Tips for working midnights

[ReneeA]

Anyone got any tips for sleeping during the day?

I am finishing up nursing school, and have accepted a RN position on the ICU stepdown where I work now. I love the unit, love the girls I work with, love the patient demographics usually.

What don't I love? Midnights.

I work 7pm - 7:3oam, 1-2 days a week now. I will have the same hours, but 3 - 4 days a week in January.

I feel like I've tried everything, but I cannot sleep past noon, which only gives me 4 hours of sleep on a GOOD day. I've tried the dark room, earplugs, medication, and white noise. I sit straight up in bed, wide awake but super crabby by noon.

I need help. Realistically, I have a good year or 2 of midnights to go. If I can get my body used to it, I'll probably work mids longer than that because the schedule works with my kid's schedule.

Any advice?

 

[AnnaS]

Just wanted to say good luck with school and wish you the best.

My son works overnight and has the same problem. He is home by 7 am - asleep before 8 am and up again around 1pm. I am always telling him he does not get enough sleep.

His girlfriend tells me though that he does take naps and falls asleep very easily during the day or early evening when they are together (before going back to work). Any possibility of you taking a nap a bit later (before oing back to work?).

I need to ask my other son's girlfriend if she has a problem. She is a nurse and works overnights also. I don't think she goes to bed right away and that might be the solution - but don't know. When someone works during the day, we don't come home and go to bed until hours later. I would try to adjust my body and try this. You have nothing to loose. Good luck.

 

[golfgal]

We have a friend that works exclusively the 11-7 shift and she doesn't go right to bed when she gets home. She will get her shopping done, cleaning, etc. just like you would if you worked from 8-5. She would go to bed around 1 or 2 in the afternoon and sleep until 9 or so at night, get up, eat "breakfast" and go to work. If you are rotating shifts that doesn't always work though. She doesn't have kids either.

 

[happygirl]

You might trying staying up later, When my hubby was woking over night we would sleep right before he went to work. He couldn't sleep during the day his body need time to unwind

 

[ReneeA]

I think I'll try staying up a couple hours. Normally I'm exhausted when I get home and sleep like the dead from 8-11. One of the reasons I like midnights is that I can pick the kids up from school at 3 and then get a few hours with them before going to work.

I have to try something else though...this 4 hours of sleep after working those long shifts are really not working for me (or DH either...I'm not easy to live with then, either).

 

[tennisfan]

I have recently started working for the ambulance service so my shifts are all over the place, some weeks nights, some days etc. I have found that when on nights I go straight to bed when I get in, get up around 1pm have dinner, then nap in the afternoon. That works for me but everyone is different. Also when I finish my last night shift I only sleep for a couple of hours to try & get back into a day routine.

 

[MouseketeerOvaHere]

Honestly, it just takes getting used to. I blacked out my windows, and wear an eye mask, which helps a lot. There are some days when I still wake up mid-day and can't go back to sleep and I've been on the same schedule 5 yrs. A co-worker takes Melatonin and says it works wonders but I haven't taken it because I only have the awakening mid-day happen every blue moon. Also, try taking a hot shower upon getting home. It tells your body its time to cool down preparing you for sleep.

Here are a few other suggestions. http://www.mercola.com/article/sleep.htm

 

[johnsontrio]

Anyone got any tips for sleeping during the day?

I am finishing up nursing school, and have accepted a RN position on the ICU stepdown where I work now. I love the unit, love the girls I work with, love the patient demographics usually.

What don't I love? Midnights.

I work 7pm - 7:3oam, 1-2 days a week now. I will have the same hours, but 3 - 4 days a week in January.

I feel like I've tried everything, but I cannot sleep past noon, which only gives me 4 hours of sleep on a GOOD day. I've tried the dark room, earplugs, medication, and white noise. I sit straight up in bed, wide awake but super crabby by noon.

I need help. Realistically, I have a good year or 2 of midnights to go. If I can get my body used to it, I'll probably work mids longer than that because the schedule works with my kid's schedule.

Any advice?

Congrats on finishing nursing school and getting a job you love.

