OT: Question for Night Shift Workers - Sleep?

[DisneyWalle]

I know this may seem off topic but it really is affecting our lives and our upcoming Disney trip. My husband works 12 hour shifts (7pm to 7am) in a busy ER about four to five days every 7. He is having problems coming home and sleeping. He usually can manage maybe at max 4 hours sleep. Which obviously is not enough!

I have placed sheets and black out curtains over windows - it is now perfectly night dark all the time in that room. I have purchased two fans which keep the room at a comfortable temperature. My husband has to sleep with noise - therefore, I have a rain machine and an air purifier which run while he sleeps. (I know it sounds like a lot of noise but he can't sleep without a tremendous amount of white noise.) I massage his feet, legs, arms and hands to help relax him to speed sleep. And recently he has started taking a melatonin pill - which is also supposed to help him sleep. We really want to stay away from sleeping pills to prevent dependance.

So my question, finally, is there something else that I could do for him? Can you possibly tell me what you do, if you work constant shift work? I welcome all tricks, ideas, and solutions! So in short, if you work night shift work, please tell me what works for you - to make you sleep about 8 hours. Thank you!

Our Disney trip is in a couple of weeks and I would really love to have him well rested!

 

[LovinPooh]

I took Tylenol PM for awhile. It knocks you out, but getting dependant isnt good like you said. If nothing else works, maybe atleast try that to get rested up for the trip??

What I would do, is put something incredibly boring on the tv. Close the shades, shut off the phone and just lay back. that is what worked for me.
It turned out 3rd shift just wasnt for me. It screwed with my sleep so badly that it was affecting everyones lives around me. Trying to sleep normally on nights I didnt work was more impossible that trying to sleep when I got home. It took months after I stopped working nights to get back on a normal schedule.
Good luck.

 

[glorib]

Honestly, it sounds like you are doing everything I would suggest. I've been working nights for 7 years now and it used to not affect me. It seems the longer I work nights, the worse my sleep gets. Ugh. I'm always exhausted. It seems like I'm like your husband - I just can't sleep well no matter what I try.

The only other thing I would suggest is earplugs. I also need white noise while I sleep, but sleeping during the day, especially in the summer, extra outside noise still sneaks in. Kids outside playing, lawnmowers, etc. So I will wear earplugs. Those soft, squishy ones. They aren't uncomfortable and you can still hear the white noise of fans, etc, but they do block out the outside noise.

Good luck to your DH - hope he starts getting some better sleep!

 

[cerberus]

I am an ICU nurse and also work 7p to 7a and have been working that for almost 15 years. I guess my question would be, why is he waking up?
If it is just because he can not sleep that is much different than waking up because kids are playing or people are mowing their lawns. I do not really have much trouble sleeping anymore. Summer time is about the only time I have trouble sleeping because the neighbors have a pool and I can hear the playing during the day. More so my problem now is I flip back and forth between working nights and being "normal" on my other days with my kids, and I have trouble going to bed before midnight and trouble falling asleep.

Not sure how long he has been on melatonin, but that was the rage to take where I work and several of us after a couple of months had the opposite effect and had insomnia. There is another herbal med you can try, but I can not think of it off the top of my head....I just remember it smells really nasty.

 

[cerberus]

There is another herbal med you can try, but I can not think of it off the top of my head....I just remember it smells really nasty.

Just remembered, Valerian root

 

[Canusa Family]

My wife is a trauma nurse in the ER.She usually works 3-4 12 hours shifts a week, aswell.Somtimes she cant sleep other times she does.There is this bird she says she hears every morning.She would like to get a BB gun, and shoot it, if she knew where it was comming from.Tylenol PM seem to work the best for her also.

 

[DaaBoTownSox]

I know this may seem off topic but it really is affecting our lives and our upcoming Disney trip. My husband works 12 hour shifts (7pm to 7am) in a busy ER about four to five days every 7. He is having problems coming home and sleeping. He usually can manage maybe at max 4 hours sleep. Which obviously is not enough!

I have placed sheets and black out curtains over windows - it is now perfectly night dark all the time in that room. I have purchased two fans which keep the room at a comfortable temperature. My husband has to sleep with noise - therefore, I have a rain machine and an air purifier which run while he sleeps. (I know it sounds like a lot of noise but he can't sleep without a tremendous amount of white noise.) I massage his feet, legs, arms and hands to help relax him to speed sleep. And recently he has started taking a melatonin pill - which is also supposed to help him sleep. We really want to stay away from sleeping pills to prevent dependance.

So my question, finally, is there something else that I could do for him? Can you possibly tell me what you do, if you work constant shift work? I welcome all tricks, ideas, and solutions! So in short, if you work night shift work, please tell me what works for you - to make you sleep about 8 hours. Thank you!

Our Disney trip is in a couple of weeks and I would really love to have him well rested!

Although I work night shift, I only work 8 hr shifts. For me, I get home usually around 8am, and am out cold right away. I do not sleep all day however. There was a time I slept till 5pm. Now, I find myself awakening between 2-3pm (still more than your husband's 4 hrs). But, to answer your question, I really don't know what else more could help. I am sure I am younger than your husband. Not sure if age has anything to do with it...

