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M i n u x e
Jiggly Jell-o
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#1
Old 09-18-2016, 06:30 AM

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 :)

Siipu
From Winter to Spring
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#2
Old 09-18-2016, 12:10 PM



Well, I used to work as a bartender.
And I only had few shifts during the day, so yes,
I mostly worked night shift.

The only advice I really can give you, is to find a dark
quiet place to sleep during the day. It does take time to convert your
sleeping habits from sleeping during the night to sleeping
during the day. It takes longer to other, but some people are like me,
I can change my sleeping habits quite fast if needed.
If it doesn't get better in a few days - max a week,
I'd suggest you to try out some other sleeping bills.

My friend started night shifts about a month ago. She works 5 nights and
then she has 5 days off (1 of them being a "sleeping day"). And during the week she's
working, she pretty much is a hermit.

For the staying awake during your shift, just try to keep yourself busy.
If you stay still, you're most likely to fall asleep.


hummy
Little birdie ♥

Penpal
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#3
Old 09-25-2016, 03:37 PM


i have mostly always been a night shifter
it isin't an easy way to live, to be honest
most appointment are scheduled for day shifters
so on your days off you turn into a day shifter ;p
i do try to schedule any appointments to my usual schedule

the privacy pop looks interesting and very useful, i hope it works
i use blackout curtains and it really helps me
but it also makes me feel like a vampire!
daylight *hisses and fains into the shadows*

M i n u x e
Jiggly Jell-o
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#4
Old 10-11-2016, 02:21 AM

Yay posts :D

I've gone through a handful of night shifts now and thankfully don't have trouble sleeping through the day.
Thankfully my place is relatively quiet and the privacy pop really helps block out a lot of the sunlight.

One thing I have noticed is that even if I get a decent amount of sleep before my night shift (like 7 hours) I always feel sleepy around 3-5am during my night shift. Thankfully I almost always get to nap close to an hour during night shift.
One night I only had an 8 hour night shift so I got to sleep for around 9 hours before hand but I still wanted to nap during my night shift break.
That never happens to me during the day even though I get roughly the same amount of sleep (6-7 hours).

Siipu: It's great that you have an easy time sleeping. It's also good that you already have experience with night shifts, so it won't be a big adjustment when you do night shifts as a nurse.

hummy: Ya, if you are a permanent night shifter you end up doing things during the day on your days off. The benefit is that it should be easier to book appointments on your days off if they fall on a weekday.
If you are booking appointments that fit in your usual schedule does that mean they are either early morning (like 7-9am) or late evening?
I have heard that blackout curtains are great. I was leaning towards getting those but I bet that installing those would have been more difficult than this privacy pop.
Hahah ya, always working night shift would make you feel like a vampire!

 


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