Night Shifters... How do you do it?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey night shifters!! I need your help!

I will be changing from 1st shift to 3rd shift in 2 weeks. How do you do it? I'll be working three 12 hour shifts a week. My unit self schedules, so once I'm off orientation I'll get to have a say in my schedule. I need advice. How do you prepare the day before your shift. Do you nap? Do you stay up late so you can sleep in? How do you get back on a normal schedule on your days off? Any tips on how to eat and when to exercise to stay healthy? This is all new to me! I'm super excited about my new job, but I'm very nervous about working 3rd shift. All I know is 1st shift...

Thanks!

Tiger

Specializes in ICU, Cardiac.
Oh and one more question. How has working night shift effected your married life? Do you feel like you see your husband less or more now? I'm worried we will become distant with this change. He works a normal 8-4 schedule M-F.

Thanks

Well, I don't see it as impacting a huge part of our life. DH works daylight hours five days a week. I work nighttime 3 days a week. I don't think we have missed anything in the past 18 years (16 years of me working nights). DH has taken care of babies while I worked, done homework, nursed sick kids etc etc. We still have plenty of time to be a married couple (well as much time as a married couple with 3 kids have).

While there are days that I wish I was home those three nights, I enjoy my work and would miss it! When I was home for 6 weeks with my ankle, it was nice in some ways, but in other I was in the way of the normal routine of the house!!! :)

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i rotate, which is supposed to be even less healthy than working straight nights. shifting from night shift back to days is the roughest part of the whole deal, so i try to do that only once in every six week schedule. the day before my first night shift, i'll take a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon, then stay up as late as possible. if i'm on the internet, it's easier to stay up until 3 or 4 am. then i'll sleep to at least noon; later is better. i sleep 9am - 4pm, then go back to work. on my first day off, i'll sleep 3-4 hours, then get up and feel miserable all day. go to sleep with my husband and take ambien. and then gradually get up earlier and earlier on my three or four days off until i'm able to get up at 5am and go back to day shift. it isn't perfect, but it works for me.

as far as seeing my husband -- he's a nurse, too. sometimes he'll work nights just because i am, but i've found that i'd rather he didn't. i enjoy having some time alone when i can hold the tv remote or watch chick flicks without hearing him whine about it.

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Specializes in NICU.

Well some of these posts are quite discouraging. After reading these responses I went and had a little cry/whine fest with my husband. (Well I had a cry fest, not him haha) He said, "we will make it work, I'm really not worried about it." So that makes me feel better.

Hopefully getting my dream job in the ICU will be worth the huge adjustment. And maybe I'll have an opportunity to move to 1st shift after a year or so. I think I'm okay with that.

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Specializes in EMT-P.
Provigil... what is this pharmaceutical you speak of and why have I not tried this...

See your doctor. http://www.provigil.com/

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Specializes in pediatric.

I currently work mostly night shifts (7pm-7am) and my little trick that im trying right now is taking melatonin pills. its a hormone that controls your sleep cycle. it helps me sleep during the day if for some reason I just cant fall asleep on my own. ALSO, right now I know that I have to work tomorrow (Sunday feb 14th) at 7pm. It is currently midnight feb 14th (HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! :redbeathe). If I just stay up for 2 more hours, I can go to sleep, wake up at around 2 pm (I sleep like a cat, i will easily sleep 12 hours straight) and once I wake up at 2 pm, I have a couple hours to myself to just run errands, hit the gym, do what I gotta do, then go to work. I can last all night, and by 8am Monday morning, I am back in bed. The tricky thing is, that if you dont work again Mon Night, then you might want to set your alarm to maybe 12 pm or even 11am, just so you can have your full Monday to yourself and get yourself back into a somewhat normal sleep pattern. It can get a bit tricky, but once you figure out your own schedule, just STICK TO IT cuz you will most definately get cranky/grumpy/evil if you dont get your sleep!

GOOD LUCK!!

zZzZzZzZz.....:p

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Specializes in Acute care, Community Med, SANE, ASC.

I don't work nights now but I've done it a bit in the past. I will say that I think it is very hard on the body and I think people who have been doing it for a long time don't realize that because they are so used to it.

When I worked nights I would sleep in as long as possible on the morning before my first night shift and I wouldn't do anything strenuous that day and would try to lounge/nap on the couch for an hour or so prior to going in for the night. By the time I get done with a 12-hour night shift I fall asleep when I get home in the morning without any problem. I then would sleep until I woke up or the alarm went off--usually woke up around 3:30 in the afternoon--would then eat dinner and go in and repeat the process. When trying to switch back to days I would try to sleep a little less when I got home on that last morning--perhaps until 1pm or so and then just try to go to bed at my usual time, which is fairly late (1 or 2 am). I haven't had to use any medications to stay awake or sleep but I'm a pretty good sleeper. I also don't have kids and my husband would be at work during the day so my house is nice and quiet. I also live in the country with no close neighbors so no lawn mowers or any of that stuff.

Good luck. I think everyone comes up with their own schedule/way of handling it. Don't deny yourself the sleep you need--for your own health.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Man these posts are pretty discouraging!

OP- try not to be too worried. I am a night shifter who absolutely loves it, I don't think I will ever go back to days.