In conclusion, I'm not sure anybody sleeps a full 8 hrs. I haven't in years unfortunately. I miss that..

 

[ERMama]

also a fellow er/trauma nurse who has worked some version of late second/third shift for 12 yrs.

like others said, sometimes people just cant handle those hours.
if allowed to sleep, i have no problems sleeping.

we give our oldest son melatonin pills sometimes to help him sleep.

 

[DisneyWalle]

He has worked 12 hour night shifts for over 2 years. He used to be able to sleep better but the last 1 1/2 months have become harder. Like I said early I have done everything I can think of to help him sleep.

I discourage everyone from using the front door - so that is no longer an issue with noise. Our neighborhood is relatively quite (hardly no children but ours). But with all the white noise in the room - you really can't hear anything in our room. Our son knows that he can't go into the back part of the house if his daddy is sleeping. So I have a hard time believing that it's noise that is waking him up.

I think he should see a doctor. But he doesn't want to take any kind of prescription or over the counter sleeping pill.

Thank you for all of the advise so far. I am glad to see that the majority of you that are responding are nurses. It helps to know that he is not alone on this issue.

 

[Mommy2JulietJocelyn]

another ER nurse here - I work 3 12 hr shifts a week also and pick up an 8 hr 11-7 sometimes, I have been on nights for about 10 yrs. I thankfully do not have trouble sleeping usually. BUt I also take care of my 3 girls during the day on most days. I only have a babysitter one day a week - the only day I get a good 5-6 hrs sleep. Oddly that is the night I am always yawning. Some of the nurses at work have tried sleeping pills but they don't work after a while. Some take Benadryl - plain Benadryl and that helps - it is usually not something they take all the time just once in a while. Others have also started exercising right after they get home, then eat and take ashower then go to bed. Maybe that could help - helping unwind outside of the bedroom before going and lying down.

My question would be since this is something that is a recent change - did something happen at work that is affecting him more than he realizes? Is he having any dreams? Are they the same dream? Being in the ER or Trauma we don't get a choice as to what comes through the door. And if your spouse doesn't work in an Er/Trauma center then is it hard to talk about that stuff to their spouse. My husband doesn't work in medical period - so we don't talk about work - If we need to talk it is usually with our fellow nurses - it gets it off our chests and makes it easier to leave it at work and not bring it home.
Does that make any sense?
HTH

 

[CastleCreations]

Hi... just checking in...another night shift nurse here. I get home around 8am, get in bed around 10, wake up to feed my dd lunch at 12, back in bed from 1 to about 4. This is on a good day. I don't work ED, so I don't have hustle and bustle still in my brain from racing around all night, but wanted to wish him and you luck...

 

[RN2003AZ]

Another nurse here... L&D. I work 3 11p-7a shifts per week. I can get into bed at 8am and pass out cold until 5-5:30pm. I consider myself very lucky. I can also flip back to "regular" time very easily. I use my AC in the summer, room darkening shades, a face mask, and sometimes earplugs. I make sleep my priority. I have a sitter for my son (my mom usually) and I know that without that sleep I cannot function and am a beast to deal with at home! Maybe he's too focused on other things he needs to do. I find winter hard, just because I barely see the sun. The summer can also be a bummer because you know it's beautiful outside and your brain wants to be doing something else. You have to make sleep a HUGE priority. You'll make yourself miserable otherwise.

 

[Jeninindy]

Another Night Shifter here too.....I too am a RN, I work 7p - 7:30 am three to four nights a week. I have worked nights for 15 years.

I have blackout shades, two fans and the central ac running. I usually turn on the tv for 15 minutes to help get sleepy again and then turn it off after those 15 minutes are done. Sometimes, I surf the web for a few minutes.

My sleep in the summer time is much more difficult that winter. Although I can sleep longer (kids in camp) I find that I am awake by 1 or 2pm in the afternoon. I go to sleep by 8am-ish. For me that 5 or 6 hours sleep is usually enough to feel rested. If I try to sleep longer, I end up feeling more tired and rundown.

During the school year, I usually never have a problem sleeping untill 2:45, which is when my alarm goes off (get up and get ready for the kids to get off the bus).

I agree he probably needs more than 4 hours sleep - I did that for a long time when my kids were smaller and we only had half day preschool, but it didn't feel good......

Also, did something happen at work about the same time the sleeping problem started? I know sometimes after a difficult night, I tend to replay things in my mind.......

 

[AnnaS]

My son was working overnight for a bit recently. He used to get home at 6:30 am and try to go to sleep. I told him that when we get home from work (day shifts), we do not go straight to bed so he should try to stay up a bit - yes do boring things, watch tv., read a paper - anything to wind down and after about two hours or so - go to bed.

Good luck - are you guys driving down? Flying? I hope he gets some rest if you are flying (or rest before leaving if you are driving).

