Staying awake for class

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Hey guys! I just recently started working night shift (2300-0730 and the occasional 1900-0730) and now with school starting back up I am looking for suggestions on how to stay awake on the days where I am going straight from work to classes. At least once a week I have been scheduled to work followed by classes from 1000-1600. Should I try to squeeze in a nap between getting off of work and the beginning of class or just power through? I would appreciate any advice in staying awake and focused during class! Thank you!

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

This honestly may not be a sustainable plan. Working night shift can be an extremely difficult adjustment and many people struggle just to drive home after their shift- never mind learn and retain information. If you find this is the case for you, please advocate for yourself by adjusting your work schedule so that you have time to sleep before going to class.

In the meantime, absolutely try to sleep as much as you can before work and class. Also try to go to bed early in the afternoon and sleep for several hours before you have to get up and go to work. After you nap and before class, eat a decent meal that includes protein and carbohydrates.

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Thank you for your input! I have talked with my manager and the person who is in charger of scheduling to see if they will work with me in rearranging my schedule to make it more conducive of being successful in the classroom. For know, I will use your advice with what to do in the meantime!

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Hello! I just wanted to thank you again for your response! The spring semester was kind of rough and I ended up pulling a few 24+ hour days, but I survived! Now that I have a bit more seniority on my floor, I was able to request to be moved to evening shift 3x a week for the fall semester and hopefully the spring semester! Thank you again :)

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