Night Shifters: Do you sleep?

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I work on a med-surg floor on nights. I have seen almost every single nurse there hunched over and asleep at one time or another. Some even take blankets from the blanket warmer and get a little too cozy! Sometimes it's so slow that I can't really blame them. I also see their heads bobbing back and forth. So, just curious, do any of you fall asleep on the job? I'm still new so I'm afraid to, but man, some times I wish I did!

I HATE seeing nurses who are sleeping on the night shift. Means they aren't doing something they should, at least on the floors I work!

I have no time to sleep. Heck, I don't usually have time to EAT, so sleep is out of the question.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

On rare occasion its (the Q word) on the night shift where everything is done and we are just sitting around. That's when I get the nods, nearly got whiplash! Don't doze off on purpose. A hospital I worked at years ago let people take an hour break (we worked 12s and folks combined their breaks) and go sleep in the lounge. I'd have to go find my coworkers and wake them up, one was always so sound asleep that she'd be disoriented when I'd finally get her to wake up. I've taken a quick snooze in the past, but it didn't really do any good: now in the ER its not possible.

I usually sleep well during the day, I've been doing nights more than 20 years. I have gotten very sleepy on the way home though, fell asleep once on the Golden Gate Bridge (Thank God for the lane strips with bumps to wake you up!), and last year hit a curb and blew a tire on the way home. Now I drive a scooter, nothing like being cold to keep you awake! and no bucket seat to lull me off. :chuckle

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Specializes in med-surg.

I love nights and am never bored. We may slow down a little from 0230-0400, but that a good time to just shoot the bull.

I have caught a few CNAs catnapping in the linen and supply rooms, but that's thier business. Just don't ask for help at 0530 when you realize that you are behind.

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Specializes in OB.
I worked nights for over 25 yrs. It truly was my preferred shift. I retired in 2005 and I just can't get used to sleeping at night. I have tried and tried. So no I never fell asleep at night. I fall asleep around 1000 AM and the hardest I sleep is between 10 and 400PM.

I guess some are just larks and others like me are night owls.

I'm like you - have been working nights for the last 25 years and am a completely dedicated night owl! I've already decided I'm going to be that little old lady in the nursing home who sits in the geri chair next to the nurses station all night because she just won't sleep! Just hand me that pile of towels to fold all night!

I think the biggest problem most people have is that they try to do things all day and then work all night. You wouldn't think of staying up all night before coming in for day shift and shouldn't expect to do that when you work nights either. I stay on my "night schedule" even when off, getting to bed around 5 on my days off and getting up at about 1-2 p.m. (so I can still get business done).

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SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK!

*passes out and begins to snore*

G'Night y'all, I'm off tonight. :D

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I work all shifts in LTC and have worked a lot of midnights lately and I never have time to sleep!! Like others have said there is always something you could be doing. I think it would be OK to nap on a break or lunch or even combine them into one for a decent nap, if your patients are covered and all is well on the floor. Sleeping on the clock is bad- even if it's slow and another nurse likes to keep busy and will watch everything and alert you if youre needed. The facility you work at does not pay you to sleep, plain and simple. If you're being paid, you need to be working!! :spbox: And if you're worried about your ride home, sleep after you've given report and clocked out but before leaving. There have been times were I worked doubles as a CNA 45 mins from home and had to sleep in the car for an hour before I could start home.

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

IMHO, I should be able to do whatever I want for the one hour of unpaid break time I am "entitled to."

Just because you are not super busy every minute of night shift, and choose to take a break does not mean you're shirking some essential nursing intervention. Once my baths, cares, meds, feeds, etc are done, and my pts are all sleeping in between feeds, I can find time to go on break. ( In between Allnurses )

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

We usually too busy to even think about it; on the few times when it has been dead ( I did NOT use the Q word!) d/t low census, administration sends us home.

The only one I worry about is one of our nurses is a diabetic and they can't get her meds/insulin right since they took her off avandia. She bottomed out one night at 38, and we were calling the house doc and running her to the ER because she was going out. I know nightshifting can make insulin levels even more unstable.

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Nope....Most of the time I am house supervisor and charge nurse with my own load of patients...not time...i did catch a couple of the employees in the gerio psych unit and lets say next time a notice of concern will be written with a picture from my cell phone...we are not payed to sleep

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Specializes in Rehab.

i do sleep...8 hours during the day is enough for me!!! i'm good for my 12h night shifts and see no reason to sleep on the job. if you feel the need to sleep during night shift then sleep on your break or do dayshifts so you can get the beneficial rest that you need at night time.

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Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

If I fall asleep at work, it's unintentionally and usually while computer charting when I just can't keep my eyes open. I've seen other nurses grab warm blankets when it gets cold around 3-5 in the morning, but I've only done it when I was really cold. I don't try to sleep on my breaks, it just makes me feel worse when I wake up. :yawn:

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Specializes in Public Health.

I used to sleep on my dinner breaks, but I found that I'd wake up even more tired than I had been. Now I just read a book for the hour that I'm away.

I sleep during the day, so staying awake during my shift is never a problem.

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