night workers- how do you keep a normal routine/life?

nursgirl · May 3, 2011

you asked how we keep a normal routine.. I don't. LOL the good news is, I've found ways to make it work for me until I can go to day shift.. the bad news is that my life is anything but 'normal' LOL

Fribblet · May 3, 2011

Define normal.

nurse2033, MSN, RN · May 3, 2011

I don't have any sense of normalcy and like it that way. I exercise when I get up and enjoy commuting, shopping, and the trail system crowd free. I'm always flipping between days and nights depending on my schedule and my family.

anotherone, BSN, RN · May 3, 2011

I work days/evenings/nights which makes it a lot more difficult than just nights. Lately, I have been mostly working just nights. If i have a few days off in a row. I might go to sleep around 3-4 am and get up at 12 or 1pm so I dont completely waste my day. The last few months I have not been exercising much or going out or doing anything. I feel like I just sleep and go to work. It is very diffiuclt to keep an active social life with such a different schedule everyweek and not having any friends that work nights. When I want to go out everyone else is asleep. Factor in that my days off are usually during the week and it is that much worse. Either way I would still rather work nights.

Sun0408, ASN, RN · May 3, 2011

I live a normal life lol, what ever that means right. But to answer your question, I sleep in late on the days I work nights... After working that shift I come home and sleep until about 3.. Nights I am off I go to bed with the rest of my family and have no issues with it.. I only work 3 days a week so its not hard to do.. I have been doing it for over a year and have not had any problems with doing it this way.. I tried staying up all night even when I didn't have to work and that was lonely. I shop etc before I go to work.. Everyone finds what works best for them and this has worked the best so far :)

greenfiremajick · May 3, 2011

I think someone should start a social networking site for night shifters, allowing meetups, etc for specific geographic regions...And then sell it for millions and millions of dollars!

It is very diffiuclt to keep an active social life with such a different schedule everyweek and not having any friends that work nights. When I want to go out everyone else is asleep. Factor in that my days off are usually during the week and it is that much worse. Either way I would still rather work nights.

chulada77, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · May 3, 2011

What works for me:

If I work nights and they are not clustered(in a row) then I come home and sleep for about 4hrs. It is a functionable amount of time and I am still able to sleep in the evening with my family.

If I work clustered nights then I sleep for about 6 hrs and then take a 30min nap before I go to work in the evening.

I personally struggle more with clustered days because I feel like I sleep my day away. I don't mind the nights but I loath working weekends:)

Oh yeah, exercising is done right after I wake up. I sleep less than most because my kids get out of school at 2:30 so I make sure I'm always there for that.

strength4unityRN · May 3, 2011

Nights isn't really that bad, though it has it advantages and disadvantages just like any other schedule. I have been on nights since 2004, and I remember the first month or two it took me a while to adjust to making it past the 3am 'hump' of the shift. Now that I think about it I think this is where i developed my avid coffee drinking habit, no wait that was nursing school lol.

My work schedule is also 7p to 7a, and my sleep schedule is usually 9a - 3p. I perfer to get up and exercise when I wake up, then eat 'breakfast', get ready and head into work. The things I really like about nights is I feel like I have more time if I want to go grocery shopping, make a doctors appt, go to class etc. I can do that when I get out of work in the morning or before work if I choose. The things I dont like about nights is I dont feel like I have a normal eating schedule, I do get a lunch break, but its hard to find time for that 3rd meal, especially if something is going on in the unit. On my days off I find I stay up at night, but that might not work for you. I do know one nurse I work with, that on her last stretch of days she works, when she gets home in the morning, she sleeps 8a-12p, gets up and starts her day, and then re-adjust to a day schedule. On her first night back she usually just stays up all day and night (not recommened, but it happens lol), others I know try to squeeze in a nap for at least 3 hours.

As far as experience on nights I think you can get a fair amount of experience. On day shift you see more procedures, test, actually speak to most of the doctors face to face, and overall just crazy busy. However on nights we have our own busy streaks too, especially if its 2am and the 'ish' hits the fan. There is not alot of staff around so you and your team depend alot on each other for support. I also find on nights I debate on calling the doctor in the middle of the night or can it wait till he rounds, or is this something I can pass on to the next shift.

I did at one point have to work day shift for a year, and that I did not like, getting up at 5am was not my cup of tea I'd rather stay up and be up at 5am lol. When it comes to family planning and get togethers if someone tries planning something say at noon and I worked the night before I like to remind people your noon is 'my midnight' lol.

Overall I really enjoy nights and I am not sure if or when I will ever take a dayshift spot, but I dont think it would hurt to give nights a try. Just give yourself time to adjust and see what works for you. If it works it works if it doesnt it doesn't, at least you tried.

HeartRNBSN · May 3, 2011

I work steady night shift... so does my spouse (also a nurse)...

When working my nights, I sleep from 10am until 5pm... I actually find that I am more refreshed than if I had gone to bed at 10pm and woken at 5am... I eat "breakfast" before heading into work then eat "lunch" around 2am... I have a slight addiction to McDonald's breakfast menu, so I get my fix on the way home... I used my "morning time" to run any urgent errands or spend some time playing with dog and watching my morning shows...

When I am off, I do stay up all night but only until about 4am... I try to wake up by 10am or 12pm at the latest... At night, I clean my house, do laundry, catch up on DVR'ed TV shows, or even go to the grocery store... I find it way to difficulty to flop back and forth, so I just stay on a night routine... I also teach an evening class one day a week, so that helps to fill some of the "lonely" time at night with all of the paperwork...

KneKno · May 3, 2011

I've worked nights since for 20+ years, the first 2 were 11-7, 7-7 since then. My "schedule" has changed greatly over the years, it really depends on your life. I've gone from single and living with parents to married, to 1 kid, to 2 kids. Every change in my life resulted in a change in my sleep patterns! With kids (I was a late bloomer, they're 11 and 7) I believe I see more of them now than if I worked 12 hr days.

My dad was a coal miner, as was all the men that lived around my parents. They took night shift and allowing the men to get their sleep seriously--as a kid, I knew what neighbor was sleeping and knew not to be yelling near their yard! That respect for sleep made a huge difference in how I adjusted to this schedule. It amazes me that coworkers get phone calls all during the day while they're trying to sleep from their families, who are amazed that they're sleeping! Over really stupid stuff!

Be willing to try nights--you might like it. And, we have cookies.....

kool-aide, RN · May 3, 2011

We don't.