Switching to night shifts - How to guide?
Discussion
I'm in the lucky position of working nights for the best part of a month! Having only done this once before (which ironically was on the other side of the world, so jet-lag helped!) I'm not sure what's the best way to get used to the odd sleeping patterns?
I'm also aware that I'm best off posting this at 3am rather then just as the night shift has ended!!
I'm also aware that I'm best off posting this at 3am rather then just as the night shift has ended!!
I worked nights for 5 months and basically slept or watch TV for at bit when I got home at 7am and then got up at 4pm, had dinner, dids some bits and bobs and then went back to work.
Some of the guys who had been doing it for years, would get home, take the kids out or something, go to bed at 3pm then wake up and go to work.
I could not get into working nights and eventually quit.
If it's only for a month I can't really see you adjusting in that time.
Some of the guys who had been doing it for years, would get home, take the kids out or something, go to bed at 3pm then wake up and go to work.
I could not get into working nights and eventually quit.
If it's only for a month I can't really see you adjusting in that time.
I did shift work for many years - many different shift patterns - split shifts of 8 hours , 12 hour night shifts, 21 days on , 7 days off.
For me the following worked :
Eat a good meal a couple of hours before heading to work.
Light healthy snacks during the night ( chocolate and coffee as needed ) , but avoid during the last couple of hours of your shift.
Head Home and straight to bed for me - blackout curtain in bedroom.
Up , shower , light lunch (or whatever you want to call it) then exercise of some description (gym , run etc...)
Worked for me , i'm a bad sleeper , would quite often only manage 4 hours sleep after night shifts, but after the 3rd or 4th night i would get a good 8 hours sleep.
I guess what i'm trying to say is......get into a routine.
For me the following worked :
Eat a good meal a couple of hours before heading to work.
Light healthy snacks during the night ( chocolate and coffee as needed ) , but avoid during the last couple of hours of your shift.
Head Home and straight to bed for me - blackout curtain in bedroom.
Up , shower , light lunch (or whatever you want to call it) then exercise of some description (gym , run etc...)
Worked for me , i'm a bad sleeper , would quite often only manage 4 hours sleep after night shifts, but after the 3rd or 4th night i would get a good 8 hours sleep.
I guess what i'm trying to say is......get into a routine.
I really struggled with it! I would get home very tired and go straight to bed! Wake up 3 hours later!!
I tried air con for my bedroom, new blackout curtains and ear plugs but nothing would keep me awake.
I think my issue was, I was doing 4 shifts out of 7. I would do 2 shifts in 2 off then 2 in then one off and this changed weekly so there were no pattern to get into.
I tried air con for my bedroom, new blackout curtains and ear plugs but nothing would keep me awake.
I think my issue was, I was doing 4 shifts out of 7. I would do 2 shifts in 2 off then 2 in then one off and this changed weekly so there were no pattern to get into.
Been doing shifts for 13 years now. You'll never get used to shift work, you'll just learn how to deal with it.
Discipline is required, I find if you sleep during the day for as long as you want, ie lots, you feel like s
t that night.
I go to bed a 8am, set my alarm for 3pm then get up and eat. I've found dirty breakfasts are the way forward as no matter what time of day it hits the spot.
Avoid coffee from 4am onwards, and try and eat during your shift or you'll just find yourself skipping meals.
Good luck!
Discipline is required, I find if you sleep during the day for as long as you want, ie lots, you feel like s
t that night.I go to bed a 8am, set my alarm for 3pm then get up and eat. I've found dirty breakfasts are the way forward as no matter what time of day it hits the spot.
Avoid coffee from 4am onwards, and try and eat during your shift or you'll just find yourself skipping meals.
Good luck!
Lie-in the morning before - don't get up until 11-12am. Only eat a light evening meal, nothing big. Then push all the way through the first shift, go straight home and go to bed.
Set an alarm for eight hours after you get to bed, and when it goes off get up and have a shower, and get outside if possible so the daylight wakes you up. From then on you should have reset the rhythm.
When you come off shift, short-sleep in the morning you come off - 3-4 hours max. Then you should be able to go to bed at normal time that night.
