TheVikingLady

Hey all! I've recently started a new job where I started the night shift this week and am working on transitioning after over almost two years of day shift. Call me a dreamer, but I'm approaching my new shift with enthusiasm and have made it a project of mine to make life as a night shifter as easy as possible. I thought it'd be fun if everyone would share some wisdom they've learned over the years to making it work. Any problems you've encountered along the way, and how you remedied them. I'm no stranger to working nights; when I first became a nurse my first job was night shift on a med-surg floor. But after so long working days my body is having a hard time adjusting now that I'm a little older. Again, this is my first week; but one thing I've noticed is more muscle aches/tension-type headaches that I think may be associated with the altered sleep schedule. What is your experience with working night shift? What do you do to make life in general a little easier? I'd love to hear from you!

I'm still kind of working on this myself. Thus far I've tried to incorporate going for casual walks on my days off; and I am wanting to become a little more disciplined in doing yoga. When the weather starts being consistently warmer here I will try to pick up some swimming as well. As far as when I exercise, I try to focus more on my days off. I just recently converted to night shift so my days before work I'm more focused with keeping myself asleep. Eventually though I'd like to start doing a little bit of yoga in the mornings before bed.