Night Shifters: how do you sleep?

[Lvl_9_Gazebo]

I am among the nightwalkers. Each evening as the sun sets (except during summer, when the sun is up until well past 9pm) I rise from my nest (of comforters and sheets bought on sale at Target) and set about to stalk the land of the living. I feed (either at Subway, Wendy's, or this kickass little Thai dive) and then I go to an evil place to do evil deeds until the daylight comes again to chase me back to my lair.

Specifically, I inspect plastic medical components at a factory. I do it for twelve hours at a stretch, five days one week and two the next, five the week after that and so on. And because I do not wish to live like a vampire on my days off, I reset my schedule, staying awake during the day and sleeping at night so that I can attend to pesky little details such as doctor's appointments, oil changes, lunch, etc, and all the other things the daywalkers take for granted. When another work week looms, I reset it again so that I sleep during the day and wake at night.

Naturally, this kind of back-and-forth really messes with one's internal clock and it's gotten to the point that if I don't use some kind of sleep aid, I don't sleep. For a while I switched back and forth between Advil PM and Tylenol PM. Then I switched to Tylenol Simply Sleep and used that exclusively until my boyfriend raised troubling questions about whether or not all this was causing liver damage. He suggested melatonin. I also saw a natural sleep aid made from valerian root or some such at the drugstore. I tried the melatonin yesterday and when I go to bed again in about half an hour I'll try it again today, in hopes that maybe it has an accumulative effect. It sure as hell didn't do much for me yesterday. Working twelve hours on four hours of sleep is a blast. By the time I go to bed I will have been awake for 21 hours.

So... you people who stalk the night with me, wherever you may be, how do you do it? Got any suggestions? Specifically, any of you who use sleep aids, what do you use and how? I've got all the other bases covered already -- blackout curtains, comfy bedding, earplugs, white noise, and all that jazz.

[Green_Fairy]

melatonin, while all well and good doesn't accumulate. if it doesn't work for you, it may never. other sleep aids aren't that great either. they can be addictive and harmful to your body.
i used to work nights as well. it's a hell of a thing. unfortunately, the only way to sleep regularly when working on such a schedule is to keep the same sleep pattern, no matter if you're working or not. that way you aren't throwing your internal clock all wonky by staying up odd hours and sleeping at different times. that'll just stress you out and cause illness. also, try only sleeping for 8 hours a day, working or not. if you can manage it, of course. it might take a bit to get used to...took me a few months.
hope you figure something out!

[Amina516]

I am a night owl as well.

I dont use sleep aids. I stay off the caffeine after about 3am (im off @ 0730). Go home and usually am on the comp for 15 minutes checking email and then I hit the bed. Fan on for white noise, and ABSOLUTE DARK is essential for me to sleep. Darkening shades and blankeys over to make them darker.

If youre looking for stuff to help you sleep melatonin, works well I hear. I know youre already taking it but you have to stay on a set schedule for it to work (that means nights u DONT work, youre still keeping a set schedule similar to nights you do work). Also try wearing dark sunglasses when you leave ur job in the morning to go home. The sunlight tells your body to wake up so going out as the sun is rising doesnt help.

I dont have an issue sleeping most of the time. On nights i dont work, I knock out early anyways (midnight -2am). I think Im half narcoleptic now. :p

[draftermatt]

I don't work at night but one of my good friends does.

He works every Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 7 PM to 7 AM (so technically into Friday too).

He goes to bed at 8 AM when he works, and wakes up around 4-5 PM.

On his days off he stays up till 6 AM (he always watches Lilo & Stitch on Disney at 5 & 5:30) and gets up around 2 PM.

He doesn't mess with going to bed before 5 AM and getting up before noon unless he has an appointment in the morning or early afternoon. Then when he does he forces himself to stay up to get back on his schedule.

[Gravekeeper]

Honestly? I don't. I use to do 5 days a week night shift but it eventually overwhelmed me. The reversal back to a day schedule was too hard to pull off and not worth it for just 2 days off.

I cut myself down to 4 shifts many years ago and haven't looked back since. 4 shifts lets me live exactly half my week as a daywalker and half as a nightwalker.

[Amina516]

I cut myself down to 4 shifts years ago and haven't looked back since. 4 shifts lets me live exactly half my week as a daywalker and half as a nightwalker.

Do canadian weeks have 8 days then? :D

[dalesys]

Do canadian weeks have 8 days then? :D
According to some™, the Brits do...
"Eight days a week, I love you...":p

[cewfa]

I suppose I am one of those weird people who can sleep anytime and can go from a day schedule to a night schedule on a whim.