I have lots of experience with the working nights thing. I graduated nursing school back in the 80's and my first job was straight 8 hour nights. We worked a fixed schedule every other weekend off and every other Tues and Thursday. I never did adjust to working straight midnights. I would be tired at 4am and hungry during my shift. Once I got off work I couldn't eat due to nausea. I had a 40+ mile drive home and went straight to bed only to awaken at 12:30 just in time for Young and the Restless. It was difficult for me to go back to sleep and sometimes I could nap before going back to work at 11am. I lost almost 25 pounds in one year and had headaches almost every day.

When I moved to MI I took a job at Henry Ford working a rotating shift, usually 2 months on days, one month on nights but these were 12 hour shifts. I had an easier time sleeping after working probably because the shifts were longer and I was tired. I still had the headaches when I was up during the day but my appetite was better and less nausea. Also with the 12 hour shifts you have more days off and I always slept at night on my days off. Some people will tell you to maintain your sleeping the same as the days you work but I could never do that.

On the other hand, my DH worked straight midnights for at least 10 years of our marriage. He hates getting up early in the morning and midnights never bothered him. He would occasionally have a headache if he was off the next night and stayed up during the day after working. He never had trouble sleeping during the day.

From this experience I believe that you either adjust easily or you don't. Many of the nurses I worked with at HFH worked straight nights long term by choice. They didn't seem to have the difficulty adjusting that I did. About 10 years after working straight days, I took a job working every Friday night 10 hours, 9p-7a. I felt hungover by about 4 in the morning working that job and never did adjust.

The only advice I can give you would be to try and take 2 Melatonin tablets one hour before you want to go to sleep. My DD has sleep disturbances and this has worked wonders to keep her quiet in night and in bed. Also, ensure a quiet environment. Don't leave the phone on in case school calls, work something else out or solicitors , your Aunts, friends that can't keep your schedule straight, will keep you up.

Also, be realistic about the amount of sleep you need and make arrangements to get it. If you go to bed at 8:30 and get up to get your kids from school at 2:30, that may not be enough sleep. You might need to see if someone can watch them for an hour or so after school. If you don't sleep much because they have a half day or day off, you will feel the effects also. You may need more sleep because you sleep during the day than you did when you slept at night. You may also need a couple hours the day you go back to work from your days off. It's hard to break up your sleep (meaning a couple hours in the morning and then a couple hours before work) when you work 12 hour shifts and have school aged kids. It's not going to be quiet at 4:30pm in your house. Once they start all their after school activities you are going to be worn ragged.

Good luck to you! Nursing is an awesome profession and the good news is, if this job doesn't work out, you will easily be able to find another.

 

[GeorgeG]

I worked shift for many years and you either get used to it or you don't.

When I was on midnights, I would give myself a few hours to wind down once I got home before going to bed. The first thing you need to do is let your family and friends know that just because you are home during the day you are not off and available unless it's for something important.

My bedroom was darkened as much as possible and heavy drapes can help with that and blocking out sounds from outside. People, especially children, in your home need to be respectful of your need to sleep, just like they have it during the night. I never kept a phone in the bedroom unless I was expecting an important call. You may want to have some soothing music playing low to help block other noises.

Shift work can be great for having the time off during the normal workday, but you have to be the one who controls that time off.

 

[Judy from Boise]

My body is naturally primed to work nights, so it was easy for me.......what medication have you tried?

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My parents both worked plenty of nights when I was growing up (he was a cop, she was a nurse). They did what one of the above posters suggested and didn't go to bed right away. I remember my mom getting home while we were getting ready for school. She would have breakfast and then do housework, shopping, etc. just like someone would do when getting home from work in the evening. Then after we got home from school, at about 3:30, she would go to bed and sleep until about 10:00 p.m. She would get ready and be at work by 11:00 p.m. I think the key is to try to stay up for 16 hours and sleep for 8, just like you would do if you were on a day shift. Good luck! Hope you adjust soon and it gets easier for you.

 

[TaraLee4]

DBF works nights. (10pm - 7am) I did too, for awhile, but I also had a day job and it was getting to be too much.

