What's your night shift routine?

[blah_blah_blah]

I've been working full time overnights for about a month now (3 - 12's). Staying up at night for work is not a problem, but I am having a hard time adjusting to my days off. I'm usually scheduled every other day, occasionally I will have 2 days in a row. Per union policy, we cannot be scheduled 3 days in a row unless our manager asks us if it's okay, however I would rather have 3 in a row so I can have a more normal social life.

I get home around 8 AM, eat something and unwind a bit and go to sleep around 8:45-9 and will sleep until 2-3 PM. I have blackout curtains so my room is pretty dark and live in a decently quiet neighborhood so I have no issues falling asleep or staying asleep. I just feel pretty guilty about sleeping through my day off =[.

What I have been doing is staying up as late as possible the night before I have to go in so I can sleep during the day. I'll usually sleep from 4-5 AM to 3-4 PM depending how I feel. Then I get up and take my time getting ready for work. I leave my house around 5-6 PM depending if I'm stopping anywhere before work. It takes me anywhere from 8-15 minutes to get to work. I'll usually sit in my car and browse the internet on my phone before heading into the hospital around 6:40 to punch in at 6:53. If I have to work again the following night, I have no guilt about coming home and sleeping all day but I have such a hard time doing that on my days off. It's disappointing to wake up at 3 in the afternoon knowing that i just slept away most of my day off. It's also a little sad sleeping all day because my boyfriend works an 8-4 M-F job and about once a week before I got my overnight job I'd meet him at his work and we'd go out to lunch since he works downtown. Since I rarely get 2 days off in a row during the week we haven't been able to do that and I miss it =[.

I know this has been asked a million times, but how do you guys prepare to work an overnight? One of the nurses I work with gets up at a normal time on the days she has to come in to work and will just take a nap before work, others will sleep all day and wake up for work in the late afternoon. How late/long do you sleep on your days off? What time do you get up on the days you have to come into work? Hw do you guys carry on having a normal social life? Thanks!

[vanilla bean]

I just feel pretty guilty about sleeping through my day off =[.

How late/long do you sleep on your days off? What time do you get up on the days you have to come into work? Hw do you guys carry on having a normal social life? Thanks!

Every (successful) night shifter eventually finds a system that works for them. I've tried many, but for me, the only thing that works in terms of helping me feel alert and rested most of the time is to stay on my night shift schedule full-time. I stay up at night and sleep during the day whether I'm working or off. I've managed to maintain a normal "social life" by meeting friends or family for breakfast or dinner instead of lunch. Shopping, going to the movies, and other such outings are easily arranged for the evening. My husband works a traditional M-F day shift job, but it's not a problem that I sleep during the day while he's at work. You may need to tweak things a bit, but it's doable.

As far as feeling guilty for sleeping through your day off goes, you need to reframe that thinking. As a night shifter, you don't have "days off," you have "nights off."

[Cat365]

I couldnt switch every other day. I like two to three in a row. I usually switch back by being a second shifter the first day off. I go home and sleep 4 hours wake up stay up until around midnight-2 am and go back to bed. However, I need a really good reason to get out of bed before 9 am even if I'm not working.

[loriangel14, RN]

I do what the OP does. Except I don't flip back and forth. I stay on an up all night, sleep most of the day schedule even when I'm off.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

Everyone does it a little differently. I usually like to maintain something of a nights schedule on my days off, going to sleep between 4-6 am, up 2ish-4ish. But I will let myself sleep longer if necessary. Usually about once a week I do get up by noon and can do more daytime-y things like lunch (though I am selfish and usually keep that time to myself).

I agree that working 2-3 nights in a row and having 3-4 days/nights off helps if you want something that is semi-normie. Does your manager make the schedule or do you self schedule and have her approve?

Also, the poster who said that they do more evening things to maintain a social life is spot on. I meet friends in the evening for dinner, we go running or walking together, see movies, have game nights, whatever, all after 5 pm. I know I personally am useless my first day off after a stretch, so I don't schedule anything for then, but the rest of the time I am good. It takes some forethought, but you can definitely have a life on night shift.

[NewMurse1014]

I stay up at night and sleep during the day whether I'm working or off. I've managed to maintain a normal "social life" by meeting friends or family for breakfast or dinner instead of lunch."

^Same. I'm basically living in a different time zone. I usually sleep from 0900-1700 whether I'm working or not, and stay up all night till the morning. I also adjust my meals so that I eat "breakfast" (toast, coffee) at 1800 and "dinner" at 0700. For me it's easier because I don't have a family to take care of yet. Some of my colleagues switch back and forth and it doesn't work for me.

[vintage_RN, BSN, RN]

I'm part time so I dont really work a lot of nights, and not usually more than 1 in a row. But on a night where I work I usually dont even sleep at all beforehand, or will take a short nap.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I also stay up all night even when not working.

Ask your manager if you can work three nights in a row at your request on a regular basis. I actually like to work the last three nights of one week and the first three nights of the next week for six in a row -- gives me LOTS of time off in a row that way.

Also, working consecutive shifts allows you to have the same patients several nights in a row, which provides better continuity of care for the patients.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

My wife and I have done nights for 3 decades. We have done every combination, included serial naps. The best thing we have found is sleeping 3 to 4 hours on our day off after work. Try varying lengths of "naps" on your days off, and nap 2 hours before your night on. Working every other sucks if you don't want to maintain a night schedule. Request to work at least 2 if not 3 in a row, if possible.