When I worked as a night manager at the hotel, I always had something off the breakfast bar and a cup of OJ around 5ish every morning, which has just enough sugar and caffeine to knock me out instead of keeping awake. I worked 7p-7a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights and then from 7-11p on Friday and Saturdays, so what I would do on Friday's was come home go to bed and sleep until about noon, get up and run my errands and stay up until my after my short shift on Friday night and then go to bed at 1 or 2 Friday night and get up on Saturday morning at my normal time. Oh I forgot to add that from 7-11 on my nights that I worked overnight, I was driving the shuttle van so if I had no runs I took me a couple hour catnap.

I used to take melatonin, but I developed a tolerance to it and quit taking it. I set my sleep timer for 90 minutes on my TV and fall asleep to whatever is on TruTV or TV Land. The Cosby Show works the best.

[Soulstealer]

I have dark curtains because the light bothers me, other than that I sleep the same way I've slept since high school. On my back.;)

[trailerparkmedic]

When I was working nights, I used Benadryl when I couldn't go to sleep. I would suggest cutting back on caffeine for a few hours before bed. I got off work at 6 so I'd stop drinking coffee around 2 am. I drank fruit juice on the way home to keep from getting sleepy during the drive--I think it was the sugar that helped.

I also found that my life was much easier when I just stuck to being awake at night/asleep during the day instead of switching on my days off. Of course, I was single with no kids and most of my friends were also working nights, so it wasn't too hard to adjust my life.

[Gravekeeper]

Do canadian weeks have 8 days then? :D

No. ;p

I work 4 night shifts. But I am awake all day before #1 and awake all day after #4. I have 3 days off, and thus am up all day the day before the first night back to work.

Hence half. I technically only have 3 days where I am trying sleeping all day during the day.

[Plaidman]

I work grave, go to class, grave, grave, class,, day.

I use to have to do all three shifts. The sun has always made me sleepy. It hurts me. Even when I was baby, I was a night owl.

However, now I rarely can sleep. I have to take massive dosages of sleeping pills, to sleep for three hours. then I'm up for another 30 hour plus day.

[Cats]

I have a very strange schedule. On my days off, I do stay up during the day and sometimes nap and sleep at night. So long as I can (as in it's not like right before I have to go to work), I sleep whenever I am tired. I'm one of the lucky few in that regard. I do sleep better after sunset than during the day though, and it sucks because my blinds only do so much and I get the morning sun, but on the other hand, as the day passes, the sun goes away from the windows and I get better sleep towards the end of it, which is of greater benefit to me.

I don't take any sleeping pills of any kind, and my diet is mostly void of any caffeine (I drink it maybe once a week on a day off, and maybe once a month at work if I'm having a tired night). It does help that on the days I work, I am tired when I get home, having worked 10 hours and all but my break on my feet and moving. It also helps my work schedule is consistant, so even though during the week I'm active at both day and night, it's always the same and my sleep schedule is consistant throughout the week, even though it changes day-to-day.


Frankly, I'm not sure how I've done it for the past several years, but I guess I'm one of the few where as long as I don't build up to much of a sleep debt, I'm fine.

[SG15Z]

I don't really. I switch between night, evening, and morning shifts so much that my internal clock is completely confused. Truthfully I just sleep when I can. Sometimes forcing your self to stay up for 20 hours and then crashing is the only way to readjust your sleep schedule. It's gotten to the point for me that if I'm tired I sleep. No amount of sunlight or noise can change that. Usually anyway.

[Evil Queen]

My Mom worked Night Audit at Hampton Inn for a while and swears by the 5 Hour Energy stuff.

Personally, I prefer to just keep on munching during my shift. It keeps me up.

[The Last to Know]

I'm not sure if it's common knowledge or not, but the sleep aid that's in Tylenol PM, Advil PM and Tylenol Simply Sleep along with most night time cold medicines is actually the exact same medicine in Benadryl - no different - same dosage too & generic Benadryl I don't believe is habit forming (although I'm not a doctor) and cheaper than any of the above medicines.

[NorthernZel]

Mr. Zel used to work night shifts, and he liked it (he's been moved to day shift now and he LOATHES it - double the work for half the pay, so to speak).

When he worked nights (11 pm - 7am) he had a steady routine - he came home, had maybe a cup of tea while checking the news, went to bed, got up 6-7 hours later, picked up Lil'Zel from daycare and then they'd be home at approx. the same time as me when I'd get off work.
He didn't need any sleeping medicine, a thick curtain to keep out the sunlight was enough.

[TheSHAD0W]

Try staying in night-owl mode for a couple of weeks. You may find it socially isolating, but there are compensations.

[Amina516]

My Mom worked Night Audit at Hampton Inn for a while and swears by the 5 Hour Energy stuff..

I tried it once.....

I ended up hooking myself to a heart monitor and watching my heart rate climb to the 120's....as i was sat, doing nothing. :p

Not trying that anymore.;)

No. ;p

I work 4 night shifts. But I am awake all day before #1 and awake all day after #4. I have 3 days off, and thus am up all day the day before the first night back to work.

