fomaGT

If you love nights please stay. There are those of us that would give any thing in the world for a day shift job. I have been offering cash to my coworkers to trade me a few day shifts for night shifts.

I have been working 12 hour midnights for over 3 years and not by choice. The only health issue I have had in my life is not sleeping due to working this shift. I have been seeing a doctor and have been diagnosed with shift work sleep disorder. Even with every med I have tried which is pretty much all of them and combinations of multiple meds. I am unable to sleep and have extreme difficulty staying awake at night. It is not uncommon for me to be awake as many as 6 days in a row with absolutely no sleep. In addition my blood pressure goes out of control when I can not sleep but, is fine other wise. Which has resulted in me about passing out on my off days until we sorted that out. When I have any time off with a few days in a row I have no trouble at all sleeping at night and feel great during the day. My work refuses to work with me about this at all. I have asked for a few simple things, not even asked to for a day position. However, I apply for everyone that is available and get overlooked every time. I have zero hope of any treatment working as I have a giant pill collection of nothing that works and have been prescribed doses which would make me think twice before giving them to my patients. So, I am asking for suggestions on where I can work during the day as a nurse without having to take a giant pay cut. I really can't afford to but, I can barely keep it together day to day now. I am a fast learner and a hard worker. When I used to work days I had not trouble working 16 12's in a row multiple times. Although, I now feel like I am cognitively impaired due to sleep depravation, I would like to think I am intelligent. What is out there?? Where can I look?

Well it has been some time since my original post. I have no relocated and have a 15-20min drive to work vs. the 90mins. This has really helped a lot. Also, I have simply had to choose between my professional and personal life. I try to keep to the night schedule as much as possible as I have no time to switch back to a day time schedule. So my sleep has improved. It is not great by any means but, it is survivable. What is really hard for me though is that I am completely isolated and alone. There is literally not a sole to talk to up at night that I know. My only hobby I can not do at night.....which is frustrating. I have no intrest in television and sitting on my but. I feel this is the only thing to do at night. What can I do at night?? How can I have some social interaction? My schedule is pretty much day on day off. Which is horrible but your schedule is a bid thing and I need seniority to get a better one.

Thanks for all of the replies. Sadly working this shift is my only option right now. My hospital may be looking to lay off RN's in the near future and we are union so a day position will have to wait. Sadly I gave up a day position for the one I have now and can not get it back. I have around a 90 minute one way drive as well which does not help. Hopefully I can get an interview for one of the million jobs I have applied for. I kinda had hope that someone had some secret method for sleeping during the day but, I really knew that some people just can not....and I am one of them.

So here is the deal. I took a midnight position about a year ago and I have adapted poorly to say the least. I am looking for survival tips to make it a few more years on nights. I believe that is what it will take before a day position is available. Maybe some wise sage advice can help me out. I have been having a few issues. I do not sleep. I am tired all night long and as soon as I get into bed and the sun is shinning I have a burst of energy. I have went weeks with less then an hour of sleep a night (NO JOKE). I have fallen asleep driving and at stop lights often. I have done a few things to try and help. I have blackout curtains in my room, a fan to block out noise, I have tried every over the counter sleep aide available as well as prescription sleep aides. I tried to exercise however I find I do not have the energy. I am sick at least twice a month now. I have zero energy, trouble concentrating, some times even simple problem solving seems near to impossible. If I have a stretch of days off I wake up at 7:30 am every day and feel great. When I worked days I had no problem. I felt great and picked up plenty of overtime. Am I doing something wrong? My coworkers love this shift and do great on it. I have been absolutely miserable. I no longer am able to see friends, family, or do any of the things I enjoy on this schedule. When I have days off I am so tired and feel like I am always adjusting my sleep schedule just to get the basic duties of being alive done. When I was younger Midnights were no big deal. Now well....I can imagine little worse. The isolation from others is also difficult for me. No one I know keeps the same hours and my coworkers are married women and I am a man. I do not feel it is appropriate to have interaction with them in the middle of the night and nether does my wife (who I only see every other weekend due to our schedules). I hope some one has some kind of advice that can help.