So very tired!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

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?

You are not alone!! I thought working 8hr days 5 days a week was just AWFUL.....so I went to 12's....and since we've moved to another state where I find nursing to be very disheartening-I can't bring myself to do 3 in a row. I am literally sucked dry mentally and emotionally so I work every other night:eek:

I'm back to looking for something else, without much luck:confused:

Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

Me too. Stuck on nights. Always feel semi rotten. And I actually love my unit and job. But the long days, and heavy work load really does take it out of you.

I use to feel that way when I use to work 12-14 hour shifts.....I simply cannot do them anymore!

Specializes in geriatrics.

Currently, I'm working just short of full time (33 shifts in 3 months). Within 4 years, I plan to work no more than 70 percent of full time. Balance is the key. My exercise and healthy eating keeps me going. On my days off, I cook enough meals for 3 days usually. Smoothies every morning. Otherwise, I'd be burnt out, and I've only been a nurse for a year and a half.

Specializes in med/surg.

I'm tired, too. Working nights has done me in. I'm switching to days next month hoping that a "normal" sleep/wake cycle will solve my sleepiness problem!

Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

I actually sleep better when I'm on nights...but I also live alone in a quiet complex, no kids, and have a cat that's perfectly content to curl up on me and purr me to sleep. But man, I rotate and recently had to do 4 12s (my weekend, followed by my holiday so I couldn't avoid it) in a row on day shift. Holy crap. Between the chemo admits, new diagnoses, family drama....oye. The first shift was easy, and the next three proceeded to kick my butt. By day 4 I was so tired I shuffled from patient to patient. I didn't leave till 8 because I was too tired to finish on time.

My first off day? I slept till 10, brushed my teeth, changed into a new set of jammies....and went to the couch for a nap. All I did was sleep and wake up occasionally to eat. Apparently working 52 hours in 4 days is bad on the body - who knew?? :bugeyes:

Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

Well, I too experienced this, that is until i quit nursing! IT IS NURSING!I took a two week vacation from work, when I was doing the nursing thing...what a wake up call. After my first day off I had energy, I was happy, everything looked better! That was when I decided to leave the job and go back to playing paramedic full time. I work 24+ hour shifts doing that job and I do not feel nearly as tired as I would after an 8 hour nursing shift!

My being so tired just officially got to me.....I work for an agency (because I can't seem to find anything permanent here). I book 3 nights a week and if they have needs on other nights, they call. *I was cancelled 2 out of 3 shifts last week* So I slept all day today, got up at 4:30pm, got ready, and waited for the call on where to go.

At 5:15pm I got a call saying I was cancelled and there was "absolutely nothing else open." So, I changed and was out the door to take care of some things. I've wasted too many days so I'm thinking things were meant to work that way........NOT*... I soon had 3 voicemails saying the hospital that cancelled me changed their mind. Well, I called back to say I'm not home, in fact I'm already up the highway in the opposite direction and was told I "should always wait until 6:30 to know for sure that I'm not working." ???What??? This is new to me. Didn't read it in any of my handbooks that I'm on-call until 6:30pm and I recall asking during orientation about being on-call and was told they don't do that. Needless to say I didn't go in and I'm sure I'm in trouble now.... I really thought working five 8hr days was just awful, only having the weekends off, but 12hr night shifts (especially prn) is becoming less worth the extra days off since they seem to be wasted on sleeping just to be cancelled......gonna start putting resume's out to some clinics and offices starting now!!

Some of us sound depressed. I am contemplating asking for a prescription for an antidepressant for the first time in my life. I am so tired on my days off. I can't sleep the night before my shift, and I can't turn my brain off after work. I really, really hate my job. There is not one thing I like about it except the pay.

Specializes in ER, PACU, Med-Surg, Hospice, LTC.

Fatigue is the reason I bumped myself to PT. I was always exhausted.

1. I was continually asked to work OT

2. I had to work every other weekend

3. On the weekends I did not work, I would be on call.

I had no life. I hated everything. For the first time ever, my sleep was a mess. My personality even started to change. My friends would be off on fun weekend trips and I was always stuck at work or home (another ruined evening due to OT, another ruined weekend due to call, etc....). Relationships started to fall apart. My health started to fail. I almost quit the Nursing profession all together.

PT saved me!

I am always able to pick up shifts. Heck, if I want 70 hours a week it is pretty easy to find a few people willing to give up their shifts. I refuse to be forced to work 50 hrs a week. Life is too short for that. I am more than happy to forgo a few extras/luxuries for a PT schedule.

Specializes in LTC.

Me too! I happen to manage to get some clothes on and get some pizza. I know, I know.

I am also always tired, and I work 8hr days M-F in case management....you'd think that would be so less stressfull but it's NOT. Actually, i work more than 8hrs....I am always still charting late evenings or before 8am. I fall asleep like every evening when I should be having dinner lol. I am just not very exciting during the week...

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