Working the night shift

Melisandre121

I just started a new job which requires night shifts and I'm doing 3 in a row, my first of which is tonight. I'm already exhausted and I'm not finished til 9am. Anyone ever done night shifts and have any tips or words of comfort? A funny joke perhaps? Anything to keep me awake at this point...

Fleawuss

Give it up as soon as you can. Considerable evidence that long term might work will shorten your life. See if you can google it. I can't at mo. It should be banned for all but emergency services as far as I'm concerned.

Surreptitious

You're tired as you haven't adjusted. Tip is to sleep as much during the day so you're ready for the night ahead. And then there's coffee.

The Backwards Man

It's gonna be alright . .

Melisandre121

Fleawuss wrote: »

Give it up as soon as you can. Considerable evidence that long term might work will shorten your life. See if you can google it. I can't at mo. It should be banned for all but emergency services as far as I'm concerned.

I disagree with it myself, it's really unhealthy. But there are some people that require care through the night which is the work I do. I just hope I can adjust to it!

Melisandre121

Surreptitious wrote: »

You're tired as you haven't adjusted. Tip is to sleep as much during the day so you're ready for the night ahead. And then there's coffee.

I stayed up late and slept til 3 today and have drank a good bit of coffee. Still exhausted though.

Surreptitious

Melisandre121 wrote: »

I disagree with it myself, it's really unhealthy. But there are some people that require care through the night which is the work I do. I just hope I can adjust to it!

You'll be fine. You should get paid more too. As above post, you need to adjust, it will take a few weeks but you will get there.

aaronjumper

Did you hear about the Italian chef that died?

He pasta way.

The Backwards Man

Gonna be some sweet sounds

Outlaw Pete

Smuggle some people in and have a party, like they did in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

Copper_pipe

Is it a month of nights followed by a month of days OP?

Or is it, for example:

Monday and Tuesday nights.
Off Wednesday and Thursday.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday Days.

5*12 hours one week and 2*12 the following week.


Did the bottom example for a summer and I thought it was the longest summer of my life

septictank

Melisandre121 wrote: »

I stayed up late and slept til 3 today and have drank a good bit of coffee. Still exhausted though.

I don't need much sleep, lucky I guess, I'm working new job about a month now 7pm-9am 6 days a week.

Finding it hard but you have to get your sleep in, 4 hours does me, it's not long term so that keeps me going.

KERSPLAT!

I'm on nights too at the moment, tonight being my last for a while

I got home at about 8.30am this morning, straight to bed and slept till about 5pm. I'm grand now and won't get tired till about 6 or 7am, I'm on 8 to 8.

My only advice really is try to sleep till as close as possible to the start of your shift. If your shift starts at 9pm and you need to have food, shower, etc. Try sleep till 7 or 7.30pm. If you get up too early you'll already be awake like 4-5 hours and then have a 10-12 hour shift to go. That's the killer IMO

fullback3

I'm working shift work for the last 2.5 years. I don't think i will ever get used to working nights. Drink plenty of water throughout the night and plenty of rest when you are off from work, i find this helps a small bit.

The Backwards Man

Higher and higher

(running out of lyrics)!

Night shift is only half a day, try working 10 days a go on a crabber, 20 hours on, 4 hours sleeping per day if it's not too rough.

Wouldn't do it meself now mind

KERSPLAT!

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Higher and higher

(running out of lyrics)!

Keep it up and we'll be there

Surreptitious

Yeah I was going to say that. Getting up at 3 pm is too early, she needs to sleep it all out so she has energy for the whole night.

septictank

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Higher and higher

(running out of lyrics)!

Night shift is only half a day, try working 10 days a go on a crabber, 20 hours on, 4 hours sleeping per day if it's not too rough.

Wouldn't do it meself now mind

I know your not alone.

The Backwards Man

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

Keep it up and we'll be there

I just called to say I love youuuuuu . . . .


Damn google music suggested that!

Surreptitious

I used to work ten hour days, ten days in a row so anything different from that is good. I'm surprised I don't have more wrinkles.

septictank

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I just called to say I love youuuuuu . . . .


Damn google music suggested that!

What's goin on.

The Backwards Man

Surreptitious wrote: »

I used to work ten hour days, ten days in a row so anything different from that is good. I'm surprised I don't have more wrinkles.

