Sleep Schedule Repair

[akilika]

So for the past few months, I've been working pretty much entirely day shift. Yeah, there were days I'd stay through the night shift, and there were days where I'd pick up a night shift, but in general, I got there at 11 in the morning, and my sleep schedule was centered around that.

The staff has shifted, and so last week and this week, my schedule has me working more 6PM-1AM one day, then 12PM-7PM the next day, and then the 6PM shift again, and then the 12PM shift again, with a total of five shifts a week. There's enough TIME to sleep in between shifts, even taking into account that I usually hang around a while after I'm cut, but my schedule has gotten screwed enough that I don't spend all that much time actually sleeping.

It's been interfering with my usefulness, and not really keeping up with my sleep or my eating tends to be a contributing factor to my freak-outs. Which is one of the reasons that I haven't been made a server, and so I DEFINITELY don't want it happening while I seem to be in the running.


So, those of you who work shifting schedules . . . how can I get my sleep situation straightened out?

Thanks! ^_^

[AngryCas]

I only had to deal with the awkward sleep schedule once before, and it was a totally different scenario, but I can offer you advice as a not-fully-recovered insomniac:

Designate what time you want to sleep (what hours would be best for you) and then go to the local Walmart and pick up the following:

Melatonin (purple bottle, should be 5g)

B6 (any dose really).

The melatonin is for the sleep. The B6 is for the awake. Take the melatonin an hour before you want to sleep, and it should knock you right out. The good thing about this is that it's not addictive (unless you are an insomniac, of course). You won't wake up feeling groggy, and after a week, you will be totally used to it. Take the B6 as soon as you wake up, and it will jump start your metabolism.

I have been doing this since Thanksgiving, and it has worked amazingly because I can't sleep for beans, and can't wake up if I take psychiatric medication.

[Bella_Vixen]

Melatonin (purple bottle, should be 5g).

Make sure it's the vegetarian kind though...unless you really enjoy cow brains. :puke:

[AngryCas]

Make sure it's the vegetarian kind though...unless you really enjoy cow brains. :puke:

Ugh -- totally.

(veggie-tarian!)

[akilika]

Thanks! Yeah, since the store is closed for 10 hours a day, and so I can have a near-foolproof window . . . that should (hopefully!) work very nicely. Thanks; I'll totally try that! ^_^

[Evil Queen]

Melatonin and B6 works great for me (swing shift, hotel desk work).

Sometimes caffeine works but try not to over do it if you go that route.

Personally, I like taking a Melatonin tablet (or Valarian, the herbal equivilent) before a shower. By the time you're done doing that, you're warm and ready to pass out. Don't bother reading, thinking it'll help tire you out. I've noticed in my roommate (X) that it tends to keep him up.

[PCGameGuy]

From personal research I found a few helpful things when I was having sleep trouble.

First, bed is for sleeping. Do not read, watch TV, write, or any other activity in bed if at all possible. If you find yourself lying in bed and unable to sleep, get out of bed and sit in a comfy chair or on a couch. This helps your mind and body associate lying in bed with sleep only, so after a while lying in bed will trigger the sleep pattern.

Second, minimize chemical influences as much as possible. If you need sleep aids to get to sleep initially, and stimulants to wake up, try to keep track and slowly wean yourself of them. Sleep is best if it is natural and automatic, so unless there are medical issues or recent changes try and avoid taking anything for sleeping/waking.

Third, the old adage is true. Don't go to bed angry. :) Try to give yourself time before sleep to remove any stressors. Don't go straight to bed after an argument, don't take work or children stress to bed, and try to relax for a good hour before going to bed. If you find your mind racing after you lay down, get back up and take 30 minutes to write down what is going on in your head. You weren't going to sleep anyway, with the stress going on, and it may make it possible for you to set it aside for the night.

Last, try to find your ideal sleep time. 8 hours for everyone is a lie! :) There are documented case of people who can sleep as little as 2-3 hours per 24 hour period and be fine. There are others who need closer to 10 hours to function coherently. :wave: Pay attention to how well you've slept, and keep a journal of times for a while. Note when you wake how rested you feel on a scale of 1-5 or with a poor/good/better/best scale. Whichever feels better to you, but use it. :) After a month or so, you should be able to zero in on your ideal sleep time, give or take a bit. It won't be 7.362 hours every night (unless you are an engineer in which case just use the 'sleep chamber' you built, geek :lol:), but more like 7 hours give or take 30 minutes.

The above is solely based on me, and me alone, and I am so far from a doctor it is not even funny so no taking my advice as 'medical'. :p

Oh, and just in case, get checked by a doctor if you have serious problems. Turns out I've had sleep apnea all my life, and a simple machine helped me get over a lifelong issue of being tired regardless of what I tried.

Good luck!