ZZZZ's - Time to be honest!

[abbaking]

Have you ever fallen asleep at work or dozed off (even briefly)?

Yes - once i feel asleep in the staff bathroom - head resting on the wall, I was out for 10 minutes.

A few times I dozed off (microsleep) for a few seconds while giving report - the useless info (i.e.- Nursing dignosis/interventions).

[Kolorbug]

Haha...No. Never, but the doctor that I work for has and does quite often in MID SENTENCE!! He will talking to you about a Pt and just nod off. He also has been known to doze while charting.

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

We used to relieve each other for naps. I would generally feel worse afterward, so I didn't do it often, but once or twice a year, yeah, just needed a powernap. I usually worked one 12 hour shift, but would occasionally do two 8s. If I tried to do an 8 and a 12 in the same week, Sayonara, I needed that nap. Consequently, I rarely volunteered for that!

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

Sleep on the job?? Any place where I have ever worked would tell you to clock out and go home, if you were caught sleeping. Plus you would be fired. I agree that a "power nap" would be great, esp. for those that work several 12 hr shifts in a row. I once worked in an ICU that required you to work seven 12 hr shift in a row; I don't know how I did it. I would just about fall asleep charting. I worked night shift and was always tired.

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

Our mgmt knew about the powernaps. As long as we clocked out and the patients were covered, they left it to us to self police. We did, and it worked fine. I didn't mind a bit covering for coworkers who needed more napping. They did other things for me. We were a team, and a very effective and collegial one.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Of course! When I worked nights, we usually combined our breaks and took a snooze.

Some facilities encourage a nap as it is proven to increase performance.

We ARE human after all.

I find that napping makes me even more tired when I wake up! And at our facility, we are only allowed 30min breaks...that's not enough time for me to sleep.

Personally, I just suck it up. And drink a lot of coffee. And if I really start to get tired, I'll go walk around on the unit or something.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I saw my charge nurse flat out smack her face on the desk the other night. She had her face on her hand doing chart checks and she dozed for a second and her hand slipped and SMACK!

I never have. I will kick my feet up lean back for a bit but wont close my eyes. I love working nights, I rarely EVER get tired.

[maisyLPN]

When I was in school, I went with a patient to observe a cardiac cath and I had to fight so hard to stay awake. I went with another patient for an echo and nodded off for a minute or two. During an observation rotation in the GI lab I almost fell asleep watching a colonoscopy (uneventful, 5th one of the day lol). I work in a peds office that has frequent slow periods (no patients, work is all completed) and I've been extremely close to dosing off. It probably wouldn't happen at the hospital because there's usually something to do and a lot more people around watching you.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

Several nurses in my NICU on night shift sleep a lot. I've written it up twice. Once was a nurse sleeping while feeding a baby (holding her in her lap, I took the baby out of her hands and she didn't even know I'd done it till I shook her.) and once was a nurse with a micropremie on a jet vent. To my knowledge, nothing was done.

[MomRN0913]

Sure have. Dozed off at 3am charting a few times, almost fell off the chair a few times. If I was really tired, I would endorse my patients and take a 15 in the lounge. Let's be real, it happens, the body really tells you to go screw yourself in the wee hours of the morning.

On dayshift, never.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

seriously-- have any of these folks had sleep studies and checks for sleep apnea? hypothyroidism? classic symptoms being described here.

one year i found myself falling asleep driving-- in the middle of the day, after sleeping well at night. every day. scared the daylights outta me. thyroid numbers normal....and thyroid antibodies 4000x normal.

[kaiasunshine]

I'm a CNA and I work casual in long term care, meaning I work all shifts. Generally when I get a few night shifts in a row, I will have been working day shift all that week so it's a very hard transition. There is literally nothing to do between midnight and 3am when I start changing people (other than an hourly bed check on all 28 residents, and all residents are stable and sleeping) and at 2am I start to crash hard.

Usually I'll take a blanket and lay down on the couch with the tv on for half an hour. I have the phone in my pocket which is how we're notified of a call bell or bed sensor going off, and keep the tv on because I can't fall asleep with a tv on. Then I'll doze for half an hour or so, never falling asleep but kind of staying on the cusp. It helps me stay 100% for the rest of the night and I know if anyone wakes up on my floor I'm coherent enough to hear anyone moving around or hear the call bell go off. Not ideal but certainly very low-risk in my eyes...if I get two rotations of graveyards in a row then it's easy for me to adjust and stay up all night but working casual makes it hard to ever get used to one shift!

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Has anyone noticed how most hospitals don't have a place to kick back and relax in peace? There are cafeterias, lobby seating for visitors, and inadequate break/lunch rooms and that's about it.

I believe everyone should have the opportunity to get away during their break to relax and come back refreshed; those on nocs should have definitely have the right to get away and snooze for a few minutes in the middle of the night. Our bodies weren't designed to be up all night.