vent for those who work midnights

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

WHY WHY WHY can't people be more understanding of those of us who work midnights?????

This is a small incident but apparently it's the straw that broke the camel's back. My friend "L" and I were on the phone and she wanted me to meet her for something. I was like, "I don't know. I'm really tired. I got up early." She says (kinda smugly), "Early? It's 4 pm. I've been up since 6 am." Now mind you, she hasn't worked in 2 years. I kinda snapped back, "Yeah, early. I went to bed at 10 am after working all night." (Late for me.)

I used to date a guy who insisted (along with his mother) that I was lazy for "sleeping all day." Uh you sleep when I work!!!!! When, exactly, am I supposed to sleep????? Grrrrrr!!!!

I have to leave my phone turned off because my mother (who also hasn't worked in years) insists on calling and texting me during the day for nothing. Then she gets mad because I don't answer. There was an emergency last year but they couldn't get a hold of me because my phone was off. And I said, "That's because you call me all the time and wake me up! When it's ok for me to call you just to say hello at 2 am, I'll pick up the phone at 10 am." And she still calls me during the morning, so my phone stays off.

Just complaining. It's so annoying. Please have some consideration for those of us who work a different shift than you!:uhoh3::uhoh3:

[RNMeg]

I'm so lucky that I have family who understands. My brother is a Sheriff's deputy who works midnights as well, so my parents pretty much wait for us to call them, even on our days off, because they don't want to wake us. My husband is respectful of my sleep as well, and encourages me to sleep during the day on my days off..he thinks I'll get sick if I keep switching back and forth :loveya:

[AndyLyn]

It's not just family, tho! We had a weird thing happen one night, so administration called a little meeting to discuss what had happened - and they scheduled it during the day! Really?

[SrnD]

i work nights and hate it, partly for this reason!!! even my family, who sees first hand that i get VERY LITTLE sleep, if any some days, seems to think i should be able to be on their schedule. in fact, nights ppl probably need MORE sleep than those working other shifts because of the toll it really does take on ur body/mind. ppl don't seem to get that working nights is COMPLETELY different than working other shifts, especially if your not a night owl.

[systoly]

' worked 7p to 7A for three years. I could understand when people would forget, but when the first thing you say is, "did I wake you up?"

As if it wasn't hard enough trying to sleep during the day. I didn't want to turn my phone off, because of emergency calls and I got to the point where I too started calling people in the middle of the night. Unfortunately that was the only measure that largely cured the problem.

[KateRN1]

Years ago when I worked nights, the new next-door neighbors asked me to pick up their mail while they were out of town. I explained that I work nights and would bring their mail over when I got up on the day they came back. I even had a sign on my door that said "Night worker, day sleeper. Please DON'T ring bell or knock unless it's an emergency." Wouldn't you know that this neighbor rang my bell--repeatedly--at 11 am, just 2 hours into my sleep! I was livid, threw his mail at him, and told him to never ask me for a favor again. I never spoke to him again and moved away less than a year later.

[backinwonderland]

I work 7p-7a three nights a week and my landlord is currently trying to sell the property, so he's constantly showing my house to potential buyers. I send him my schedule every week and exactly what days I'll be sleeping and he STILL manages to schedule showings in the middle of my sleep, then acts all annoyed when I tell him "no." The other day I told him a 1pm showing wouldn't work because I worked the night before and after, and then exactly at 1pm I wake up to strangers poking their head into my bedroom and acting surprised that I'm there! You better believe I let my landlord know exactly how I felt about that... when I called him at 1am during my break to let him know!

[Rabid Response]

Gah. That's what I hated most about working nights. Nobody understood. I would have to take crap from people about not wanting to do things on my days off because I was sleepy. I couldn't believe how many people had the nerve to say to me, "You are always sleeping!"

I told my next door neighbor never to ring my bell during the day because I needed to sleep. One day I had horrible insomnia and couldn't fall asleep until 11am. At NOON my neighbor rang my doorbell about fifty times in a row so that I thought the house must be on fire. I stumbled to the door half naked, only to have him tell me that he was locked out of his house. I did not have a key to his house, and he knew that. "I just thought you might have some good ideas about what I should do," he said. Speechless, I slammed the door in his face. I did not sleep at all that day thanks to that inconsiderate jerk. Oh, and it was my birthday that I had requested unsuccessfully to get off, so that if I had called in sick d/t lack of sleep, my manager would have thought I was out celebrating and written me up for sure.

[NiquiCNA]

hmm.. and people wonder why I simply turn my phone off and took out the doorbells to my house. Good I don't have any emergencies to worry about.. and the only people that call is work.. or 1-800 numbers I wouldn't answer anyway. Got cardboard, blinds and a blackout curtain on my window.. pitch black any time of day in my room :)

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i work nights and hate it, partly for this reason!!! even my family, who sees first hand that i get very little sleep, if any some days, seems to think i should be able to be on their schedule. in fact, nights ppl probably need more sleep than those working other shifts because of the toll it really does take on ur body/mind. ppl don't seem to get that working nights is completely different than working other shifts, especially if your not a night owl.

what's a "ppl"?

[badphish]

That would be short for people

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I had a guy calling my husband (who works nights) about something trivial, and he got mad when I said he was asleep, and I'd have him call when he woke up. He calls back about an hour later. I tell him he's still sleeping, and like I said, I'd have him call when he wakes up. HE CALLS AGAIN about 30 minutes later. At this point, I'm annoyed, so I tell him that if he wants my husband to get the message, that he had better get the message that HE WILL CALL WHEN HE WAKES UP.

[DizzyLizzyNurse]

It's not just family, tho! We had a weird thing happen one night, so administration called a little meeting to discuss what had happened - and they scheduled it during the day! Really?

Yeah work tries to call me during the day, they also tried to scheduled in services and we refused to show up for them.

When I lived with my now ex bf, his sister (my now former friend who is my age - old enough to know better) used to come wake me up at 8 or 11 am. I finally went into her apartment (they were connected) at 1 am bouncing on her bed saying, "Let's go get some food! I want to hang out!" That was the last time that inconsiderate *sshol* did that. :) I also go to RN school full time, so my sleep is soooo important.

I also have heard, "All you ever do is sleep.", "God, you sleep soooo much." I was late to Thanksgiving dinner (we eat at 3) because I overslept and got made fun of for that. I was like, "Well it's like 5 am for me, this is my breakfast."

When I lived with that ex bf, I'd work 10 pm - 6 am, sleep 7 - 11, have school 12-4 and try to sleep after I got home at 4 so I could work at 10 and do it all over again....my ex would constantly wake me up when he got home at 5 until one day after many days of sleeping 3-4 hours I screamed at him to leave me alone...then I started crying from the stress and lack of sleep. It was awful. Did make me see quickly how inconsiderate my ex, my former friend, and their horrible family were.

No one gets it unless they work midnights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!