Hence half. I technically only have 3 days where I am trying sleeping all day during the day.

:D

I got ya now. I was getting ready to move to Canada for a second there.

[Eric the Grey]

I work 3 and 4 day night shifts, 12.5 hours at a stretch. I get home at about 7am and dink around a bit before hitting the sack at 7:30 or so. Get up at 3:00 and dink around (drink coffee, have breakfast, shower, that kind of stuff) and head to work to be there by 6pm. I'm a slow riser, so I need time to wake up. Coffee helps. :p

Anyway, Sunday mornings, after my last shift, I follow the same procedure, except I get up at 2:00 and head out to my weekly AD&D game. Get home about midnight or 1 and hit the sack.

Monday, I'm up earlier, usually 10am or so for school. Classes lasts all day and I'm up until about midnight or so again.

In general I stay up late, and sleep late in the day whenever I can. I simply make certain that I set Dr's appointments appropriately late enough in the day.

When my last day off comes, I stay up all night, regardless of how early I got up, which generally makes for a 20 hour day, with the last few hours being me fighting the droopy eyes.

I do (usually) sleep well my first night though.

Normally, I don't need anything to help me sleep. I've always been one of those people who can sleep whenever, or wherever, sometimes at places where I shouldn't.... :rolleyes: Only recently have I had to resort to sleeping aids, Tylenol PM for my shoulder and back which has been giving me problems lately. Hopefully the new bed will take care of the back portion of that...

Doing the nigh-day-shift shuffle is difficult to do. Once you find your pattern, you'll be set. Generally it's best to go ahead and sleep later in the morning and stay up late on your days off. You can schedule most things for later in the day.



:cool: Eric the Grey

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I used to work a 1AM - 9AM shift Friday to Tuesday for a few years.

I'd wake up at around 10 PM, eat, work, get home around 10AM, be able to do any 'daywalker' stuff until I got too tired (about Noon), then sleep. In a very dark room.

I got used to it, but the hardest part was only seeing my friends whenever they felt like stopping by work. Which sucked because by the time they did, they'd be really drunk...

[SG15Z]

I got used to it, but the hardest part was only seeing my friends whenever they felt like stopping by work. Which sucked because by the time they did, they'd be really drunk...

Yeah night shifts can make you a bit socially isolated. If you can tolerate it, then no problem. Or if you have friends with similar shifts you're good then.

[crazylegs]

I've done night shifts (both with work and in other situations).

As an ex pharmacy tech I'm going to say this bit in bold

Over The Counter sleep medication is intended only for occasional sleeplesness and is NOT a long term measure

I would strongly advise that you get some light cancelling curtains and blinds, and get into a sleep routine - one that doesn't involve alcohol or medication. Try taking a (reasonably) hot bath before going to bed - the reduction in body temp when you get out can trip the switch in the brain into thinking that it needs sleep.

For further reading I would highly recommend Counting Sheep by Paul MARTIN http://www.amazon.com/Counting-Sheep-Science-Pleasures-Dreams/dp/0312327447/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268305904&sr=8-4

[iradney]

I'm not really a night shift worker, but I sometimes struggle to fall asleep. I've actually found that if I haven't done any exercise that day, I can. not. fall. asleep. When I DO walk my dog, it takes me about 10 minutes to fall asleep. But of course, do not exercise less than 4 hours before you go to bed - if possible, try and do it when you wake up (even if it's a 20 minute walk or something).

[AccountingDrone]

The best way I can describe what I did when I worked nights was to rotate your clock.

In a day job, you get up, immediately go to work for your shift, then putz around for a number of hours until bedtime.

The reason almost all my co workers crashed out at about 3 am was they would go and immediately go to bed, then get up and putz around being social with daywalkers *then* go to work.

You need to get up just before your shift, work all night, then do your day walking in the morning, and go to bed as many hours before you need to get up to get sleep. My day went get up at 11, be at work at 1145 for a 0000 shift. Get off at 830, head home. Clean house, run errands, whatever until about 1 pm, then a shower and off to bed. Read in bed for a bit, and off to sleep.

The only time I really had problems with it was when I had a boyfriend who was an asshat. He would invite people over to party when I was trying to work, waking me up. I didn't care if he went out to socialize somewhere else, or if they would watch tv quietly - but cranking sports and yelling, and stumbling around drunk was right out. They could have gone over to anybody elses house for that shit, or a sports bar. When he was told he was deploying to sea I told him to get a storage locker as he was not welcome when he came back.

[Lvl_9_Gazebo]

I appreciate everyone taking time to comment with their suggestions. It's been kind of hectic what with my boyfriend spending a week here in town.

The problem that I'm having is that if I don't use something to knock myself out, I don't sleep. Oh, I might nod off for maybe two hours or so but that's all. Then I'm worthless at work all night.

I'm trying to find a day job and quit this night shift crap but in this economy...?