sleep schedule-first night shift job

tigerlogic · Jul 1, 2012

I work 7p to 730a three nights a week, not always in a row (lame). I try to sleep in the night before, like till 10am or 11am, but up the day and then go to work. I try to stop drinking coffee after I get back from "lunch" around 3am. I usually get home and go straight to sleep and sleep from 8a to 3-5pm before going back to work.

Different people cope differently. I'm better at being up 24 hours in a row than I expected, but it's not ideal. Being up 20 hours in a row is far better, etc. Taking naps is awesome.

Also, take Vitamin D! It makes a huge difference, in my experience.

Denise81 · Jul 1, 2012

I also work 7p-7a since a little over a year now. I can not get the hang of the sleeping thing thou. I come home in the morning, exhausted and tired, fall right to sleep and by noon i'm up to the bathroom or such for the 2nd or 3rd time already (and yes, i don't drink coffe after 2 or even anything for that matter). I tried sleeping aids but they just make me feel like i'm having a hang over and don't make me sleep any longer. Looking forward to change my shift mid july to 1p-1a so i get to go to bed when it is still night. Hope this will work better for me

JZ_RN · Jul 1, 2012

I quit 7p-7a 3 days a week (not all in a row) because my 2 extra days off, I just spent sleeping, and I couldn't live any kind of normal life, plus my facility was a nightmare, you can read about it in some of my threads if you want.

Night shift was hard for me, did it almost a year. Couldn't live that way forever. It has perks but I took an 8-5 job on weekdays, no holidays, no weekends.

smokeoverfire · Jul 1, 2012

Thank you, very helpful. Dang, I don't see how you do it though!! I couldn't go off of five hours of sleep in the hospital. I've done it before, but it was awful! Yeah, I can't wait until I can switch too. I don't think i'm going to like it.