 

[cerberus]

Man I feel sorry for all of you that need the blackout shades and noise machines to help you sleep. For the most part I sleep well during the day, you all probably do not want to hear that I often go out and sleep in my pool
Since we have had our 2 girls I now do not work 2 nights in a row. My hubby works 5 nights in a row. So when I work a night, I come home from work around 8am and stay up til 2pm taking care of my girls, then take a 3 hour nap then sleep again for a few hours that night...then do it all over again.

 

[minkydog]

It sounds like he's doing everything he can to get his sleep, but the truth is, it may never be enough. We all have a circadian rhythm which tells us when to sleep and when to wake. Some people have a very strong urge to be awake during the day, no matter what they do. Others can stay up all night and go,go, go when the rest of us are pooped out.

I have worked night shift for 25 of the past 31 years I've been a nurse. I *know* the feelings of sleep deprivation and the toll it takes on your body & your family. I was so severely sleep deprived, despite the fact that I could fall asleep at a traffic light and ran off the road driving home from work several times, it took almost a year for me to recover. I did all the things your husband is doing, including keeping my room absolutely COLD at all times (good A/C ). And I would still wake up several times during the day!

At this point your hubby may need to try a soft sleep aid if he wants to sleep during the day. I have tried benedryl, which is not addictive (it's the sleep ingredient in Tylenol PM, I think), but it makes me feel hung over. Now I use a 5mg Ambien which helps me go to sleep and stay asleep for about 6hrs straight. And CPAP I fought it for a long time, but finally had to admit that sleep deprivation was killing me. It has been worth its weight in gold!

 

[DisneyWalle]

My son was working overnight for a bit recently. He used to get home at 6:30 am and try to go to sleep. I told him that when we get home from work (day shifts), we do not go straight to bed so he should try to stay up a bit - yes do boring things, watch tv., read a paper - anything to wind down and after about two hours or so - go to bed.

Good luck - are you guys driving down? Flying? I hope he gets some rest if you are flying (or rest before leaving if you are driving).

We are driving, actually I should say I'm driving. But its only a 5 1/2 hour drive from where we live. So its not a bad drive at all. I'm hoping that since we will be busy everyday we are there - that he will sleep once in the room. I plan on taking the noise machine and anything else I think might help. Wish us luck!

 

[DisneyWalle]

another ER nurse here - I work 3 12 hr shifts a week also and pick up an 8 hr 11-7 sometimes, I have been on nights for about 10 yrs. I thankfully do not have trouble sleeping usually. BUt I also take care of my 3 girls during the day on most days. I only have a babysitter one day a week - the only day I get a good 5-6 hrs sleep. Oddly that is the night I am always yawning. Some of the nurses at work have tried sleeping pills but they don't work after a while. Some take Benadryl - plain Benadryl and that helps - it is usually not something they take all the time just once in a while. Others have also started exercising right after they get home, then eat and take ashower then go to bed. Maybe that could help - helping unwind outside of the bedroom before going and lying down.

My question would be since this is something that is a recent change - did something happen at work that is affecting him more than he realizes? Is he having any dreams? Are they the same dream? Being in the ER or Trauma we don't get a choice as to what comes through the door. And if your spouse doesn't work in an Er/Trauma center then is it hard to talk about that stuff to their spouse. My husband doesn't work in medical period - so we don't talk about work - If we need to talk it is usually with our fellow nurses - it gets it off our chests and makes it easier to leave it at work and not bring it home.
Does that make any sense?
HTH

He says that nothing has changed at work. I do know that the ER he works in has becoming increasingly busy and they are seeing more and more traumas. But he says this isn't an issue - other than he is very tired when he comes home. But even when he's tired - he can't seem to settle down enough to sleep or stay asleep.

I know several people have suggested OTC. He has taken Benadryl (this helped him sleep for about two days but now it just makes him feel groggy and hung-over), he has also taken tylenol pm (but he doesn't like taking it). So that is the reason, he has started taking the Melatonin pills. I noticed that one person said they have used them - has anyone else? If so, how much do you take? The first day he took them - he slept 8 hours and I thought we had found the solution. But the very next day, he slept two hours, woke up for 2 hours and then laid back down for 3 hours. The following day it just got worse. So I don't know! Maybe he should take less or more? The bottle says 1 - 5mg tablet, but he takes two.

I am sincerely happy for all of you that have no problem sleeping. You have no idea how blessed you are that you can sleep. Again thank you for all of the suggestions. I really do appreciate them!

 

[DisneyWalle]

I saw that someone else had a question similiar to this topic - so just bumping!

 

[toystorymom]

Another night shift nurse here. I just want to say how lucky your DH is that you do all those nice things to try to help him sleep. I've only been working nights for 3 years and I have had enough. I find with the kids I can never get enough rest and that makes me (and them) miserable. I can't go all day, work a 12 hour night, and then come home and again take care of 3 kids all day. I actually enjoy the 11p-7a shift but the 12 hours are brutal. If I've worked a weekend night and DH is home the next day, I will take Benadryl, it really helps get some solid sleep. Usually though, I don't sleep very well, and it is tough. Sorry, I know that was no help, but I definitely feel for him! Good luck!