DBF finds that coming home, having his "dinner" and relaxing for a little bit, he can usually sleep longer/later. If he has an appointment or whatever, he tries to schedule it in the early afternoon. He'll come home, nap till noon or so, do what has to be done, and then goes back to sleep for a few hours. however, I find he's a bit crankier that way, LOL.

Good luck to you and congrats on finishing school!!!

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I second the winding down thing. My mom works nights and needs at least a hour to wind down (and have a light snack) before bed. Melatonian (sp) helps some people too. Its avaible from your local health store (GNC)

 

[PaulaSB12]

Another one for winding down before sleep. I work alternate day shift and night shift (doing an overtime day shift today and 2 night shifts monday, tuesday) So tomorrow I will relax in the morning have a 4 hour nap in the afternoon then go to work. When I get back on tuesday relax on the computer for about an hour then go to bed til 4pm.

 

[Imzadi]

It will actually get easier when you switch to 3-4 nights a week. Your biorhythms need consistency in order to adjust. You can't just expect to sleep 2 mornings a week and be awake the other 5 days during that time.

What you are going though now is more of an exhaustion sleep, rather than a restorative one.

I've read physically, that is hardest on the body. That's why most sources say to NOT sleep in on the weekends, but to pretty much keep to the same sleep/waking schedule. By Monday, most people's biorhythms are off because of drastically changing it on the weekends.

I also suggest a nap before going to work, if you still can only get 4 hours of sleep in the morning. Go to bed the same time as your kids. Sleep for an hour or two and then get up, go to work.

 

[WL Fan]

I've worked nights, days and afternoons, it can be crazy getting your body to adjust to a new schedule. My best advice is to baby yourself. Make sure you're getting lots of fluids while you're working, and then once you get home, that helped me avoid an awful headache in the morning. Nap when you feel like it, or when you can, and on your first day off, take it easy. Lay around and sleep or relax as much as you can. Yup, the house looks like a disaster, and everyone gets tired of eating cold cereal but they survive.

Congratulations! I love being a nurse and hope you do too!

 

[ReneeA]

My body is naturally primed to work nights, so it was easy for me.......what medication have you tried?

Hi Judy - all I've tried so far is Melatonin and Tylenol PM, taken when I get home in the am, but not for a long time at a stretch. Part of the problem I think is that I'm up at 5am on days I have school and/or clinical (4 days a week) and the rest of my days are midnights at work. Pretty difficult to get any sort of routine going.

My stepmom is a midnight RN and she takes Provigil, a med they give for narcolepsy. She takes it at 10pm, stays up and wide awake all night, then falls sound asleep for 6-7 hours when she gets home. She swears by it. If things don't get better once I'm full time, I may consider trying it.

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I really appreciate it. I will try staying up after my shift for awhile...I just gotta get right home to shower though, because I don't go out in public with my dirty scrubs on. They are really, really dirty and I don't want to expose anyone to that.

 

[johnsontrio]

It will actually get easier when you switch to 3-4 nights a week. Your biorhythms need consistency in order to adjust. You can't just expect to sleep 2 mornings a week and be awake the other 5 days during that time.

What you are going though now is more of an exhaustion sleep, rather than a restorative one.

I've read physically, that is hardest on the body. That's why most sources say to NOT sleep in on the weekends, but to pretty much keep to the same sleep/waking schedule. By Monday, most people's biorhythms are off because of drastically changing it on the weekends.

I also suggest a nap before going to work, if you still can only get 4 hours of sleep in the morning. Go to bed the same time as your kids. Sleep for an hour or two and then get up, go to work.

That was my point exactly. She can't do that when she is working 7p-7a. She has to figure out how to get enough sleep before her kids get home and things get rolling in her house.

 

[Judy from Boise]

If you want/need to sleep through as soon as you get home, it wouldn't be horrible to crawl into bed and take 5mg of ambien on those few shifts. This would get you through until you are on consistent nights, then hopefully you will adjust naturally.

 

[Imzadi]

That was my point exactly. She can't do that when she is working 7p-7a. She has to figure out how to get enough sleep before her kids get home and things get rolling in her house.

Dang! I forgot she mentioned that. For some reason I thought she started closer to midnight. Yeah, that would be a problem.