3rd shift & sleep

I'm in the same situation.....go to class @4 and my lecture are only 1hr & 50 min, then i go stragith to work, @ my hospital I do 12 hr shifts...... then whe I get home in the morning I go straight to bed, and then back to class or clinical depending on the day of the week. I just completed my 3rd semester, and I have 1 more left, it is stressfull, but I have survived this far..

What helps me with my sleep schedule is waking up early on the day I have to work and getting 2-4 hours of sleep in the afternoon. When I get home in the morning and I am off that day I let myself sleep for a few hours and get up after so I can sleep that night. I find taking a nap at any point in the day I have to work helps, if I dont have my nap I get tired around 4.

Does it mess you up to sleep during the night on your nights off?

It doesn't mess me up because I make myself get up early if I have the day off. I also limit myself to one caffeinated beverage that day.

I work 11p-7a, anywhere from 24-28 hours a week, and I'm in nursing school full-time during the day. So I'm always flip flopping between day sleep and night sleep, but there is NO way I could stay up all night on the nights I'm not working, especially with school in the morning.

I work Tuesday nights and Friday nights, and every other weekend. So when I work on my weekend, I get into a nice little routine of day sleep, since I'm working 3 nights in a row. I like to sleep almost as soon as I get home.. I usually end up passing out between 730 and 8 am.. it's just what works for me. I am always exhausted by the time I get home. I end up sleeping until about 3 or 4 pm, so I have my whole evening free until it's time to go back into work again. I find that if I get any less than 7 hours of sleep during the day, I'm so exhausted and it feels like I didn't sleep at all. I slept from 730a-430p today after work, and I woke up really rested.

It sucks flip-flopping right now, but for the most part it works.. plus the extra differential for working nights is nice. :)

You will find what sleep schedule works for you. Some of my co-workers like to split up their sleep, and sleep a few hours when they get home, and a few hours before going into work. For me, it works better to sleep a good 7-8 hours during as soon as I get home. If I didn't get much sleep during the day, I find it helps a LOT to even take just a 1 hour nap before work.. it really makes a difference.

Oh and drink a ton of water during your night shift. It helps me stay awake.. I don't really drink caffiene for the most part.