The first night I work I sleep 4-5 hours before my shift. I was blessed with being able to sleep anytime so I can sleep 10 hours the night before and then go back for a 4 hour nap that day :) My "transition day" (after my last night of work) I sleep until about 2 to 3 then go back to bed at 10-11.

Night shift is way better for my marriage than days. When I worked days my husband left before I got up and was asleep when I got home. At least now we get to see each other for 2 hours before I leave for work. Its also a great schedule for kids. When my son is older there will always be a parent home for him. I love that.

Good luck with everything! Night shift isn't for everyone, but some of us love it.

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I take Melatonin to sleep. Day or night. The day before my first night back I usually sleep until 10am then take a nap late evening and stay up until 5am. Then I sleep until 3 or 4pm, get up, get ready, work. After work I take a melatonin, shower, eat, and go to bed. Wake up around 4:30 or 5 and repeat. I work my days in a row and like someone else said, working 1 on 1 off or something is cruel and unusual punishment.

Nights is hard on your body. I DO prefer it to days because I enjoy my night crew a lot more than the day crew, but that all depends on where you work.

This is the second time I've worked nights and the first time I got off nights because I frequently wouldn't remember my drive home. It was incredibly scary and dangerous. You'll know if you can tolerate it or not. This time around I'm doing much better.

Good luck!

As far as nights and my marriage... we don't see each other as often on the days I work but you have to make it a priority and have quality time when you do see each other.

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.
Man these posts are pretty discouraging!

OP- try not to be too worried. I am a night shifter who absolutely loves it, I don't think I will ever go back to days.

The first night I work I sleep 4-5 hours before my shift. I was blessed with being able to sleep anytime so I can sleep 10 hours the night before and then go back for a 4 hour nap that day :) My "transition day" (after my last night of work) I sleep until about 2 to 3 then go back to bed at 10-11.

Night shift is way better for my marriage than days. When I worked days my husband left before I got up and was asleep when I got home. At least now we get to see each other for 2 hours before I leave for work. Its also a great schedule for kids. When my son is older there will always be a parent home for him. I love that.

Good luck with everything! Night shift isn't for everyone, but some of us love it.

I don't think any of us are saying we don't like our shift. I personally love working nights otherwise I would have switched to days the ten times I was asked to. I just don't think any of us feel like sugar coating the trials of night shift to someone who we assume is looking for honest and open answers.

Tait

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Specializes in ER, SANE.

op, just find your own cycle. i have worked mostly nights for 26 years and would not change. actually, i did change and took the er manager position. i hated 5 days per week and mornings were always a challenge for me. i asked the admin to let me work 4 days per week and have a least one weekday to myself (dh works 5 days a week dayshift). they said no so i resigned and went back to 3 -12s on nights.

when i was much younger, i did without a lot of sleep. going to bed after my children went to school and up before they got home. now they are grown and i sleep when i want to. on my days off if i get sleepy at 7pm, i go to bed. i may wake up at 1 am (like today) and work on homework (grad school) or watch late nite tv. but i don't tax my body. whatever it wants. i still have plenty of days off to be a "normal" person and i enjoy the freedom of having some daylight hours to my self.

take care and listen to your body. i can say this as i have always liked nights so you have to find out what works for you.

marcina

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I don't take any drugs at all.

I work 2-12's and 2-8's a week. Usually they are consecutive..the first night in I will try to take a nap before my shift...if I can't sleep, which happens on occasion, then I'll use caffeine...or I'll take a nap in the break room...I can do whatever I want on my 30 minute non paid lunch break...around 4am is when I'll get tired.

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Specializes in keeping all options open right now..

I have been working nights for the last six months (it was five 8hr shifts a week, floating days off, every other weekend). I've always been a 'night-owl', even when I was an infant (much to my mother's chagrin :p) I'm starting a new job this week and changing to three 12hr shifts and a longer commute.

The advice about finding your own schedule is right on. There are some days I'll come home and go right to bed for 6hrs or so, and then get up to run errands, or socialize with roommates. Other days, I'll stay up until noon'ish to do what needs to be done, and then sleep until having to leave for the shift. I found that keeping my 'night' schedule on my days off wasn't much of a hassle- it's actually a benefit sometimes. I sleep when they are at work, and I am up when they are sleeping. (plus, when going out for an evening, I don't have to worry about being at work at 7 or 8am the next day...I'll get some sleep before my shift!)

Your body will tell you what to do, you just have to pay attention to what it is saying. I don't have any kids of my own, but one of the roommates does- I think if you have school aged children, the best advice would be to stay up until they leave for school, and then try to get as much sleep as possible. Once they come home, all bets are off because they will need you for all sorts of things (snacks, projects needed to be done for school, shopping, events, sports, etc, regardless of their age) If you start relying on pharmaceuticals to aide in your sleep/awake patterns, it could be dangerous (accidents, sleep deprivation, etc) but everyone is different. You know your limitations the best. It's when one ignores your body's warnings and push beyond the limits that you run into trouble. Me, I find Mountain Dew to be the best :lol2:

Working nights will put some strain on your relationships. Spending a few minutes in the morning with your significant other before they leave for work, or the few minutes you have before leaving for your shift will help somewhat, but keep in mind that you aren't working every day of the week. You'll have a few days (nights ;)) where you'll be home when they are. The other thing would be to keep communication lines open and talk about when things need to be done and split up the responsibilities of the household (dinner, cleaning, laundry, shopping, kids, etc)

And good luck!

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