Hiya all :) I have been reading your posts for quite awhile as the topics pop up on my facebook. Just signed up today and I've been sitting and reading lots of topics and really enjoying them. I have been a nurse for over 20 yrs and a nurse aide prior to that. Everyone here seems to have good advice for people with questions or issues needing to be resolved. So here I am LOL with my tale of woe. I hope to get some good advice :)
I have been working nightshift for the past 3 years. I don't really care for it, but I have medical issues which cause chronic pain and I just can't keep up on any other shift. I work in a Basic Care Facility in which our Residents need care, but not to the extent of a SNF. So it is not as busy as most LTC facilities. I seem to be able to keep up with the pace on nights.
My issue is my days off, I tend to keep with my working schedule. I work 11pm- 8am, I come home and putz around doing what I have to do then I watch TV or read until I get tired. So I sleep from about 12-1pm til about 8-9pm. This works for me as my kids are grown and off on their own and my 2 furbabies ( dogs ) are used to my schedule now. But on my days off I tend to follow the same schedule as if I was working. That would be fine if it didn't interfere in other aspects of my life, but it does. My family, most of which are also in healthcare careers work day shifts. So I miss out on family activities because I just can't sleep normal hours. I have been told by others who work nights that it is good to keep the same schedule 7 days a week. This would be great if I could sleep from 9am-5pm and have the evening for activities, but unfortunately my habits take up the afternoon and most of the evening. I have tried going to sleep by 9am, but I just can't.
So I was just wondering what schedules other nightshift nurses have and how they deal with it? How do you keep your schedules when you are off work? It is 4am here CST and of course I'm wide awake. I would so love to go to the pool or the lake with the grandkids, but I would just be too tired. I'm not able to retire and I don't want to go through the aggravation of applying for disability even though I would be eligible I've heard horror stories from others. I'm looking forward to seeing how others deal with this :)
I work 10pm-6am Mon-Wed, I get home around 645 sleep by 7am and wake up by 1030am. My body automatically wakes up by 1030am, I don't take naps in between and don't get too tired during the day. This just works for me.
Loving these tips! I just got started on nights and the first week was the worst! Slowly but surely getting used to it and keeping up my fitness as well!
I'm an agency nurse and work pretty much any shift offered to me (and that is usually midnights) If I have a couple of mid's in a row, I'm in bed by 9a and up by 4p so I can enjoy some daylight time. When I'm coming off mid's to some days off I go right to bed and catch a short (4 hr) catnap. I'm still sleepy, but it is at least daylight and then I'm ready to go to bed that night at a semi-normal time. In the reverse order before a midnight shift, I'll get up in the morning, enjoy my day and grab 2-3 hour nap before my shift. It works for me. I'd be very depressed if I was only awake in the dark.
There is a reason they pay nurses more to work nights than any other shift: the sacrifice of a normal family life is a significant part of that.
Back in my night shift days, pardon the pun, I stuck to the same schedule every day, no matter whether I was working or not. I usually crawled into bed between 0830 and 0900 and slept until mid afternoon. Then I did whatever needed to be done before office hours closed. I might catch a short nap in the evening before work if I felt tired.
You say there's a reason you need to work nights. Could you make it financially as a weekender? I took a relatively small cut in pay (looking at the paycheck) for switching to working Saturdays and Sundays on a 12 hour shift. You can get a lot done Monday through Friday if you don't have to work. You also tend not to see much administration on the weekends. What's not to like?
I have been working nights for the last 7 months, it's killing me sleep wise, I can't sleep mainly due to being stressed, buying house, in a MSN program, etc. When I'm off I try to switch to a normal day/sleep rotation, so my first night shift, I wake up at 8am and am up all day doing errands, etc, then I work all night, so I'm awake at least 24 hours, but a good part of the time, I'm up taking classes, etc that 2nd day and then work all night, so that's 48 hours awake. Then there are weeks like this week, I woke up wed morning at 6am and I finally got to sleep at 10pm on friday, so that's 62 hours awake! I just started a new rotation doing 5 on, 5 off, so I hope that I won't have as many long days being awake with few day to night to day flip flops!
I feel for you. I've worked nights and swing shift since 2000 and since I had small children it was my best shift option. My best advice is stick to a schedule. A lot of people try and pull you from your routine for their personal wants, but in my experience you are more likely to suffer than them. I come home and eat a protein filled breakfast and sleep 4 to five hours on my day off and resume my regular sleep schedule at 10 pm on my days off.
I work no more than two shifts in a row and take a 1 hour nap before work. Basically I don't fight against my clock and I sleep great.
I pay attention to the older nurses advice it is usually spot on. Don't take medications you become dependent.
The only people who should be working the night shift are people who love doing it and not because they have to. Numerous studies indicate that it will ruin your health and I would very strongly suggest that you get off that shift and find work that you can tolerate during the day. Your body will thank you for it especially as you continue to age. I worked a night shift in the newborn nursery for two years, 7p-7a, and it absolutely ruined my internal clock. It's never been right since and that was 30 years ago. If you absolutely must, make sure that your sleep room is absolutely dark with not even an ounce of light coming in. That shift will ruin any social life you might have but it's important that you maintain the same schedule even on your days off.
