Calling all night shifters!

pipersjo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Super Cat
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
996
Purraise
3
Location
Home of WVU Football!!!!
So to all of you that work night shift, do you go through phases where you sleep a lot (like 12-16 hours) and then don't sleep at all? I have been awake for over 24 hours now because I couldn't sleep this morning and now it's 330 in the afternoon and I don't want to sleep. I have been going through this for weeks, months even, now! I am very tired as you can imagine, but can't sleep when i want to. The past couple of days I slept pretty much all day-- like 6 hours at a time, get up do something for 6 hours, and then back to sleep for another 6 hours. I have been on nights for ayear and a half so it's not like I am new to it. What is going on?!!
 

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Night shift doesn't agree with my circadian rhythm at all. I was so tired most of the time that I was a virtual basket case until I went off night shifts.

Now because I have sleep apnea and need a CPAP machine, I have a restriction that I can't work nights!!
I can if I want to, but the hospital can't force me too.
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
I worked night shift (11 pm to 7 am) for years and my last years were 12 hour night ship (7 pm to 7 am). I am unusual I think in that if it was time for me to sleep, I could sleep. I would go home, have breakfast and a bath and go to bed..getting up in enough time to have dinner and get dressed. I had no life iow, on the days I worked.

On a day off, I'd come home after my shift, and just get 4 hours of sleep, get up to have a normal afternoon and evening, going to bed at the same time I'd go if I were working days.

The day I'd be heading back onto nights, I would catch a good 4-6 hour nap before that shift began. I bundled my work days together, so I could have 3 days weekends off, and never had a 1 on, 1 off situation..in part due to seniority, I was able to set the same days on and off...it was a blessing.

I did over the years have a couple of times when I was too tired or too wired when I got home, and hate to say I resorted to a beer and then bath and sleep or...a slug of cough syrup - knocked me right out.

I think part of it is finding a routine that works for you. Some folks use dark curtains in their bedroom and ear plugs, eye mask...some use a white noise machine or go to sleep to ocean sounds etc. Whatever you can find that works...but you need to get onto a schedule. Being overtired causes problems with getting back into a regular sleep schedule.
 

jugen

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 8, 2001
Messages
5,124
Purraise
1
Location
IA. If you need me, just meow..
I work days and nights. The night shifts kill me. A typical shift at night is like 4-close which is around 3-5 in the am. It is horrible because then I'm wound up from the night and need to relax for at LEAST an hour then I might be able to sleep. Last night I got home at 5:30 and went straight to bed. I was tired. I got up at 11:30 only to feed the cats then transfer my pillow to the couch and fall asleep again until 3:30. I hate working nights. I took this job with the knowledge that I'd only have to work 1 MAYBE 2 nights a week, but tonight will make 4. This occurs on a regular basis and needless to say, I'm not a happy camper and am currently looking for another job. I figure it this way, if the manager isn't willing to work nights (even though he has to work one or two a month) then why pawn them off on people like me? I told him I wasn't good working late nights, because it throws my meds off, but he didn't believe me and now I guess since I'm not getting anymore training, (only been there 4 months and am supposed to be training for asst mgr position) I guess he's seen the effects of it...
 

essayons89

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 5, 2006
Messages
3,611
Purraise
2
Location
Cincinnati
I've been working nights for 8+ years (7pm to 3:30 or 5:00 am). Some days I sleep better than others but on average I manage 6 or 7 hours a day. I keep dark curtains and sheets over the bedroom windows and also sleep with ear plugs (been using them so long I can't sleep without them). I don't some people ever truly adjust to working nights. I've been a "night owl" most of my life.
 

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
I've worked night shift (hotel), and I've had to work part of the night for many years as a trucker. One of the great things about my current job was that it was almost entirely day work, until the changed the dispatch system this week. Tonight I have my 5th night in a row, and I hate it. Fortunately, it should be a short night.

Research has shown that night shifts are dangerous to our work, our health, and others' safety.
 

jugen

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 8, 2001
Messages
5,124
Purraise
1
Location
IA. If you need me, just meow..
Originally Posted by mrblanche

I've worked night shift (hotel), and I've had to work part of the night for many years as a trucker. One of the great things about my current job was that it was almost entirely day work, until the changed the dispatch system this week. Tonight I have my 5th night in a row, and I hate it. Fortunately, it should be a short night.

Research has shown that night shifts are dangerous to our work, our health, and others' safety.
Geez, that's scary to know..
 

abbycats

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
2,544
Purraise
19
Location
Nebraska
This brings back memories. I worked graveyard shift for 5 1/2 years in a data center. I remember not getting good sleep for days at a time. We used to compare notes on how many hours sleep we got during the day. It was awful.

It seemed like the night shift people lost the sparkle in their eyes. It took it's toll on many people.
 
Top