Night Shifters - Hobbies?

barcode120x, RN, NP · Nov 2, 2019

I'm a gamer at heart so that's pretty much my main hobby. Gym is my #2, but I rarely ever gym at night because it keeps me awake too late including my pre-workout. Netflix and other streaming platforms are always a good call (Disney+ soon too! haha). But now that I'm in school, it keeps me awake at night too for homework unfortunately.

caliotter3 · Nov 3, 2019

I once had a home care client on night shift who watched the Food Network and “cooked” at night by having his night shift nurse do the physical cooking in the kitchen and directing them, as he was confined to his bed. Cooking at night can be fun.

marienm, RN, CCRN · Dec 26, 2019

Might not be your cup of tea, but I like doing something quiet with my hands...I'm currently working on a big embroidery project. It's not too taxing mentally but it keeps me more focused/awake than reading. See also: model-making, knitting, tying flies, putting all the old photos in an album (or taking them all out and scanning them!), drawing, etc...

Nurse BB, BSN · Dec 29, 2019

Hey, @yesrun! You are asking the question that plagued me for the entire first year of my career when I was first hired at my hospital on the night shift. To protect my circadian rhythm, I rarely "flipped" my sleep cycle (there are lots of studies out there demonstrating a correlation between night shift workers and chronic disease development), so I found myself in the same predicament as you with many hours on my hands with nothing to do. After lamenting and wallowing in self-pity for the first couple of months, I finally decided to take action. My first task was to become a good cook. I began learning recipes that I would practice making. My second task was to "Mari Kondo" my living space. This meant yanking EVERYTHING out of every shelf and closet and sorting through what brought me joy and what had served its use and would be better given away or tossed. My third task was to learn to paint, something I'd always wanted to do. I purchased art supplies and set up an art corner. I'd put on music and YouTube "paint-along" tutorials and work on painting. My fourth task was to catch up on shows I'd missed. I binged many a night. I broke up all these sedentary activities with late night walks or jogs, at home workouts (I purchased an app called Aptiv that has guided workouts with excellent personal trainers), or trips to the gym. I found a 24 hour diner near my house and sometimes I would go there for a treat in the middle of the night. I located friends who stayed up until 12-2 am and I had movie nights for dinner dates with some of them. I checked out late showings at the local movie theater. Ultimately, I decided night shift was too lonely and isolated for me if I wasn't going to flip my sleep cycle, so I opted to take an evening shift position when it became available. Toward the end of that year, I began planning my schedule (I was per diem), so I worked many nights in a row and then had a bulk of days off so it made "flipping" worth it...during which time I'd soak up all the sunshine I could get out hiking or kayaking or walking around with friends. I also purchased a "sun lamp" to mimic the rising sun at the beginning of my "day" to keep my circadian rhythm as normal as possible, trying to fake out my body. It worked - I never gained weight, I stayed fit, and I stayed fairly content. To connect with my significant other, we planned nights where I'd wake up earlier and he'd stay up later so we could have some dates together. I hope you find something that works for you! For me, I knew it wasn't forever, that it was just a chapter, so I focused on doing things I wouldn't have time to do if I worked a day schedule filled with the normal distractions that accompany that. Good luck, and you're not alone! You can do this!