Okay, I have been doing the overnight shift for 8 months now. But first, let me tell you about my sleep pattern before I started overnights. Before I was an RN, I worked in business and worked the 9a to 5p Mon through Fri, in bed by 10-11p and woke up 6 am. I slept through the night, never, ever has insomnia, I am the type that I hit my head to the pillow and I fall asleep right away. My husband always said I could sleep anywhere, anytime like on a picket fence.
So then I became an RN and started the overnight shift. No problems....I would go to bed right away after working all night and if it was my first night on and I needed to work the next night I would sleep from 8:30a to 4p no problem, all the way through. If it was my night off the next day I would sleep from 8:30a to about 1-2p perfectly. For a while my first night off I would fall asleep around 8-9p and wake up around 4a, no problem with this because the second night off I would go to bed between 10-11p and wake up at 7a.
Okay NOW- for the last month on my nights on, I sleep perfectly durting the day, all the way through and fall asleep at 8:30a right away. It is the nights off that are affecting me now. My first night off, I am not tired at 10p and either I toss and turn all night and hardly have a good deep sleep like I usually do or I cannot sleep at all. This happens even on my second night off like tonight. I have a cold so you think I would be even more exhausted. Well I went to bed at 10p, comfortable and even took some melatonin and nope.....did not sleep, laid there tossing and turning from 10p to 4a. Here it is 5a and I am typing in the pitch dark.
So anyone have problems with sleeping at night on their nights off? Like I said I feel like I sleep better during the day than at night and NEVER, NEVER had a problem sleeping my whole life. I do not want to give up night shift, I love it and the differential difference pays for our vacations and car insurance!
One more thing, yes I work out 3 to 4 times a week and I drink tons of water and take my vitamins.
Has anyone resorted to sleeping pills? I just started melatonin and nope, not working. I used to love working out before I go to bed...it had the oppositie effect on me. Sweat like crazy, get tired, take a nice shower and sleep like a baby. I might try this next...I am hopeless right now, please help if this has happened to anyone else!
I worked 7p-7a for three years and at first loved it but as time went on it started ruining my life. I gained a ton of weight, was very depressed and never felt like I had good sleep. I took OTC sleeping pills and they stopped working after awhile. I know how you are feeling. Nothing is worse than laying in bed knowing you have to work that night and not being able to fall asleep. I now work 7a-7p and love it, I feel like I got my life back. To me the money wasn't worth it, the way I was physically feeling was more important to me. Have you ever tried Valarian Root? I've heard that is suppose to be good. I wish you luck and good sleep!!
I never slept all night on my nights off. I didn't force myself to. I found other things to do like read, watch TV, go to the gym, Walmart, clean house, and spend time here at Allnurses. It was too hard to force myself to do something it didn't naturally do because I was stopping up at work some nights. I found I couldn't have it both ways.
Good luck in finding something that works for you and your lifestyle with your family.
zb2008
6 Posts
I worked 7p-7a for three years and at first loved it but as time went on it started ruining my life. I gained a ton of weight, was very depressed and never felt like I had good sleep. I took OTC sleeping pills and they stopped working after awhile. I know how you are feeling. Nothing is worse than laying in bed knowing you have to work that night and not being able to fall asleep. I now work 7a-7p and love it, I feel like I got my life back. To me the money wasn't worth it, the way I was physically feeling was more important to me. Have you ever tried Valarian Root? I've heard that is suppose to be good. I wish you luck and good sleep!!