What Do You Do When Co-Worker Falls Asleep on Night Shift?

[NightNerd]

So, fellow night shifters, how do you handle it when someone you're working with falls asleep - not just doses off for a minute, but legitimately is in la-la land, sometimes a few times per shift? Just hypothetically, of course.

[snoozin]

I would mind my business.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Boneless Chicken

Wow … that's not just sleepy, it's catatonic. I have to wonder just how boneless and relaxed do you have to be before one slides out of a chair onto the floor? Does that wake her, or does she continue to sleep uninterrupted?

My husband has sleep apnea but is in total denial so I've seen my fair share of someone inappropriately fall stone cold asleep in a chair. As this is routine after dinner entertainment at our house since he does it nearly every night, I can honestly say not once has he ever slid out of his chair on to the floor.

He'll also tell anyone who will listen, "The sleep study was completely wrong … that doctor made a mistake!" - therefore he refuses to wear his CPAP. Unsurprisingly he gets very poor quality, as well as decreased quantity of uninterrupted sleep. Although he will stoutly deny having even been asleep at all, he wakes himself up every couple of minutes throughout the night because one of two things happen:

1) Each snore gets progressively louder until audio wise it is equivalent to the acoustic range of a buzz saw, which jars him awake.

2) He awakens choking because of an apneic episode.

Despite proof to the contrary, he continues to deny he snores.

Even with all that going on he has never once slid to the floor.

If he didn't have witnesses to say otherwise my husband would never even consider the possibility that his severe fatigue is the result of chronically poor rest from snoring.

Substance abuse/diversion, narcolepsy, or merely not getting enough rest are all possibilities for why this coworker is nodding out during her shift. Or she could also have sleep apnea induced fatigue - if she lives alone she may not even realize she snores.

Regardless of the reason, it's unfair to you and unsafe for her - after all, she could be doing this elsewhere too, such as while driving. I agree with OldDude, RN: "Intervention is a must".

My husband has sleep apnea, too. He'll wear the CPAP -- sometimes. But last night I got jolted awake five or six times by his loud snoring or choking . . . he's got the mask in his hand and the machine turned off. And then he wants to argue with me (at 0-dark-thirty) about why he doesn't need to wear the CPAP right now, because he's not really sleeping. Of course, by then, I'm wide awake.

Tell him that uncorrected sleep apnea may lead to cardiac events or CVAs, and you KNOW he doesn't want to be a cardiac cripple or a hemiplegic!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Night shifts are wicked to work. We have to work them considering the nature of the job even though they are not good for the nurses health. Research suggests that a sleep break should not only be allowed but be supported--20 minutes helps people practice more safely. This time should not be extended beyond that however, because it then become unsafe.

When are we going to start supporting each other instead of ripping others to shreds. Everyone should get a turn and we should be working together to make the work environment more safe to practice-- more safe for the patients whom we serve and our colleagues. I'm not saying turn a blind eye, I mean support each other so the environment is safe; they are two different things.

We haven't been "ripping each other to shreds" on this thread. When are we going to start being kind to one another rather than making accusations of "ripping" or "eating" each other?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Maybe I wasn't super clear, but I HAVE been waking this person up. Have a few times, actually. If it had been just a one-time situation, it wouldn't have bothered me, but it seems like it's going to be a semi-regular thing. I guess I'm just kind of steeling myself for the possibility that this may need to escalate at some point.

I loled at "a little introverted to be an RN." I am absolutely an introvert. I like to do my job, take care of my patients, and be done. I'm a good nurse, but maybe not so great at the charge thing, which I've had to start doing recently. I don't like repeatedly needing to ask people to do their jobs, especially since our unit is small and it's usually only two RNs on the floor. I don't pester anyone about little things, but this is something I feel is becoming excessive.

If you've woken her up a few times, it is time to escalate the situation. Don't wake her up next time, but call the nursing supervisor to come by and observe her sleeping. Then write her up. Or just write her up. Chances are management KNOWS she's sleeping on the job but doesn't have any documentation because while her colleagues will TELL the manager, they won't fill out the appropriate documentation. They cannot escalate the disciplinary process without the documentation. It's not one of my favorite parts of doing charge, but it is part of the job.

I've worked night shift for years, and I understand dozing off every now and again. What I do not understand is how some people can go get themselves nice and comfortable in a recliner with pillows and blankets and PLAN to go to sleep. That's not accidentally dozing off; that's sleeping on the job. I learned my lesson about that years ago when I was a brand new charge nurse and one of the security guards who rounded on our floor came to the manager with photos of one of my colleagues in a recliner with blanket and pillow, snoring with his mouth wide open. I wasn't in charge that night, but the nurse who WAS in charge got fired for failing to supervise. I'm not willing to lose my job over someone else's bad behavior.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Falling asleep while at work is prohibited as per most hospital policies. All said and done, those who have made those policies have never done night shifts, or rather they practiced it at a certain level of their profession and dumped it due to it's complexity������

Now then, the only advice is to have ample sleep during the day and arrange to have a good sleep during your one hour's break so that you do not neglect your duties while falling asleep at work!

I used to make sure that I keep my work colleagues awake by chatting them or just reminding them to do the regular rounds and also to put their alarm clocks on so that I do not have to wake them up from their breaks! I hate waking people up when they are at work because they need to be responsible and accountable for their actions. I do doze responsibly and have always done my work well all my 45 years as a nurse. Night shift is as abnormal as a pregnancy abnormality that you can think of! Those who do not experience it criticize louder than those who have experienced it! Ama??

Ya know what? I've worked night shift for years, and I'm one of those criticizing the sleepers.

