For anyone who's worked overnight and then left, help!

[2angelsinheaven]

I just left my fulltime job of two years working overnights and I'm feeling so low. I have no energy, it's like it was before when I was working only now I am not working and I'm still tired!

I left two weeks ago, cruised the week of the 4th and have been home since. I'm having such trouble trying to sleep that I go to bed between 10-11pm and am up at 1am and then maybe if I'm lucky sleepy again around 5 or 6 and sleep till 10. Right now I'm sooo sleepy again and I've done NOTHING today.

Anyone else who worked overnight and left go through this, I'm so fustrated right now. I do have an appt with my OB/GYN tomorrow so I may ask her about it. I just feel so unmotivated.

 

[lbgraves]

I know that when I stopped working 2-12 and also after closing at 1:30-2 am waitressing it took me a while for my body to adjust to the normal schedule. It always took me a couple hours to unwind after working...just like anyone else. It could be as simple as taking a sleep aid for a short time to help your body clock readjust to the rest of the world. Good luck!

 

[minkydog]

I have worked night shift for 17 of the last 29 years so I think I know some of what you're going through. Your internal clock needs to reset--your days and nights are mixed up.

What do you plan to do now? Work days? Back to nights? Part-time? Stay at home? Your new sleep schedule will partially be determined by your new job. I work 6pm-2am 3 nights a week, which means I don't usually get to sleep until 4am those nights. So sleeping until 10am isn't really all that decadent (in fact, it's not enough sleep!)

But if you are planning to work 8-5 then you don't want to train yourself to get up late! Sleep hygiene is important--no caffeine after 12noon, no TV in the bedroom, soothing colors, lights low. Keep the bedroom cool, get a fan going for some ambient noise. Go to bed at a reasonable time every night, 12mn if 10 is too early. Get up at 7am whether you want to or not. Stay up--no napping! That will only set you back at this point. At first you will feel like you're gonna die(is that worse than you feel right now?) Hang in there with it a couple more days and your body will re-adjust. It takes time to reset your rhythm. I'd advise talking to your doctor about it before you start taking a sleep aid--it might or might not help and you don't want it to worsen your adjustment.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Double Post.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

It's rough, I'm sleepy all the time. DFiance is fustrated because he's working 20+ hours of overtime each week now that I'm not working and feels I should take on more of the household chores since I'm not. However I just have no energy because I can't sleep straight for more than 2 or 3 hours.

Atleast when I was working I was dead tired by 12 noon and slept till 6 or 7pm before waking for work again. Now I just don't know. I figured by now I'd be ok, but it's been a bit over two weeks and nadda, still a mess...lol!

A bit of sadness may have set in to and is wrecking more havoc on me since I left fulltime but planned on working "relief" meaning like being oncall a few shifts a month. I was working at a group home for teens, so this would allow me to still work with them without killing myself working too much. However when I called yesterday my boss said it wasn't going to work (long story, she is the reason I left in the first place), no such available position, etc. Demanded I work atleast 2-3 shifts a week, ummm no! I work another part time job three days a week 10-4 so it wasn't happening. So now I don't even get to say "goodbye" to these kids I promised I would see again after my vacation, which stinks! I plan on staying home, getting my life back (had been working 7 days a week) and then going back to school.

 

[minkydog]

i think it's just gonna take some time to grieve the loss of your job. Even if you didn't like it or left under duress, it's still a loss.

I went through something similar when I was taking a full load in college and working full-time nights in the hospital and I had just gotten married(I don't recommend doing it this way ) Truth was, I was exhausted all the time and burnt out! We moved the day after graduation and I didn't work again for 4 months. It took me well over a month to readjust and let off steam and I was so, so sad

I hope your DF can give you some breathing room here. It won't be forever, I promise