We used to do Dublin from North Donegal twice a day in the salmon season, New Ross and somewhere in Meath every day in the seed potato season, I jacked up and went paving in Dundlak, leaving the house at 5.30 am every morning and back home at 8.30 pm, thought I was on me holidays:pac:

As me oul lad used to say, digging a five hundred yard found is a handy day to a man used to a thousand yards, and a pure cnut of a day to the man used to 250 yards

Surreptitious

The Backwards Man wrote: »

We used to do Dublin from North Donegal twice a day in the salmon season, New Ross and somewhere in Meath every day in the seed potato season, I jacked up and went paving in Dundlak, leaving the house at 5.30 am every morning and back home at 8.30 pm, thought I was on me holidays:pac:

As me oul lad used to say, digging a five hundred yard found is a handy day to a man used to a thousand yards, and a pure cnut of a day to the man used to 250 yards

Aw tis mad alright what you can get used to. I'm glad I'm out of it and you too.

seanbmc

I used to work in the airport and did lots of night shifts I never really got used to them but I am good at staying up now when I want to, I'm in IT now but funnily enough I'm doing a night shift as we speak. I am doing it from my bed.

Irish_rat

Melisandre121 wrote: »

I just started a new job which requires night shifts and I'm doing 3 in a row, my first of which is tonight. I'm already exhausted and I'm not finished til 9am. Anyone ever done night shifts and have any tips or words of comfort? A funny joke perhaps? Anything to keep me awake at this point...

Yes I'm working it now. Best tip is keep working and stop browsing boards.ie

Iang87

Is adjusting your life back a few hours an option. At the minute I'm working a 3am - 11am shift compared to my usual 8-4.15 so i just pulled back everything 4 hours.

Instead of waking at 7 for work I now wake at half 2 and then stay up once i'm home. Feel tired around 6 and am in bed for half 6 or 7 in the evening then sleep til half 2 again. Adjust your meals back accordingly also and be weary of picking at crap food

This is an option for me as I've no kids etc but naturally not for everyone.

Loveinapril

I feel your pain. I did shifts (a month of days and a month of live nights) for 5 years and it nearly killed me. My body never adjusted. I lived on a busy estate so life went on for other people in the day. Even if my husband was quiet, the neighbours would still be chatting outside, kids playing, cutting grass etc. I never got more than 4 hours sleep. I now have a better set up where I still do shifts but we get to clock off at 12am to sleep. If you can, get a job like this! It is so much better for your health, physical and mental.

NIMAN

Shift worker here, doing them 20+ years.

My best bit of advice, GET YOUR SLEEP ! Don't neglect it.

KERSPLAT!

Nearly there OP!!

Badly Drunk Boy

This details the awful perils of shift-work.

"She's ten to five,
But I'm shiftwork..."

Fingers Mcginty

Did 12 hr night shifts for nearly 20 years. Never got used to them. 4 12 hr shifts in a row followed by a few days off and then onto 3 12hr night shifts. Worked this way for a month and then a month of days.
The worst part after doing the night shift was getting into the car to face a gruelling hour long journey home. Trying to stay awake on the way home was a nightmare. I'd get home for 08.30 and wake up at 2pm absolutely wrecked.
Mrs used to call me Victor Mildrew cause i was a cranky bear all the time. Thank God I don't have to do them any more.

clairek6

Hate night shifts I find they make me feel physically ill but it's something il just have to stick with for a while. From my perspective they're definitely bad for your health

Badly Drunk Boy

I worked 3 shifts for a couple of years in the 90s, midnight to 8am, 4-midnight, and 8-4 (in that order). My main problem with it was that as soon as you got used to the shift, it was the end of the week, and then it's a different pattern to get used for the following week...

_Brian

I did nights for 13 years, 12 hour shifts either three or four nights a week.

It's ok for a year or two but it does take it's toll on your health. I found as time went on I slept less and less and suffered through more and more.

Towards the end I was a wreck, maybe 2 hours sleep, repeated chest infections, mouth ulscers, bad humour all the time, increased blood pressure.

I got a chance to get out and took it, I went from having maybe three of four chest infections a year to only having one in the last few years and that was within 2 months of finishing night work.

I still get bouts of insomnia which my doc attributes to the time spent ****ing around with my sleep pattern.

Do it OP, but for as short a time as possible.

I think it really depends on if you are a night or a morning person. One side of my family are very much night people and I have a few relations who work nights all the time by choice, often having to fight to stay on nights when things are being shuffled around. I'd have no problem working night or certainly evenings either as it would suit my natural sleep pattern much better to be sleeping till the afternoon and being up in the early hours. Unfortunately nights aren't an option in my area of work and I struggle out of bed every morning luckily rarely before 8am as any earlier would be torture.

I'd bite your hand off for nights over having to be up at 6am every morning for example.

The big difficulty is changing between nights and days, I think that's were a lot of the hatred of nights comes from. If you work nights all the time you just keep the same pattern on weekends and days off too. In fact its perfect for going out at weekends etc as its your day time.

jamesbere

I've done shift work for over 5 years now, I started off with one night shift that went up to 5 in a row at one stage. Only do 2 night shifts at the moment.

My best advice is try and get a routine going, I usually go to bed when I get home and get up around 5 or 6. Oh and black out curtains are a must.

diomed

You need eight and a half hours sleep a day (ignore people who say they don't).
You don't need that amount of sleep every day, you need that average.