Working Night shift...when do you sleep

[nattiekatt]

hi...i am a new nursing grad, and i am going to start working a 12 hour night shift from 7pm to 7am. I also have a 7 month old son. My question is when do I or should I sleep??

[weetziebat]

With 12 hour shifts there is really not as much leeway as with 8 hour shifts. When I worked those hours I'd sleep from 9 am to ~5pm. Will someone be watching your son at their home, or yours? That may have some influence as well. Won't take you long to see what works best for you. Just hang in there, cause it can take awhile to get used to working graveyards. Good luck :)

[GAgirl]

Should you sleep? YES!!! When? I agree with witziebat....when you can, depending on child care. I worked that shift for a couple years....it can take some getting used to. Good luck and hang in there.

[Dixiecup]

Don't mean to sound discouraging, just stating a fact. Working twelve hour shifts you will not see much of your baby at all during those three days. Basically you have time to do is sleep, get up and go to work again. It sounds like eight hour shifts would work much better for you with a young child. I work 3 twelve nights, I stay on the same sleep schedule all the time even when I'm off.My body won't jump back and forth.But I don't have any small children so it works for me. Good luck!

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

I find it helpful to go to sleep as soon as I get home. I don't run any errands because then I will have trouble getting to sleep. So I usually sleep from 8-3, this way I have some time before going to work at 7 PM to get some things done. When I am off I try to adjust back to a daytime schedule as much as possible, although I still like to sleep in.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

I used to sleep from 9a-5p. Good luck! It sure does take some getting used to....

[wam79]

some people adjust to nights very well. Me I worked nights for two years and could never get used to it. I just got used to being tired :chuckle . Now I work a night every few weeks and I do ok just remember that between 3a-5a is the hardest. The bodys metabolism wants to slow down the most at those hours. Thats when I do extra rounds , or whatever to keep the blood moving. I'm sure you'll do ok. Good Luck

[Town & Country]

I always hit the bed as soon as I stagger through the door, LOL.