Yo night nurses

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Jun 24, 2013

When I worked nights I tried to sleep 2a-10a on my days off, then my last night off something like 4a-12p. This seemed to work well because getting up at 10a still gave me a full day to do things and I never really was trying to stay up more than 3 hours later than what I had been doing. I tried to group my shifts together. The thing that killed me was only having 1 night at a time off. When awake at night I would sometimes grocery shop at a 24h store, doing computer work like paying bills, do quiet chores like dusting and cleaning bathrooms, do laundry, bake, go to my 24h gym, or just catch up on TV and reading.

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jun 24, 2013

I have four kids, so staying up on nights on my days off wouldn't work. Before my first night I'll nap for the afternoon and that normally gets me ready for my nights. Then when I get off I sleep during the day and then again that night with some benadryl help or melatonin.

22muchfun · Jun 24, 2013

I do this exact same thing. I will take a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon on my first night coming on. When I come home in the morning I take melatonin & Benadryl. I am usually able to sleep 6-8 hours to be ready for my second or third night. When it is my last shift of a run of a few, I will come home and sleep 2-3 hours then get up and get things done. This helps so I can go to bed at a normal time that night. On my off nights I occasionally have to take melatonin &/or Benadryl to help me sleep if I find myself lying awake for over an hour tossing & turning. Night shift is not ideal or healthy however it decreased my daycare bill when I have 4 little ones. This routine has worked for me for 3 years now.

simmaplease · Jun 24, 2013

Thanks so much! Napping before a night shift sounds much better to me than just staying up all night every night. Your tips are much-appreciated :)

CaptKris · Jun 24, 2013

Yeah begin to rotate your sleep schedule the night before... and if you've got kids/fam, you'll need to rotate it back. So if I were you, clump your schedule into 3 in a row.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 24, 2013

When I worked 12-hour nights (albeit not in nursing), I kept to a modified night schedule on my days off--didn't quite stay up all night, but definitely stayed up later and woke up later. I found that easier than trying to transition from night hours back to day hours because I'd lose a day in the process. Then again, I didn't have a family or kids to work around...and I also lived in NYC, where it's possible to do many things 24/7.

I also agree about keeping your shifts together as much as possible, especially if you want/need to rotate your sleeping habits back to normal.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2013

Unless I have 3 or more nights off in a row, I stay up on nights . I can't usually fall asleep before 3-4 am anyway. I go to the gym or out before 11pm ( then everything closes some stores actually close a lot earlier) the rest of the night I watch tv, read or watch movies. Heah it gets boring and most people can't handle it. The coworkers with familiea are more motovated to get up earlier and try to do stuff. The single ones seem to have very little motivation or deire to do much socalizing .

Guests · Jun 25, 2013

I have noooooo idea what to do with this many hours by myself at home if I stay up.

Silly nurse... allnurses.com for hours on end.

krenee · Jun 27, 2013

I do stay up the night before my first night shift . . . I used to do housework when I was new and ambitious . Now I mostly catch up on my TV shows! I do usually go to the gym around 10pm and the grocery store at 11pm because they close at midnight. So by the time I finish with all that it's pretty late anyway.