Does anyone here have to work night shifts for their job?

I am a nursing student in my last semester where we follow a nurse's schedule for four months, which includes night shifts. If the night is slow then we get to nap for an hour which is great :D
So far I have had two night shifts and to prepare for them I stayed up all night and slept from roughly 8am - 5pm. Both times I woke up around early afternoon but was able to go back to sleep after a few minutes.
To help me sleep before my first night shift I took some benadryl because it helps my mom sleep, but I didn't feel like it made a difference for me.
I wore a blindfold and ear buds to bed, but both times my blindfold came off.
I also put up a sign on my door saying I'm sleeping because I'm on night shift so that the two room mates I live with will know to be quiet (they are generally quiet people).

Some questions to spur discussion (answer which ever ones you want to):
Do you think that night shifts are made out to be worse than they really are?
What job do you have that requires you to do night shifts?
How long have you been doing night shifts?
If you start to feel very sleepy during your night shift, what do you do to stay awake?
What strategies do you have for sleeping during the day (specifically dealing with sunlight and noises)?
Have you noticed any physical, emotional, and/or social consequences of doing night shifts for an extended amount of time?
In your opinion, what are the benefits of doing night shifts?
If you stay up all night before a night shift, what do you do to stay up?
Do you find that you eat more unhealthy foods, or your dietary habits change when you stay up all night?
Are you able to be productive when you stay up all night before a night shift?

This morning I will be trying out something my mom got for me called the Privacy Pop. It's basically a tent that surrounds your mattress, and it blocks out most light.
Hopefully it helps me sleep better during the day. My friend pointed out that if you close it all up it could become quite hot in there, so I will see if heat becomes an issue for me.
This is what it looks like
If you are interested in it and have questions about it I can answer them :)