3rd shift people please help

hzrizen · Jul 8, 2005

I too am starting 3rd shift becasue i have kids and need to work at night.. I am worried as well. Hopefully we will get some input.

Donna

Super_RN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2005

Hi guys!

I have worked 12 hour midnights for over a year and love it. I don't have children, but I think that if I did it would work wonderfully. I have also found that I need less sleep when I work midnights. When I worked day shift I slept around8-9 hours per night. On midnights I get around 6-7 and that's good for me. My boyfriend's mother told me that once we get married and have children that I need to keep working midnights so she can babysit all night! You can do it! A lot of the nurses where I work prefer midnights when they have small children.

:balloons:

Jaime

PeachyOrthoRN, RN · Jul 8, 2005

I've worked 11-7 now for four years. I don't think I would work days now if I had too. I don't have any kids but all my co-workers do and they says it's the best thing with raising kids. They have told me that they don't miss anything with their kids from recitals to sports. Most of my co-workers including me get between 6-7 solid hours of sleep during the day and that seems to be enough for all of us, and I don't have any problem transitioning between day and night. I hope that helps answer your questions. :)

rn/writer, RN · Jul 8, 2005

I currently work 2nd shift and applied for a 3rd shift opening. I know it would be better with my children who are all going to be in school this fall, but i'm scared i won't get enough sleep. I know it's silly because of course i only get 6 hours a night if im lucky anyway. Can anybody give me a heads up on what it's like on 3rd shift and how you plan out your day??? Thanks:)

My husband and I have both worked third shift for years and there are lots of tricks to make it work. We do it by choice. That's a plus, but even if it isn't what comes naturally for you, a few accommodations can make a big difference. :zzzzz

First, you absolutely have to take your day sleeping schedule seriously or, believe me, no one else will. Occasionally, it's okay to fudge for something really important but don't do it too often or you will be giving your body and your family and friends the message that you have infinite stretch in your elastic. This is a baaaaad thing. Train people to wait until after 3:00 or 4:00 or whenever to call you. If someone consistently forgets or remembers but just doesn't care, give them a call at 3:00 AM and say, "Oops, I didn't think you'd mind." Usually, once is all it takes. Tell doctor's offices and any other companies you do business with to call late in the day. Post a notice at your front and back doors that you are a day sleeper and unless they are prepared to deal with a very irate person, they had better skip your house in their trek to sell lawn care services, vacuums, siding, etc.

An answering maching or voice mail are a must. Some people have phones that can be programmed with a special ring for certain callers, ie. your kids' school. That way you know the call is worth picking up. As for the rest, let 'em go to the machine.

Get really good room darkening shades. I didn't think I needed these until my husband wanted them. Now, I love them.

Use earplugs, white noise, or music to soften noise. I sleep with the TV on low and it seems to muffle most everything.

The hardest part for me is going to bed when I get home. I usually need to unwind at least a little and that's the major difference between first and third shift sleepers. Can you imagine coming home from your first shift job and going right to sleep? I don't mean the logistics of it but the physical changes you would experience. The best I've been able to do in this area is to eat something light and do something semi-mindless to wind down. Oh, and I make a list of what I need to do when I get up. That way, I can let go of it instead of having my mind go into overdrive as soon as I hit the pillow.

Some other concerns--pay attention to temperature. When you're sleeping at night, you can overcome all kinds of obstacles because you're really tired and you're not fighting a million other things. Day sleepers have to eliminate as many irritations as possible. Temperature is one of them. Being too warm or too cold is sometimes enough to ruin your rest.

I've had wonderful results from using a cheap little neck pillow from Walgreens. I liked mine so much, my husband bought one as well. We took both on a recent trip to Ireland. They eliminate neck and shoulder "cricks" and improve the quality of our rest.

Wear something absolutely comfy. Or nothing at all. If you choose the latter, keep a bathrobe handy. :imbar

Eat before sleep but not too much. Milk can help. So can turkey, which contains tryptophan--that substance that knocks everyone out after Thanksgiving dinner. Try melatonin which is a natural sleep aid that your body produces. I've also had success with amitriptyline, but you need a prescription for that. It's not habit forming, has a mild antidepressant effect, and doesn't give you that draggy, hangover kind of feeling that sometimes comes with Ambien or other sleep meds.

The biggest thing, and I can't stress this too much, is that YOU must respect your sleep schedule. Don't fall prey to the tendency to treat day sleeping like a nap or like self-indulgence (man, she sleeps till the middle of the afternoon!) or you will hurt yourself and teach others to join in. :nono:

Experiment. Try various changes until you find what works. Then stick with it and insist that others, family members included, respect your need for decent sleep. My husband and I used to get our kids off to school and go up to bed. We planned for sex on weekends (and our kids took a lot of naps) and, no, it wasn't as free and spontaneous as we would have liked, but it beat having the two of us turn into zombies. :kiss

The kids are grown now and we still like third shift. In fact, when I'm not working, I only alter my sleep schedule by half a shift (usually 4:00 AM till noon) so as not to confuse my poor body entirely. This has worked for us for many years.

