

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Specializes in CCU (Coronary Care); Clinical Research.

I have a whole different room that I sleep in during the day...Comfy bed, dark walls (purple!!), and a blackout shade. I use a fan for white noise. Day sleeping is the only thing this room is used for. I usually get off work, play online for a little while, eat a small breakfast, turn on the fan and I am usually good. I do occassionally use half of a tylenol pm to sleep...usually on either my first day sleeping days to get into the routine or my first night back sleeping nights (if I get into waking up in the middle of the night, I can't ever get back onto the right pattern)...yes I am bad and switch back and forth..my schedule is fairly accomodating...two on, two off, four on, six off...I like my time on and off clumped together...the less switching back and fourth I do the better. My husband is very understanding, and since he is not here during the day most of the time, I don't have to worry about noise...

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Specializes in private duty/home health, med/surg.
Actually switching your schedule from nights to days then back to nights is the worst thing you can do to your body as a night shift worker. As a previous poster mentioned, get on a schedule.

I am a new RN grad who just accepted a med-surg position, and although I'll have a 5-month orientation on days, once I am done with that I will be on 7p-7a 3x/week. I have 3 elementary school age children and I don't see how I can stay on a night shift schedule & keep up with their lives, esp. when I have a weekend off.

I appreciate all the tips I've read so far. I'd be interested in hearing from others who work nights & rearrange their sleeping schedule on days off.

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Great tips, but number four is my favorite. Too funny:rotfl:

:chuckle I was stunned when one of my super good CNA's was a "no call no show" one night. I called her house many many times and there was no answer. I was sure that something bad must have happened and I called the police to go check on her. The police banged on her door and it woke her up. After that, people teased me by saying "you better show up for work or she's going to call the cops on you."

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Good timing - I'm back on nights for the first time since 1994, but I'll only be working one 12 hour shift per week, so I *hope* it doesn't screw me up too badly. I figure I can snooze on Friday afternoon, then when I get off on Saturday morning come home, sleep a few hours and return to some semblance of my "normal" schedule. (I have a toddler - "normal" is whenever she sleeps.)

I do remember being COLD on nights. I always had to go have a cup of cocoa and get a blanket out of the warmer about 3:00 am just to stay awake.

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I don't keep a night schedule. Basically I sleep when I can, and try to at least get a nap in before my first night back. But if you can stay on schedule, by all means do, it really is better for you, it's just not always possible.

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Being tired is psychological. If you worry about getting sleep and not having enough sleep, then you will be tired all the time. Learn the art of the power nap. 30 minutes and I'm good to go if I have stuff to do during the day (or want to attend church service at 11am on Sunday). I like nights because my husband can get the kids off to school and I am here to be with them when they get home. No more day care bills!!!

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