Night shifters - ever experience this?

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I will be honest, it took me a long time to adjust to night shift. But then I had a really good stretch where I thought everything was going to be ok. I kept to the schedule on days off which helped. I felt good at work and slept when I got home. I was on a sleeping 10-4 schedule most days of the week. But lately I am WAY OUT OF WHACK! I mean like I will sleep for 18 hours then be awake for 2 days straight. I am exhausted, have huge bags under my eyes, my skin looks awful and I am sooooooo cranky! It is affecting my attitude at work. Its been about 3 weeks like this. I have tried Benadryl, melatonin, lunesta. But when I can't sleep I can't sleep. I feel crazy. I just lay there in bed and nothing! Even with all the medicine in me. My doctor said ambien is a bad fit for me since I already sleep walk and talk sometimes. But the stretches of insomnia are making me absolutely crazy. My doctor said I need to find a day job, nothing else will help but I really need to stick this out until January at the very least. Any ideas? Anyone have a sudden change in tolerance to night shift? I am afraid my lack of sleep will cause me to harm someone by making a mistake at work. I have not called out yet, but I am going to have to if this keeps up.

Specializes in Critical Care.

I am a night owl and work night shift. Usually I can sleep ok, but sometimes yes I do have times where I can't sleep or sleep longer than normal to recover after a grueling shift. But I've done days and I felt more sleep deprived because I wouldn't want to go to sleep and then when I finally did next thing you know the alarm is going off and I worked two weeks in a row days and I was so exhausted I went back to nights. Also days is such a pressure cooker I don't envy the nurses that work days. They are expected to do the impossible time wise and consequently are more stressed and many miss lunch/breaks on a regular basis. I don't think I could do days from the stress factor alone! I feel like nurses are treated like trained monkeys running on the hospital treadmill, run, jump, don't be late on the meds, the computer tells you what to do. Press this button, that buttom, why was the med late. Turn the IV on do you want to clear it? do you want to confirm. It takes forever to give meds and start IV pumps and the computer hassles you at every turn. Then if that's not enough the call lights and bed checks are blaring, people are pulling at you all at once and your dealing with all the altered mental status patients! You are not allowed to refuse a patient, even if this frequent flyer has physically attacked you, threatened you and swore at you in the past! Nursing is insane no matter what shift you work! I truly think its hazardous to your health, mentally, physically, emotionally. I don't know why more nurses aren't out on stress disability. We must be gluttons for punishment!

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Specializes in MICU/SICU.

This might sound counter-intuitive, but have you had a vacation lately?

I've been on night shift for nearly a year as a nurse, but I did them regularly in the military too. It seems like I need a "sleep reset" every once in a while - a three night weekend every few weeks to kind of reset my clock. I know the consensus is "stick to the schedule on days off" but it doesn't work for me. Even though the quantity of sleep I get during the day is fine, the quality isn't. Every few days I need to get some "real" sleep at night, and every few weeks I need a few nights off in a row to catch up and get human. Then I'm ok for a few more weeks.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

OH - to add to my previous post - leave your cell in another room. Get an alarm clock (so many of us use our phones as alarms) and if the clock has an LED display - turn it away from you. There is a study about LED light messing with sleep maintenance.

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Some people are good going to bed as soon as they get home and others need to stay up most of the day and then go to bed later and get up right before they go to work, you have to find out what is best for you. Make sure the room is completely dark, that that helps me. sleep has to be top priority. And i agree with cutting out caffeen by around 1am, if I have any after that, I don't sleep at all.

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

Sounds like you literally have tried everything: schedules, environment, and even meds. If you really can't sleep, you may need to talk with your manager or HR about an earlier internal transfer. No sleep is bad for you and dangerous. You can't be going into work after not sleeping for 2 days, and continuing to do so. There's no way you can continue to do what you're doing until January safely.

Or, you can take the day shift position on your unit, and just tough it out for a few months with the meanies, and then do an internal transfer in January. Even though nobody wants to work with that group, at least you'll be able to sleep again. And, normally, I wouldn't advise someone to do something only to switch to something else, but your situation is an exception. You need to sleep. Maybe you'll find that you fit in with the mean girls lol, just kidding.

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Specializes in LTC, medsurg.
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!
Have u tried A benzo like ativan for short term only and only on days u work?
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Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

It certainly sounds like you're going through hell, I hope things get better for you. I used to try to do meditation a long time ago, before I was a nurse. I couldn't do it very well because it always put me to sleep. Well nowadays I make that work for me once in a while, when sleep just flirts with me and doesn't settle in. I think of a song (any song, with 4/4 time) and go over the lyrics in my head, timed with my breathing. It does funky things to my dreams... this morning I woke with the impression that I MUST scribble song lyrics on my walls in the bedroom after painting each wall a different color and it was gonna be awesome... until I got up and thought about how my family would probably have me committed. But it does get me some sleep. And this is after having the white noise, the schedule workarounds, the meds adjusted, etc.

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There is only one cure for this.... go to days. Although I'm an extreme night owl (note the time I'm posting this, on my day off - and I should not stay on a night schedule, but can't help it), I just cannot handle night shift. I have never been so exhausted before in my life (after 8 months on night shift)... and I'm sick all the time (usually, never). I'm too tired to exercise (used to be 3 times a week - at least), and I really miss the sun!!!

But I finally, finally got my wish: only 4 more weeks on nights!!! (There is light - literally!!! - at the end of this long, dark tunnel ;)

It looks like you need to do the same: go to day shift. Best of luck!!!

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Home Health, Geriatrics.

I did the night shift for years and managed ok (and LOVED it) but now, 4 years later, I STILL cannot get up early and cant get to sleep til around 1 or 2 in the a.m. Am afraid that I'll never get back to a normal schedule, so be warned. Good luck and I hope this doesn't happen to you.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
If your doctor is firm about you not working nights, get him to write a letter to that effect and take it to your manager and to HR. One of ours was seriously having stress problems, and was moved to days per her doctor's orders. Work places have to make adjustments for health.

Not exactly....they have to reasonable accommodation for a disability that doesn't cause the facility "undue hardship"

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

I normally do OK sleeping during the day, but occasionally will have a stretch where it just doesn't work! The past few days for instance, I had trouble sleeping more than a few hours after shift #2 of 4 for the week. Woke up at 12:30 on Fri & that was after a tough shift that I ended up staying an hour over to chart. Did it again the next day, waking up about 1:30. Luckily hubby was home to take care of the kids, but I still couldn't sleep well after that, just dozing on & off. I'm feeling like a new person today after a night off! I don't usually take anything before sleeping but I think I may just try some benadryl or valerian root after tonight's shift so hopefully I don't repeat last week's sleep deprivation!

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Working nights was the worst experience for me ever! I did it for 6 months and I literally did not even feel human. I looked and felt like a zombie..no matter HOW much sleep I got! I could sleep 8 hours during the day and it didn't matter. I felt awful and was absolutely miserable. I also got reflux and my throat burned all the time. Thank god I am on days and staying on days. I just can't do nights. I have no idea how people do it for extended periods of time. I would rather work day shift every day of the week than 3 days of nights a week.

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