I've been working nights for a few years now, it's hard and it can put a strain on family life. You just have to figure out exactly how much sleep you need to function properly (and safely) and get that amount. As for days off, personally I try to "reset" myself by getting a few hours on my first morning off, then get up and soldier through the day. I usually get about 6 hours that night then I'm back on track. It takes some trial and error to figure out what works for you. Good luck!!
I work 8 hr night shifts and have no problems sleeping. Ever. So I may be different then some with sleep issues. I get off at 7 and am normally asleep by 8. I wake up around 4 and take care of my family, excercise, run errands etc then take about an hour nap before I go back in. On my night off, I wake up earlier, about 1, then I sleep all night that night. Before I go in the next night, I take a long nap. I have worked nights for 3 years and love the freedom it gives me during the day.
Hi! While I am not actually a nurse (though I aspire to be one), I also work the overnight shift and have been doing so for 4 years. This is what I have discovered....
First, it was hard at the beginning and very difficult enotionally for me until I stopped fighting it and embraced the schedule. I can't tell you how many times I would stare at the ceiling, tired but not sleepy, angry at what I was missing out on. Once I stopped being upset about it and really accepted and embraced the differences, it got a lot easier.
Now, I have done both on my days off; I have tried sleeping during the day on my days off, and I have 'flipped' my sleep schedule on my days off (which is what I do now), and here is what I have found...
If you maintain your normal sleep schedule on your days off and sleep during the day, it is way easier on your body and better for your mental and physical health, but you miss out on so much. Basically what I would do is get up around 6-630pm, spend time with my wife and baby son until he and then she went to bed, and then I would sit up all night playing videogames. That was very relaxing to me and really felt like a day off. Then, when I went back to work two days later, I felt rested and didn't have to worry about flipping my schedule.
Now what I do is make myself stay up all day as soon as I get home, crash hard that night, and then wake up around 8 or 9m the next morning. The night before I have to go to work I stay up as late as possible, sleep in late, and then go to work and try to make it through. It's very hard on your body, I'll be honest; I'm 24 and that first day is just a blur. Going 24 hours without sleep is pretty much a weekly thing for me, but it does mean I get to spend time doing stuff with my family. You can try taking a nap that first day, maybe one or two hours, and that might help some.
I have been working permanent part time night duty for 18 years (up to 70 hours per fortnight) in a small Emergency Department (about 26K presentations last year). Initially for the family and now because I'm just use to it. When I go onto days off, and that can be after 1 or 4 nights depending on the roster, I tend to "muck around" the house till 12 -1 pm and then have a 2-3hr afternoon nap. This nap is enough to get me through the rest of the evening, even if going out like I did last Fri night having just finished 3 nights.
As I said earlier I have been doing this for quite a while and I'm not chronologically young, mid 50's, though the brain is!
This system works for me and before I start nights I usually have a 2hr sleep before I commence; the shifts are 10hrs 21.30 - 07.30 hrs.
I love when people think the NOC shift staff have the "easy" life...LOL. I've worked night shifts for the past 5 years - and, first things first - its a day to day battle to figure out WHEN to eat or sleep, WHAT to eat when you finally do eat, and HOW LONG to sleep when you finally do!
During consistent work days, I come home, say hello to the family, and then go to sleep for about 4-5 hrs. There's too much to do during normal office hours and too much that I feel I'm missing out on if I sleep through day time hours. I will usually take a nap 1-2 hours before going into work that night.
On my first night off, I usually will sleep for 3-4 hrs when I initially come home, then wake up - still groggy, mind you - but, able to function. I will then sleep "regular" hours that night so that my brain gives me the melatonin I've so badly missed out on all week!
On the day I need to return to work, I will wake up super early, and then take a nap during the day, or sleep 3-4 hours before going into work to feel rested!
NOC shift staff get compensated because we are asleep when the rest of the world is awake and vice-versa. It's not for everyone, and unfortunately, it takes longer than a few months for your body to adjust to the schedule. It can take years, honestly. Just be sure that your support system, i.e. family members, significant other, etc., advocate for your sleep and make it a priority and understand your needs - this makes the process so much easier - GOOD LUCK!
...OH! One other thing - try and stay away from any type of natural supplement, or medication that assists with sleep - it's not worth it, especially if you're looking at staying in the job for the long run. Be an active part in figuring out the process of what works for your body and what doesn't. P.S. this processs takes a lot of time, so be patient and willing to try new patterns!!...
mommylife
2 Posts
I work 10pm-6am Mon-Wed, I get home around 645 sleep by 7am and wake up by 1030am. My body automatically wakes up by 1030am, I don't take naps in between and don't get too tired during the day. This just works for me.