Night Shifters....How do you stay rested?

S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN · Dec 8, 2007

When going into a string of nights, I try to sleep in as long as possible, then stay in bed until I absolutely have to get up. When I come home I go right to bed and sleep until I have to get up and get ready for work that evening. When I'm finishing up a string of nights, then I go home, sleep till noon, then try to have a normal day. If I sleep any longer than that, then I can't get back onto a regular day routine. Night shift is great for how quiet things can get, but it sucks for having any kind of social life.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 8, 2007

night shift is great for how quiet things can get, but it sucks for having any kind of social life.

you know, the best social life i ever had was when i was working permanent nights. it was a good crew, and i socialized a lot with my friends from work. we'd go out after work for breakfast and bloody marys -- and sometimes stay out until noon! on our nights off, we'd get together and go to concerts, movies, out to eat or have dinner parties at each others' homes. i ended up marrying someone i met on night shift!

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 10, 2007

I work Mon, Tues, Wed nights - every week. What works for me is to go to bed like normal on Sunday night but I wake up at 1 or 2 am and I stay up until I get my son on the bus at 7:15. I usually balance the checkbook, pay bills, surf the net, watch all my TiVo'd stuff on TV, play with the dog, feed the cat, do some laundry. I have to be pretty quiet as to not wake the household, but it works. I usually eat some breakfast around 6:30 and as soon as he's on the bus - I go and lay back down and I sleep until he comes home at 3:30.

Even if I can't sleep, I do not get up. I lay in bed until it's time to get up. Very rarely do I have a problem sleeping though. Sometimes I just nap off and on from 1 or 2 on, but again....at least I am resting.

I have a great phone with a Do Not Disturb button. Allows the phoen to ring, answering machine to work but doesn't make a peep. Perfect for those to leave messages.

My cell stays in my purse either off or on vibrate, in the kitchen. If my house is on fire, someone will wake me up. Otherwise I simply do not care.

After I get off work, I come home, say goodbye to my son (who is just now getting on the bus), take a long hot bath, eat breakfast and go to bed and sleep once again until he comes home at 3:30.

On Thursday (after my string of 3 nights) I either will stay up and nap in the afternoon or come home and sleep for about 3-4 hours. Either way - Thursday is usually shot for me no matter what. I don't do much that requires thinking on this day. No driving either. It's become a great day for getting the dog groomed or my haircut though (as long as my husband drives me). I also clean house if necessary. I've also found grocery shopping and/or laundry is OK to do on this day. I'm wiped out though - and my family knows this - so Thursdays are NEVER a good day to make major life decisions for me. I usually crash around 9 or so and sleep all night.

Fri, Sat and Sun are normal days for me.

As far as my bedroom - I have thick curtains to block the light. I usually fall asleep with the TV on and it usually stays on which blocks out noise pretty good. This doesn't work for everyone though - some people are inclined to watch TV, not me, the sound of the TV is like a sleeping aid for me.

I use Benadryl to sleep only if necessary and I only take 1 so I don't feel hung over the next day.

I'm lucky - I can sleep any time, any where. I also have a husband who works from home and he can take care of those day to day things w/o waking me (usually).

One thing I have figured out though - I HAVE to work my 3 days in a row, always. I can not function like a normal person if I work nights off and on. I have to have a normal life and normal sleep for at least a few days each week and for me those have to be in a row.

I like nights where I work. I did some orientation on days and it almost killed me to get up at 4 a.m. I'm tired when I work nights - but I'm tired when I work days........

Good luck to you!!!!!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2007

I kept a regular sleep routine. I went to sleep at around noon or 1pm every day and got up at 8 or 9pm and got ready for work. I used to do all my shopping and set up my doctor's appointments for the mornings. It's a great time because everyone else is working!

My mother plastered aluminum foil over the windows of her bedroom which made the room pitch black even during the day. As long as it was quiet outside it was a great room to sleep in because it was so dark. She also turned off the phone.

You might also turn off your phone and let your friends and relatives know they are absolutely NOT to call you during your regular sleeping hours.

JaredCNA, CNA · Dec 11, 2007

I'm probably just re-capping what everyone else said, but here is what works for me:

Turn off the phone.

Give out a cell phone number to your significant other, etc. and have them call in EMERGENCIES ONLY. And I mean chew them out if they call and it's not an emergency, lol. If that doesn't work and they can't seem to grasp the time difference in them calling you at 3pm, then you call them at 3am while you are at work to ask them to take out the trash.

Earplugs have worked great a few times, but I roll over and move around a lot so they usually come out. I definitely recommend a fan for the white noise and also because cold tells the body it is time to sleep. Whether it's 100 degrees outside or 30 degrees I always have a fan on.

You pretty much HAVE TO cover the windows with a dark blanket, tin foil, or black out shades because light tells the body it is time to wake up and it is hard trying to fall asleep with the sun in your eyes even if you've been up for 24 hours.

I don't recommend listening to the radio to help you fall asleep because daytime radio is focused around stimulating the mind and waking people up. Seriously. If you don't believe me try listening to a morning radio show on the way home from work after a night shift. It's annoying as hell.

People complain a lot who work nights about Oh, I only sleep for four hours...three hours, etc. Oh it's so hard. And I'm sure for them it is, but I've never had a problem with it except for the first week or two and I've been working nights since January. When I wasn't in school I'd work 11p-7a and sleep from 12p-8p or 1p-9p. Now that I'm in school I always sleep from 8a-5p and attend class from 6p-9p M-Th and then off to work.

nurseJ88 · Dec 11, 2007

Thank you very much for all your suggestions, in terms of avoiding sleep distractions, darkening the room, producing white noise.... HAS ANYONE MENTION THE KIND OF COMFORTABLE BED AND MATTRESS HE OR SHE USES? TEMPUR-PEDIC, SEALY POSTURE-PEDIC, OR OTHERS? I'M THINKING OF GETTING A TEMPUR-PEDIC? IT IS A LITTLE COSTLY FOR A NEW GRAD:lol2:

AprilRNhere · Dec 12, 2007

Try out mattresses and find what works for you. My mom bought a temperpedic because she heard they were good. She tried one at the store...didn't care for it..but thought she would adjust to it since it was so "high quality".....a year later...she GAVE it away...and bought a new set. Go out and lay on different mattresses and find what you like and go with it.

nursepogi · Dec 12, 2007

Im a registered nurse here in the philippines but im not working as a Nurse yet, 2 more months and Im going to start my nursing career but with regard to my current work, I work at night usually from 10pm to 7 am and there is no morning shift, cuz we follow Pacific Time. I am working as a call center agent, and it feels like hell when you just sit there and just answer calls and ur unable to have a good sleep.

After work, I eat first, go online or just goof around bec. it is hard for me to lay down and try my luck to get sleep bec. my brain will run a thousand miles....

when i feen really really sleepy, that's the time i go to bed and set my time for like 6-8 hours depending on my schedule. Then grab something for dinner and go to work again. So basically after I wake up at night, i eat then after 4 hours (we call it lunch) then eat again after work. I hate starving myself that is why.

ahoye5199 · Dec 13, 2007

I have been on nights for about four months, and I still have not gotten the hang of it. It's been very difficult adjusting to this for me. So much so that I am considering resigning from the hospital where I work and look for a day job at a doctor's office or some other place that's only OPEN during the day. I give the long-term night-shifters an awful lot of credit. I just don't think I can do it much longer. I feel like i haven't really seen my family since I started this vampire schedule.