Night shifters - ever experience this?

OfficialWarmBody · Sep 29, 2012

I do not work days because it honestly makes me physically ill to wake up that early in the morning. If my kids could function on a night schedule the whole family would be on a "night" schedule! However, you might talk to your doctor about taking provigil. It is specifically designed to help with shift work sleep disturbance. You take it 30 minutes before your shift starts, and helps you stay awake for your entire shift.

brownbook · Sep 29, 2012

How old are you? I think it can be related to menopause. And I'm not talking about night sweats (I never had them).

I worked nights 17 years. Suddenly one day I could not sleep more than 2 hours. I switched to days and it made absolutely no difference. I slept horribly when I worked regular hours also.

It has been a long rough road but I gradually learned a lot about myself in relation to how much I slept. I have had days where I slept 6 - 8 solid hours and woke up feeling hung over all day. (Honest no alcohol for several days and then maybe one drink, alcohol and I don't do well).

Then days where I slept maybe 4 hours and felt fine all the next day.

My sleep is still very erratic and I admit if I get several lousy sleep nights in a row it kills me at work.

I have learned to just go by how I feel during the day and stop brooding about how many hours sleep I got.

No pills, sunshine, white noise, aluminum foil, tricks made any difference. I tried them all.

Elladora · Sep 29, 2012

I have those sleep issues and I work second shift. Before you jump shifts (especially since day shift where you work sounds a bit nightmare'ish), I would seek a second opinion.

There are also meds you can take that might help you rest. (Unfortunately I have atypical reactions to these meds so they are like taking speed for me).

Good luck to you - I know not being able to sleep is horrid.

37 °C · Sep 29, 2012

Sleeping in absolute darkness has helped so much with getting a good sleep after working a night shift.

That is a good start.

Oh and get out in the sun when you can. I take Vit D because Im low on it but noticed a positive difference in coping with night shift when my levels were better.

That is also a good idea, especially if you can coordinate it with your schedule (i.e., get outside as soon as you wake up in the afternoon).

Have you considered light therapy? It's been effective for some who suffer from seasonal affective disorder.

HAYNURSE · Sep 29, 2012

I also work nights three on and four off. I a have taken one of the bedrooms and put 3/4 inch ply wood on the window and put an air conditioner in the window I also have a fan and white noise keeps the room cool and I seem to be able to sleep at least 4 hours solid and dose off nd on until 3pm I hve to drive 1 hour to work so I am able to get 5-6 which is about what I get when I don't work. I have been able to survive for 5 years with no health issues yet.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 29, 2012

I loved night shift until sometime after age 40, when I suddenly developed short-term memory loss and confusion. I'd wake up in the middle of the afternoon and not know where I was or what day it was; I'd forget important stuff my husband and kids told me; I'd blow off details at work such as checking IV sites and tidying my rooms at the end of the shift. Then I took a two-week vacation and lived like a normal person for awhile---getting up at 6 or 7 and going to bed around 11---and the cobwebs cleared out of my brain within a matter of days. Granted, I was on vacation, but my mental faculties returned so swiftly that I knew I had to get off night shift STAT. Fortunately, there was a float position open that was perfect for me, 1100-1930, and I worked that job for over a year.

Since then, I've worked 3-11 or 8-5 and done fine. On the rare occasions when I've had to work a night shift, it destroyed me for two full days....my body simply can't handle it. Luckily, I have a job now where only in a dire emergency would I be asked to fill in on a night shift; even so, I have a doctor's note that says I cannot work nights for health reasons. It's kind of a shame, because I could get SO much done on nights without phones, faxes, families, and co-workers beating on my office door; but it is what it is, and as long as I stay within my limitations, I do well.

tesnim · Sep 29, 2012

i had experienced night shift for 3 years.in the begining it's very hard especially here in tunisia we work 12hours but you finished by liking it and getting used to it.you see seek peoples suffering and dying,so you thank good for being in a good health so you do you're best to give them help

ajjones1322 · Sep 29, 2012

Try yoga.

beeker · Sep 29, 2012

I already have the dark room, white noise, and cool room. I am 30. I stick to the schedule on my days off. I WAS doing fine for a few months and then it just changed. It might be stress. I have no idea. But I was doing ok with it and now I am a hot mess. I am going to have to suck it up for now. I do appreciate all the suggestions!

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Sep 29, 2012

I just finished my master's thesis looking at best practices for night shift workers. Here's what I know:

1) ABSOLUTE darkness in the bedroom

2) Sunglasses on the way home from work in the morning - sunlight hitting the retina supresses melatonin.

3.) White noise for sleeping

4.) Sunglasses if you have to get up and go to the bathroom - seriously

5.) No caffeine after 0200

6.) Illuminated screens (computer, phone, iPad) emit the wavelength of light that supresses melatonin as well - stay off these devices when you need to sleep.

7.) Chemical sleep aid ONLY between back-to-back work shifts.

Hope this helps!

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Sep 29, 2012

I havent worked night shift in over 2 years and my sleep cycle is still out of wack. Hugs, I hope you find something that works for you.

cdthorste · Sep 30, 2012

yeah, that takes me back to my year as a night worker at a mental hospital. the work itself was fascinating, but the schedule just crushed me. if you really can't get enough rest, then i think leaving your job or finding another shift is better for you AND your patients. but until then, this is what i did to sleep during the day:

1. take Nighttime sleep tablets. they're dissolvable OTC pills. they come in a blue box near the pain killer section at the pharmacy

2. drank one full glass of unsweetened cherry juice. some people think cherry juice makes you sleepy- maybe not, but the placebo effect really can

3. took a short walk outside wearing glasses before falling asleep

4. have an extremely repetitive routine in the morning before getting to bed. i did everything in order: feed the cat, brush my teeth, wash my face. even down to wearing similar pajamas every day. after a while your brain associates all of those things with sleep

5. learned how to meditate. when i couldn't fall asleep, instead of just lying there staring at the ceiling, i would focus on one mental image and let my thoughts float in and out of my head randomly. i would start to drift off after a while

6. wrap myself up really tight with a lot of blankets--a lot of other people i know feel very soothed if they "swaddle" themselves like an infant

and of course, there's the obvious- exercise, eat right, don't let any sunlight get into your room, get a sound machine, etc.

when all of that failed, the best i could do was to remind myself to double check everything i did and get a few copies of my apartment keys (or anything else important that you might lose, in your insomnia-fueld confusion)

good luck to you. hope this helps