Whatever you do, don't have a nap in the middle of the night - you need to reverse your body clock, not con it - and your "proper" sleep is the 8am-4pm slot.
Set an alarm for eight hours after you get to bed, and when it goes off get up and have a shower, and get outside if possible so the daylight wakes you up. From then on you should have reset the rhythm.
When you come off shift, short-sleep in the morning you come off - 3-4 hours max. Then you should be able to go to bed at normal time that night.
Whatever you do, don't have a nap in the middle of the night - you need to reverse your body clock, not con it - and your "proper" sleep is the 8am-4pm slot.
Depends, sometime for us it is difficult - flying to a heliport in the morning, lunchtime chopper and if you haven't been to that rig before, a safety tour before going on shift at 7 for 12 hours means there is nothing you can do other than man up and deal with it.
No caffeine and little sugar in the morning and trying to snatch a few hours during the day seems to work for me - I try to just power through with lots of coffee (and lots of water too) which leads to a crappy sleep the first "night" no matter how tired I am, but by the second night, my body clock it working again.
No caffeine and little sugar in the morning and trying to snatch a few hours during the day seems to work for me - I try to just power through with lots of coffee (and lots of water too) which leads to a crappy sleep the first "night" no matter how tired I am, but by the second night, my body clock it working again.
Lots of good advice here, the bits that i would pick out are.
Do not over sleep, if you have 6 hours kip on a normal night it won't benefit you to start having 10-12 hours a day.
Do not expect to reset your sleeping patterns on your days off, unless you are doing shifts you won't be used to it. Stay nocturnal for the month and enjoy how quite the country is at 04:00 (especially the roads).
Do eat well, enjoy the time to make a decent breakfast, have lunch at midnight and a snack about 4, but try to resist the urge to pig out after 4am it just means you don't sleep as well.
Expect to find it a lot easier to get used to nights than it is to get used to day again afterwards.
Expect to find a time of night where no matter how alert you thought you were you will really feel knackered for a while, for me it is around 03:40.
And expect that the first night will be hard, but don't rely to much on caffeine to get through it, the first night is alway a killer. It gets easier.
Do not over sleep, if you have 6 hours kip on a normal night it won't benefit you to start having 10-12 hours a day.
Do not expect to reset your sleeping patterns on your days off, unless you are doing shifts you won't be used to it. Stay nocturnal for the month and enjoy how quite the country is at 04:00 (especially the roads).
Do eat well, enjoy the time to make a decent breakfast, have lunch at midnight and a snack about 4, but try to resist the urge to pig out after 4am it just means you don't sleep as well.
Expect to find it a lot easier to get used to nights than it is to get used to day again afterwards.
Expect to find a time of night where no matter how alert you thought you were you will really feel knackered for a while, for me it is around 03:40.
And expect that the first night will be hard, but don't rely to much on caffeine to get through it, the first night is alway a killer. It gets easier.
Everybody's different, so try and find what works for you.
I'm on 19:00 start this week, and quite like this shift because I get home before it gets light (normally 6 am ish).
What helps me:
Blackout curtains, it has to be dark to sleep for any length of time for me.
Earplugs can help, but sometimes they hurt my ears, so it's a case of work out how much household noise, or whether or not the local farmers are going to be doing something noisy (I'm in the sticks).
Lie in as late as possible before your first night.
Wind down gently when you get in. Avoid caffeine, and if you do want a beer/wine/etc, only have one.
Go for a piss before you turn in, for some reason, it wakes me up when I'm asleep during the day. At night, It doesn't disturb me at all?
A light snack while winding down sometimes helps.
If I wake up after only 3 hours,don't get wound up trying to force myself back to sleep, just get up, and stretch out on the sofa with the TV on. I normally drop off for an hour or two straight away.
Turn all phones off, and remove batteries from doorbell if you have one (I'm lucky I'm nowhere near anyone, including the neighbours).
If Mrs Philthy is waking at a time likely to disturb me, she or I will go on the sofa/spare bed.Only you can work out if that applies.
I prefer nights. Once behind the wheel, I can for the main, relax and turn off. Speed limiters have essentially turned us into steering wheel attendants.
