What do you do to get past the 2am slump

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, I started my first night shift and all. My first one ever and it went pretty slow since I had a hard time staying awake? I was fine from 645pm until around 2am and then I got really sleepy. I did my best to stay awake and I did stay awake all though I did quite a bit of yawning. I know I am not going to get use to this overnight. How long did it take before you all got use or partly use to working nights. Just my luck by the time I start back school in August that is when I will get semi-use to it. I am not a RN yet I am only working as a neonatal care tech. I graduate next may. I can't wait. :cool:

Canoehead, I think I thought the same thing you're thinking about his avatar. I had to stare at it for awhile. I think it's a head banging drummer. Notice the drum sticks?

Heather

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Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

I save some physical work for my 4:00 slump. We do our baths in ICU at night, and so I do my second bath at 4am. Drives my co-workers crazy, but I never have any trouble getting someone to help turn my patient to wash his back as they are all sitting at the desk. I also make sure I'm caught up with my charting by 3 so that I'm not sitting trying to write when I'm getting sleepy. After the bath, I'm good and awake, so I have a little snack and finish up the rest of the stuff I need to do (re-order meds, chart in computer, etc). This is assuming something doesn't happen at 4 am that's an eyeopener anyway (like a code or a patient crapping out!) I've been known to be finishing baths at 5:45 for this very reason, but I just can't seem to change the habit. If I finish both my baths by 2, you can forget it. I'll be UNDER the desk!

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I always try to keep busy and usualy have no problem cuz we seem to be almost always short staffed on all shifts, and many basics get missed.

Even if patients are sleeping and everyone is caught up, there are supplies to be ordered or lists of 'needs' to give to the day shift secretary, equipment to clean, drug stocks and crash carts to be checked for outdated supplies, check paperwork stock and make copies of originals, make chart packs...yada yada. ;)

And of course if we have nothing to do ER will want us to come down and help them.....which we do sometimes too (aren't we nice?)

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my body clock being all messed up like it is, I dont get a slump at 2am 3am or otherwise

I love my nightshifts

I would do them all the time if I could

this flip flopping from days to nights and so on every two weeks kicks my butt!

I've NEVER been a day person

the only time on nights I'm really beyond tired and feeling a slump is about 0725 hrs when no one from days has arrived yet which gives me the daunting realization that I will not be leaving right on time at 0730hrs as I always hope and pray I will be!

I used to show up half an hour early for my nightshift so i could get a detailed report and count narcotics until I saw that the same courtesy was not passed on to us from the day staffers

at 2am I am usually doing my MAR recopies, or doing rounds, or first charting etc

to all of you ppl who love day shift can you please please come work with lil old me so that I can do all your nights for all of you wonderful ppl? :)

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originally posted by canoehead

kewl

what the heck is your avatar doing???

this is a family board ya know. ewwwww.

he's a little head banger dude, and those arn't drum stix, there his fingers in the satan/peace/surfer thing (depending on which concert you were at). so quoth dio "look out"

devil.giflhdevil.gif lhdevil.gif lhdevil.gif lhdevil.gif devil.gif

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Ahhh I see now. I couldn't see the other finger through all the hair, so I thought it was a drumstick.

But I guessed right on the other part! He's a headbanger, not a, ummm, banger of, other things...

Heather

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adrienurse's tips:

1. Do all your paperwork as early in the shift as you can. This "sharpens" your mind and makes you more alert.

2. Take 0130 break to drink coffee and eat crunchy cereal.

3. Put lots of lights on around the nursing station.

4. Always be doing something.

5. Get up and walk around a lot.

6. Don't do anything at the desk for more than 45 minutes at a time. Take frequent breaks to do #5.

These tips have worked well for me and made me a more productive nurse. Now can anyone tell me how to keep my brain from expiring at 0630? I can't get anything but complete nonsense to come out of my mouth at report time.

- Ad

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I always keep busy, cleaning, restocking rooms, bathing a patient if they are awake, passing linen, thinning charts, resheeting charts, cleaning up the med carts, helping other nurses, etc...

good luck with school!

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I'm a night person so I rarely hit a 2 a.m. slump. Since I quit smoking, all those"I'm going downstairs" breaks have turned into walks around the campus. What radio stations do you guys listen to. Does anyone else do Delilah?

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I like some of Delilahs songs.... But I haven't heard to many from her -

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I thought that I had heard one evening that Delilah was gonna "retire" to pursue a different avenue. You're talking about the Delilah on the radio that plays Love Songs, right?

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We try to stay busy. Besides at 2am where I work we are going on our supper breaks. Our slump time is usually around 4am. But after that it seems that everyone decides they need to go to the bathroom, so you are running a marathon. Then the next thing you know its the end of the shift.

Working in a Nursing home the residents keep you hopping.

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