[3ringnursing, BSN]

My husband has sleep apnea, too. He'll wear the CPAP -- sometimes. But last night I got jolted awake five or six times by his loud snoring or choking . . . he's got the mask in his hand and the machine turned off. And then he wants to argue with me (at 0-dark-thirty) about why he doesn't need to wear the CPAP right now, because he's not really sleeping. Of course, by then, I'm wide awake.

Tell him that uncorrected sleep apnea may lead to cardiac events or CVAs, and you KNOW he doesn't want to be a cardiac cripple or a hemiplegic!

I've told him, but Dr. Husband (graduate of the Google search engine online school of medicine) is a know-it-all. And he KNOWS he doesn't have sleep apnea - that the sleep study person doing the study had worked with me in the past, therefore colluded against him. :)

Hoo-wee, that's convoluted - it couldn't possibly be because he failed the sleep study!

My son video taped him while he slept, sawing enough logs for a good sized saw mill. You'd think definitive proof would be convincing? Apparently not.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I know that the regular third shifters at my job sleep a lot when there's no one else there and nothing going on. I also know that there has been photographic evidence of people sleeping in the break room during dayshift when all of management is there. Nothing happened, but you can bet that the rest of the staff were not happy. There is only one time I can understand sleeping during night shift, and it has management approval in my department: what we call a sleep in. As a trauma center, we must have a full surgical team available at all times. However, what happens when one of the third shifters calls off? Someone has to take their place, and that person most likely has already worked one shift earlier in the day and will work another shift the following day. So, once all of the cases are picked, that person is allowed to sleep if there are no surgeries happening. But that's different than someone who is working their regularly scheduled shift.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

In California & NYC you can sleep. I would suggest coming up with brainstorming ideas that would allow night workers to take naps.

When? Whenever you feel like it? On break? Where? Standing up in the hall? Sitting at the N. Station? In the break room?

Specifics please.

We used to take a 60 minute break and many of us chose to nap. Sup well aware. We made sure everyone knew where we were. We woke each other up if someone was asleep at the "five minute before due back" mark. When I first started on Nights on Med-Surg, I fell asleep at the desk. Told coworker I just had to sleep for a few minutes, literally could not stay awake any more. Nothing came of my 5 minute nap. I wasn't hiding anything, I just could not stay awake. I was due a break anyway, just needed it right then.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

You know it's really simple...WAKE THEM UP! What's wrong with some of you " turn them in;" I bet you're a riot at parties. You sound a little introverted to be an RN (please excuse that statement but...). Are you afraid of this person? Why don't you just go over and wake them up?

I've paid my dues working nights. I'll never forget this little nurse who wrote me up because I fell asleep on my break. We all had an agreement to wake each other up (this was before smartphones). My break was over but she didn't wake me up. She wrote me up. I got called in and the manager was laughing so hard. My manager looked right at me and said "why didn't she wake you up?" Once I thought about it we did have some words over a patient. My manager refused her extra pay for being being charge (she was an LPN, I was the RN charge) due to the fact that all she had to do was wake me up. She had allowed me to sleep through the entire shift that was left. Things like this can backfire on you. Some people...

So, grow a pair and wake them up. If they keep on doing it or go back to sleep, talk to them. If that doesn't work write them up. What's with this going to the manager stuff. You write them up and the manager will do an investigation. The document forces the manager to act.

Coworkers shouldn't have to wake coworkers up. That said, we need to work together.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Totally agree with your statement that sleeping on night shift casts a bad eye on everyone who works night shift. I don't sleep on night shift (except in those cases where we combined our breaks for a nap), and I was the nurse who had to do the work of the Sleeping Beauty that I mentioned in my previous post. The nursing assistants came to me regarding her residents because they knew that I would take care of the residents even if they were not on my assignment while Sleeping Beauty slept for her paycheck. It got old with me almost as much as the fact that the house supervisor condoned the other nurse not doing her job. Never understood why.

You really don't know why? Because you put up with it. And because the Sup might have been her friend or relative and also didn't want to confront. And why should she when you facilitated the nurse sleeping and getting paid for it and you made it possible for Sup to ignore the problem.

Why did you do it? Guilt? Martyr? Why did you let them get away with all of that?

[Elladora]

You know it's really simple...WAKE THEM UP! What's wrong with some of you " turn them in;" I bet you're a riot at parties. You sound a little introverted to be an RN (please excuse that statement but...). Are you afraid of this person? Why don't you just go over and wake them up?

I've paid my dues working nights. I'll never forget this little nurse who wrote me up because I fell asleep on my break. We all had an agreement to wake each other up (this was before smartphones). My break was over but she didn't wake me up. She wrote me up. I got called in and the manager was laughing so hard. My manager looked right at me and said "why didn't she wake you up?" Once I thought about it we did have some words over a patient. My manager refused her extra pay for being being charge (she was an LPN, I was the RN charge) due to the fact that all she had to do was wake me up. She had allowed me to sleep through the entire shift that was left. Things like this can backfire on you. Some people...

So, grow a pair and wake them up. If they keep on doing it or go back to sleep, talk to them. If that doesn't work write them up. What's with this going to the manager stuff. You write them up and the manager will do an investigation. The document forces the manager to act.

It's not your co-workers responsibility to wake you up. I would gladly write you up each and every single night you fell asleep. And yes, I'm a riot at parties. Work isn't a party.

[Elladora]

I wake them up...once. After that, it's a write up. There's no excuse for falling asleep on any shift at work (unless you're on break, then as long as you set an alarm, it's fine).