Night shifts: how do you prepare yourself?

pickledpepperRN · Jul 23, 2005

I think sixty hours work is too much for one week.

I would ask for three 12 hour nights a week. That is enough for me.

For goodness sake, even on eight hour nights working every other weekend you only get two nights off in a row every other week.

Brutal. too extreme.

When do you get a family life?

sandman1914 · Jul 23, 2005

As a new grad I am having a hard time getting myself into some kind of routine for night shifts. At the hospital where I work, we do 5 12 hour night shifts in one week and my body gets really out of whack with severe headaches, nausea and dizziness. What I've been doing is sleeping all day and then working at night and maintaining this on the two days I have off but it's really not working. I find that I am popping advil and gravol like candy to get over my symptoms. Does anyone have suggestions about how I get over this or develop a better routine? What works for you?
Thanks for the advice

I think fitness plays a role. When ever I maintain an my exercise program I find it easier to deal with the rotating shifts and I don't need as much sleep.

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2005

Hi

I have worked full time nites for over 28 yrs. I work 5 hr. shifts a week--40 hrs.

I have never really had a problem with this schedule. I have done it different ways at different times in my life depending on what's been going on with me. For 10 yrs. I even worked a second job in Home Health during the day time. That is when I started to just sleep from about 3 or 4 o'clock until 9:30 when I would get up to go to the nite job. It worked out quite well until I quit the Home Health ( I am getting too old for 2 jobs!!!!!). I still stick with that schedule, tho--go to bed about 3 or 4. My husband is pretty good with this schedule also. He has always been quite supportive of when I had to sleep & everything.

I personally, have seldom done 12 hrs, tho. I think that would be a lot harder.

The few times I did it, I felt like all I did was sleep & work.

At my job, we have both 8 & 12 hrs shifts. The 12 hr are either 3 12's or 2 12's & 2 8's. Either way you want it. NEVER would you have 5 12's-- They say that is a violation of our labor laws or something like that

Mary Ann

BabyRN2Be · Jul 23, 2005

Amber,

Is this a temporary situation or are you always going to be working 60 hours a week? Like others have said, this is too extreme. Is it possible to get 3 12 hr shifts a week?

Don't know if I could work 60 hrs a week on a full-time basis. Nope, I know I couldn't! I hope this is only temporary for you and you can get a better schedule soon.

starae · Jul 23, 2005

I agree with the other posters who say it's too many hours :uhoh3: . It took me about 2 weeks to adapt well to a night schedule and now I'm fine with it. However, when I work 3 12hr shifts in a row I start feeling very worn out and cranky no matter how much sleep I get. I can't imagine doing it 5 times a week!

Other tips, when you sleep make your room as quiet and dark as possible. Use a sleep mask and earplugs if necessary. I know a lot of people who switch back to a day routine when they are off, but I personally find that harder on my body.

Everyone handles it a little differently, but for you it just may be the number of hours you are working. Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you.

DustinRN · Jul 23, 2005

There is no way in god's green earth that I could ever work 60hrs week! Muche less 5 12hr shifts in one week! :stone

amber1188 · Jul 24, 2005

Thanks to everyone who has responded. My situation right now will probably remain the same for quite some while. Where I am working now is not where I want to be in the future (just temporary to get some basic skills down). But, yes, this is the way the shifts work on my floor: one week 5 12 hr shifts and then the following week 2 12 hour shifts. It is quite a bit and I do feel like I am basically living at the hospital for the week....including the fact that it is about 50-60 min commute on top of all that. Since I am employed as part time I suppose when I'm done my 12 wks of orientation that I can request to work no more than 3 shifts/wk or figure something else out.

Thanks again for the suggestions, keep them coming! :)

mstigerlily · Jul 24, 2005

I can't imagine working 5 12's. I work 3 12's and it's quite enough for me.

I find it's necessary to break them up, I don't do 3 12's in a row. I like to do 2 on, 2 off, 1 on, 2 off (repeat) - or 2 on, 3 off, 2 on, 3 off (repeat) - something like that.

The day back to work I try to take at least a 2 hr nap. That really helps. There is the time between 3am and 5am where the unbearable urge to sleep hits that I must constantly get up and be active - which sucks because that is usually the time when I have time to chart!

My sleep time is sacred. I usually get to sleep around 8:30-9:00am, wake up to see my baby and have lunch around 1pm, then go back to sleep again at 2pm-5pm. So I end up getting 6-7 hrs of sleep which is decent. On mornings when I don't have to go back to work I sleep till 12:30 or 1:00 then just get up (4 hrs) because why sleep all day when I get to sleep at night again?

I wear earplugs and I TAPE them in (because they sometimes fall out) I turn off my phones, I hang blankets over my windows so it's dark. I put a sign on my door and I am a real bear if someone wakes me. I haven't needed to take anything to either stay awake or fall asleep but for the former I hear expresso and red bull. For the latter I hear Tylenol PM or benedryl. I am lucky that I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, without too much trouble.

I would definitely ask to have your schedule changed. There are weeks I've worked 4 nights and worked 2 the next (total of 6 12's in 2 weeks) but you are working 7 12's in 2 weeks and the 5 12's per week is particularly brutal.

Melissa

As a new grad I am having a hard time getting myself into some kind of routine for night shifts. At the hospital where I work, we do 5 12 hour night shifts in one week and my body gets really out of whack with severe headaches, nausea and dizziness. What I've been doing is sleeping all day and then working at night and maintaining this on the two days I have off but it's really not working. I find that I am popping advil and gravol like candy to get over my symptoms. Does anyone have suggestions about how I get over this or develop a better routine? What works for you?
Thanks for the advice

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 24, 2005

I think those 5-12s are a prescription for errors of all sorts. Not a good thing.

traumahawk99 · Jul 24, 2005

i'm doing 5 12's as well. the only way you can combat the fatigue that this brings you is to make sure you sleep, and don't be swapping your sleep time around on your days off. if you're doing the 7 to 7, then on your days off, you need to stay up 7 to 7, just as though you are working.

otherwise, the changing will wear you down, and you'll start getting sick, etc. basically, i'm doing this for money, and i'd be willing to bet you're doing the same. so it's a choice, not slavery :).

happydz · Jul 24, 2005

As a new grad I am having a hard time getting myself into some kind of routine for night shifts. At the hospital where I work, we do 5 12 hour night shifts in one week and my body gets really out of whack with severe headaches, nausea and dizziness. What I've been doing is sleeping all day and then working at night and maintaining this on the two days I have off but it's really not working. I find that I am popping advil and gravol like candy to get over my symptoms. Does anyone have suggestions about how I get over this or develop a better routine? What works for you?
Thanks for the advice

Keep your room extremely dark! Cover your windows and keep as much sunlight out as possible. It feels more like natural sleep when you don't have a bunch of sunlight pouring in.