I don't normally need or get more than 6 hours sleep even when on holiday, but if you do, it might be more difficult.
It does sometimes seem like my life is sleep/work/sleep/work/sleep/work.........etc etc, but it pays well, and I actually get time to do stuff while awake during the day. It also means, that I don't have to get up early on Monday morning, so can have a sort of long weekend every week.
Anyway, going to grab a kip on the sofa............
I'm on 19:00 start this week, and quite like this shift because I get home before it gets light (normally 6 am ish).
What helps me:
Blackout curtains, it has to be dark to sleep for any length of time for me.
Earplugs can help, but sometimes they hurt my ears, so it's a case of work out how much household noise, or whether or not the local farmers are going to be doing something noisy (I'm in the sticks).
Lie in as late as possible before your first night.
Wind down gently when you get in. Avoid caffeine, and if you do want a beer/wine/etc, only have one.
Go for a piss before you turn in, for some reason, it wakes me up when I'm asleep during the day. At night, It doesn't disturb me at all?
A light snack while winding down sometimes helps.
If I wake up after only 3 hours,don't get wound up trying to force myself back to sleep, just get up, and stretch out on the sofa with the TV on. I normally drop off for an hour or two straight away.
Turn all phones off, and remove batteries from doorbell if you have one (I'm lucky I'm nowhere near anyone, including the neighbours).
If Mrs Philthy is waking at a time likely to disturb me, she or I will go on the sofa/spare bed.Only you can work out if that applies.
I prefer nights. Once behind the wheel, I can for the main, relax and turn off. Speed limiters have essentially turned us into steering wheel attendants.
I don't normally need or get more than 6 hours sleep even when on holiday, but if you do, it might be more difficult.
It does sometimes seem like my life is sleep/work/sleep/work/sleep/work.........etc etc, but it pays well, and I actually get time to do stuff while awake during the day. It also means, that I don't have to get up early on Monday morning, so can have a sort of long weekend every week.
Anyway, going to grab a kip on the sofa............
Buy some melatonin from the states, this'll really help. Sleep in a very dark room or with an eye mask.
Both make a big difference.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/16/20490....
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/circadian-rhythm-dis...
Both make a big difference.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/16/20490....
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/circadian-rhythm-dis...
+1 on the melatonin - not used it for your purposes but it's the only thing that works for me when jetlagged.
I managed a night shift operation for about 18 months back in 2000/1 - you get a whole new perspective on life.
People will think you are a dosser/wierdo/alcoholic - such as when I used to leave the pub at 12:00 lunchtime having been drinking since 7am (7pm-midnight my time!) and staggered my way home.
I managed a night shift operation for about 18 months back in 2000/1 - you get a whole new perspective on life.
People will think you are a dosser/wierdo/alcoholic - such as when I used to leave the pub at 12:00 lunchtime having been drinking since 7am (7pm-midnight my time!) and staggered my way home.
wiliferus said:
Been doing shifts for 13 years now. You'll never get used to shift work, you'll just learn how to deal with it.
Discipline is required, I find if you sleep during the day for as long as you want, ie lots, you feel like st that night.
I go to bed a 8am, set my alarm for 3pm then get up and eat. I've found dirty breakfasts are the way forward as no matter what time of day it hits the spot.
Avoid coffee from 4am onwards, and try and eat during your shift or you'll just find yourself skipping meals.
^^this^^ you have to have sleep discipline other wise the routine starts slipping to the right and suddenly you have all sorts of problems.Discipline is required, I find if you sleep during the day for as long as you want, ie lots, you feel like s
t that night.I go to bed a 8am, set my alarm for 3pm then get up and eat. I've found dirty breakfasts are the way forward as no matter what time of day it hits the spot.
Avoid coffee from 4am onwards, and try and eat during your shift or you'll just find yourself skipping meals.
My best experience of nights was working in Toulouse in the summer, would try and time departure so that I would reach the bakers just as first batch of hot rolls/croissants would hit the shelves, back to digs, flat mate would do the same, sit out on the balcony listening to the small town wake up as dawn broke, temp about 18C. Warm bread, salty normandie butter and a couple of glasses of wine, most civilised.
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