sleep

[jewelcutt]

I can't believe what I'm hearing from most people here. The first question I would ask is are these people on break? If so why is it any of your business what someone does on their break? Secondly, are these people working twelve hour shifts and do their supervisors require them to rotate days/nights or work straight nights by seniority? I rotate, hate nights, get physically ill if I don't get an hour of sleep to refresh myself. In fact I find my patients more at risk if I'm not thinking my best because I work in critical care and often don't even get a break some nights. There have actually been studies showing the detrimental affects of night shifts without sleep. I sleep on my scheduled break where my patients are covered by another nurse, I sleep with my own blanket and there is a phone inthe break room so we are always accessible. I agree that you shouldn't sleep at the desk or in public places.

Please try to understand that not all of us want to work nights and often our bodies don't agree with it. Thank you for allowing me to vent. hopefull I get a day position soon!

[Disablednurse]

It is not the sleeping on the unpaid breaks that I have a problem with. it is sleeping on the 15 minute breaks that you are paid for that I have a problem with. First they should not be taken all at one time, second you are sleeping on company time. If you get permission from management to sleep for an hour during your shift, get management to post a memo that it is ok, then everyone can do it without a problem.

[night owl]

Originally posted by JMP

WTF??????!!!!!!!!!!!

What yah gonna do about it???

:chuckle.....I don't work with you, so there's nothing I can do about it.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I think that night shift should look at breaks the same way that days does. That is, whatever you would feel comfortable doing on your break if you were on days, the same standard of conduct is expected of nurses on nights.

For me that means napping on my break off the unit would be OK, but not beyond my break, and not at the nurses' station, and not if I had a pt that was unstable, or too busy to be covered effectively by another nurse.

I have called the supervisor and gotten "in house call" for a couple of hours on nights that I am really wiped. I always feel better knowing that it's available if I just can't go on. However I would be disgusted with any of my coworkers that acted differently just because they were on the night shift and figured the manager wouldn't see or find out about whatever they were doing.

[sbic56, BSN, RN]

Wow...getting HOT in here, isn't it?

I can see why. To imply that every nurse that takes a nap on her break is endangering her patient is an extreme overreaction. Common sense can prevail here without such unnecessary ridgidity!

I can't help but think that nightowl and disabled nurse are lumping all night time nappers in one proverbial basket. Like anything, this practice can be abused and patient neglect can be the result. On the other hand, a well planned nap can also refresh and actually contribute to safer nursing care. I have seen a few nurses who remain fully alert throughout the night shift, but they are in the minority to my experience and I envy their ability to do so! It is not "normal" to stay up all night without rest. To condemn another for not having the ability to perform under the exact conditions as you do is futile and counterproductive.

[donmurray]

I doubt if any human being can be as alert at the end of a 12 hour shift as they are at the start. I know I am not. Add to that the unnatural hours at which night staff do their job, upsetting their biorhythms, then it verges on impossibility. Taking a nap, in your own time, could be interpreted as promoting your patients' safety, and in fact, be the "professional" thing to do!

If nurses stopped papering over the cracks, and forgoing their breaks to cover for inadequate staffing, then perhaps they would be less tired to begin with. There can be abuses on both sides, and neither is acceptable.

[kzippi]

Sounds like night owl spends most of her shift worrying about what other people are doing and what to moan about next...............surely this can't be good for patient care if her mind is not on the job!!!

Get a life!!

[Belgndogs]

I'm a CNA and just started working nights myself. Granted, I don't have the pt responsibilities of the nurses, but I was flat out told...'it's ok if you want to sleep on your break.' Haven't had to; I'm one of those weird ones who'd rather be up all night. BUT, at the end of my shift I find a quiet corner out of the way and catch a 1/2 hour or so nap before driving home, found I was nodding off in my car on the drive home...yikes!! Seemed as long as I was 'on the go' at work, no problems, but once I stopped my body said 'hey, now it's time to sleep.'