What do you do to cope with sleep cycles being all messed up

[Vtachy1]

So when you work nights, or rotate shifts a lot, what do you do when you can't sleep???

I'm thinking of getting an appt with a sleep specialist or clinic. I cannot sleep more than 3 or 4 hours a day, and its affecting every aspect of my life.

[Debilpn23]

Hi

I work 5 nights 11-7 then work part time 8:30- 12:30. usally get home about 1-1:30 pm.Try to have lunch check out allnurses and then try to get at least 5-6hrs sleep, have a lot of trouble sleeping right through. Try to catch up on the weekends. Love Sundays can sleep as late as I want no alarm, and I'm usally in bed early sunday. well getting exhausted off to bed.

[Tatet98]

I like regular exercise after work, then a nice jacuzzi or a nice steam afterwards.

I also treat myself regularly to good quality massages. Wonderfull self pampering helps.

nice...

[tkane]

When I worked nights I used a box fan in my bedroom for "white noise" & had dark curtains up. I also took Benedryl just one 25mg. This worked pretty good for me.

[crb613, BSN, RN]

I slept like that for a about a 1.5 years...3-4 hours a day. Now all I do is sleep. I have been on nights about 3 years. I feel horrible. I love everyone I work with, but something has got to give. I work 3-4 12's....and the rest of my life is spent sleeping. I go to sleep around 0900, wake up around 1100, back to sleep, awake again 1230-1300, back to sleep, eyes open again 1400, back to sleep, then up around 1600-1700. This is how I sleep!.....then on my days off............I nap at night & during the day......couple of hours at a time. I am in a stupor, grouchy & have zero energy. I use a fan, my room dark. I don't know what to tell ya, except I feel your pain.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

how long can you take ambien? do you take it every night? my insomnia is chronic and intractable if you ask me. i've not been able to sleep well for 10 years. maybe its my age, what does a sleep clinic do for you?

i also take benadryl, but i am worried about my blood pressure, i've been taking it for years.

i don't know how long you can take ambien, but my doctor says i can take it every night. i do, usually, unless i've been drinking or something. i don't want to mixed drugs and alcohol. i've not slept well for years, either, and i think a part of it is age.

a sleep clinic will assess for sleeping disorders. it requires a sleep study -- where they wire you all up with thirty or so different monitoring leads to assess leg movement, eye movement, brain activity, inhaled air pressure, exhaled pressure, pulse oximetry, etc. etc. could be you're not sleeping well due to sleep apea or restless leg syndrome. i just had a sleep study and they've diagnosed sleep apnea. so i go back next friday for a follow-up study with cpap. i'm really, really dreading that. but i guess if it will help me to sleep and prevent my sleep apnea from causing heart failure, it's for the best.