Hi all! I was recently certified and have a job possibility wherein I would be working overnight. Since I have been unemployed for over a year I have been staying up till midnight and not getting up till 9am. I have never worked anything but days in my previous IT jobs... so how in the world do you transition to working nights?
Should I stay up 24 hours a few days before starting the new job, and then seeing if I could get to sleep late morning hours? I don't know if I can sleep with the sun out.... but I badly want this job!!
I second the blackout curtains or a sleep mask. I have a white noise machine which is great for blocking out the noise from the rest of the night. I use it even if I'm sleeping during the night. Try to stay up as late as possible (aim for at least 3am) and then try to sleep in as late as possible. You can even try to have a nap before you go in. I didn't find melatonin helpful but to each their own. If you are staying straight nights, you will probably want to stick to a similar schedule when you are not working (or at least a modified one).
When I did nocs I used a sleep mask... Now I can't sleep without one even at night! I did the sleep thing backwards though... I stayed up after my shift (unwinding) and then slept til 9:30-10pm for an 11 start time. Fans are great. There will be times when you just can't sleep. I flirted with Benadryl or sometimes NyQuil when I was desperate, but if you don't get enough sleep you'll wake up "hungover".
GingerRN17
78 Posts
Black out curtains, melatonin and a fan for noise canceling are my friends :)