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I am so darn tired on my days off, I just want to lay around and do NOTHING. I don't care about dinner, a clean house or anything. I just want to sleep. My body aches and I am JUST. PLAIN. TIRED. Is it just me?
I used to get a lot more done when I worked 8 hour days. Does anyone have any good studies on the effects of 12 hour shifts? I am pretty sure running all day for 12 hours with only half an hour for lunch (maybe) is not conducive to high energy days immediately afterwards. I tried to fight it for years. Now I just give up and lounge for a day. When else are you going to catch up on all the recorded TV programs you missed while you were working?
I work 8hr night shifts and I feel the same way, right now I have been awake for 25.5 hrs because I tried to be social today and went to church with my kids and out to lunch, however today is not the norm for me
I am planning on crashing in a couple of hours and then lounging all day tomorrow.
When I worked 12 hrs it always took a day to recover, now I am 8 hrs, but working nights and I feel more exshausted than ever, all I want to do is stay in my sweats/pjs and lounge or sleep when I am off work
You are experiencing the universal challenge of nursing.
It is emotionally, physically and intellectually EXHAUSTING.
Use the ambition and smarts that led you into this mess.. to overcome the effects.
Emotionally... make the cognitive decision to accept the challenge, then let it go.
Intellectually.. learn from each problem or success , and congratulate yourself.
(nobody else will).
Physically.. FORCE yourself to exercise for @ least 10 minutes a day to release the pent up energy.
It is the only way to survive.
I work nights 4 on and 2 off and being tired has become a way of life. I usually end of sleeping all day my first morning off and during the regular work week I usually run on 5 hrs of sleep a day. I try to take vitamins because Lord knows I don't eat regularly. In the mornings when I get off work sleep wins hands down over food so I end up eating something after I pick the kids up from school or when I fix dinner.
Ivanna_Nurse, BSN, RN
469 Posts
I wish I had energy... I also enjoy my food so there's a lot of lounging with something going in my belly. I'm currently in my pajamas eating sweet potato chips and not doing a dang thang! Ivanna