Let me know if you have any questions. If I think of anything more, I'll post again.

Sweet dreams,

Miranda F.

pickledpepperRN · Jul 8, 2005

I did the same thing in 1979 and still work nights!

I would go to sleep when my kids went to school, get up when they came home, and nap a bit after dinner if I was extra tired. Also I wouked a 90% schedule (9- 8 hour shifts every 2 weeks) so there could be two nights off in a row every week instead of just every other weekend.

You can give up sleep on the rare occasions there is a school event your kids need you to attend.

I felt literally sick and tired for the first few weeks, then adjusted. So give yourself time.

Those who can't sleep need to get off nights. Don't drink beer or take pills like benadryl. People become no shows like that. They sleep right through the alarm.

I listen to phone messages while keeping the sleeping mask on my eyes. Then it is easy to go back to sleep. Before answering machines I answered in case it was the school, then could NOT go back to sleep.

Good luck. I hopw you love nights. We have a special friendship amongst the night people at my hospital.

southernchickrn · Jul 8, 2005

i agree with rn/writer said. the earplugs came in very handy. my neighbor across the street has this annoying habit of cutting his grass, hedging the lawn or doing some other noisy yard work sometimes when i am sleeping. i don't expect him to know my work schedule, but it makes you wonder if he's doing it on purpose especially when he's sitting on his front porch when i come in at 8am! i worked night shift as a pca when i was in nursing school, then switched to days during my new grad orientation. working 7a-7p turned out to not be my thing. i usually have to wind down at least 1-1 1/2 hours before going to bed. that was hard to do working day shifts. i would get home at 8p, try to get in bed by 10 and then get up at 5:30 am . i seem to be more tired during day shift. one thing about working 7p-7a is i can come home, eat a little breakfast, take my bath and get in bed by 11am and up by 430. plus, you get the whole bed to yourself!:) ( nice if you have a husband who likes to hog the bed!). actually, after working three nights in a row my husband likes to tease me by saying "who are you? i haven't seen you in forever!" good luck in adjusting to 3rd shift! welcome to the night owl shift!

walk in love, walk in service and you will walk in honor.

mesa0505 · Jul 8, 2005

These suggestions help me out also. Thank You. I think it's really neat you and your husband both work night shift together rn/writer. I will be working night shift, 7p-7a, for the first time in my life. My biggest concern about this shift, not by choice, is not the sleep part itself but what I will be able to do with my time on my days off late at night while my husband, friends, family, well lets just say everyone I know and love is sleeping. My husband works 7a- 3:30 five days a week, no kids. I guess I'm just afraid I'm going to become depressed and lonely :crying2: because we've been going upstairs to bed together at the same time for 8 years now. There is no where for me to go that late at night. I don't know, what do you guys think. I start my new job on July 25th

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2005

I have worked nights off and on for the 30+ years I have been a nurse. I currently work 7p-7a. I am not a day person and if I was not working at all, I would probably still go to bed at 0200 and get up around noon.

I agree with the above info. One thing I do is have a cell phone that ONLY my family has the number. They know what my schedule is, so they only call that number if it is an emergency. I don't have kids in school any more, so I don't have to worry about that.

A fan or other white noise is a must. I can't go to sleep without one, and it drowns out the other sounds of daytime.

A nice hot bath helps me relax in the morning, othewise I find myself doing errands or chores until far into the morning. Good luck. Night shift is so much better on the nursing psyche than day shift for me.

nckdl · Jul 9, 2005

Thanks for the input, your advice and the advice from current 3rd shifters in my facility made me feel a little better about switching. My kids are excited because mommy can finally enroll them into Brownies, boy scouts and gymnastics. And the homework, my husband can't figure out, i can finally help with!!! Thanks again.

Mister Chris, MSN, NP · Jul 26, 2005

Thanks for the reinforcement of so many tips -especially rn/writer.

I have worked many night shifts (you call them 3rd shift!) I unwind in the morning do all my chores and have a light early lunch then go to bed by about 1.00pm and set the alarm for 9.00pm. I get up, shower, breakfast(!), get dressed and go to work. Yes have an alarm clock - also switch off the phone ringer and leave the answering machine on.

Oh yes be serious about people who wake you - let them know that your calling as a nurse is as important as their (day) job, if not more important. And just as they need their night time sleep you need you daytime sleep.

Good Luck and a goodnight to all.

Mister Chris :specs: