Shift work - nights

[TheAngryDog]

Gary C said:

Seriously, people around you also need to understand the needs of shiftwork too.

The people in my old house share sure as st didnt!

[LeadFarmer]

Having done 21yrs of shifts that included nights, I've now got a daytime desk job.

I found having blackout curtains helped, and stressing to everyone in the house to BE QUIET!!!

When getting home from a night shift I often stayed up for an hour or so before going to bed, kind of like having a bit of an evening before bedtime.

Its important on days off to try and get back to normal day mode ASAP. After my last night shift finishing at 7am, I would set my alarm for midday, purely so I'd be tired enough to sleep that night. But getting up at midday was difficult. Id then go to the cinema so that I could sit and wake up gradually.

[CarbonXKR]

I've done shiftwork now as a Vessel Traffic Services operator for 11 years. Our pattern is 12 hour shifts - 3 days, 3 nights then 6 off.
Nightshifts are not too bad after the stress of the busy dayshifts, but you need a routine. I try and sleep for 3 hours in the pm before my first night and go to bed when I get home around 0730. Up at 1230 for a bowl of cereal and cup of caffeine free tea then back in bed at 1330 until 1600. Have tea with the wife then off to work for 1830 start.
I have the bedroom well blacked out and family know to keep quiet when I'm on nights so all good there.
After my last night I make sure and get up by 1200 so I can sleep at night. Biggest issue I have is getting the bowels to go back in to rhythm

[jinkster]

Longhaul pilot so working silly hours. Sleep when you're tired. If I eat on a night flight I feel very tired so I try to avoid anything heavy.

[milu]

I know nothing about this really
However the doc on Radio 2 wasn’t very complimentary about working nights just this week. Might be on catch up

I’m just curious. How come when arriving home you don’t have 3-4 hours life time,then bed and straight off to work once up? Like a normal pattern.
Just asking

[LosingGrip]

milu said:

I know nothing about this really
However the doc on Radio 2 wasn’t very complimentary about working nights just this week. Might be on catch up

I’m just curious. How come when arriving home you don’t have 3-4 hours life time,then bed and straight off to work once up? Like a normal pattern.
Just asking

I know some who do. Works for them, but not for others.

[Gary C]

LosingGrip said:

milu said:

I know nothing about this really
However the doc on Radio 2 wasn’t very complimentary about working nights just this week. Might be on catch up

I’m just curious. How come when arriving home you don’t have 3-4 hours life time,then bed and straight off to work once up? Like a normal pattern.
Just asking

I know some who do. Works for them, but not for others.

Most people i know like me go straight to bed after a night shift, then have some time, meals etc in the evening with family before going to work. Just a bit more sociable.

[Ryan-nunm9]

I'm on night shift now. Mine are 17:45 - 05:45 and my day shifts are the opposite. When on shift I skip meals and time with the family and then maximise it on my time off, with the exception of cuddles from my dog other wise he gets proper grumpy.

Its different for everyone but my "rules" are;

I prep all my food for all my shifts (I do a set of three and a set of four every six weeks)
I do all my eating at work except my post gym shake. I allow one coffee and drink lots of water per shift
I sleep from 06:20 and alarm goes off at 14:20, grab my meals, straight to the gym for a work out and a swim then shower there and straight to work.....Then repeat

When I come off nights I sleep till 11:20 then I'm up and crack on with my day and am generally in bed for about 21:30/22:00. The day I start nights I dont try for an afternoon snooze or anything, I just dont set an alarm in the morning and sleep till my body says get up, normally around 07:00. Have a decent late breakfast and dont eat again till after the gym at work

I have a black out roller blind and a "Gro-anywhere" black out blind stuck to the window, ear plugs and mouth full of night nurse to sleep in the day. I tell the family to carry on as normal as shifts are my choice not theirs, though they are quite considerate.

I treat days in a similar fashoin. Up at 05:00, work 05:45 - 17:45, straight to the gym, showered, home and in bed by 21:30...Then repeat

As you can see, it's a disciplined structure that gets me through. I dont sleep on shift and rarely feel tired.

[david mcc]

Ive done night shift regularly as part a rolling Early / late / night pattern for last 13 years. Normally work 3 or 4 nights (22:00 till 07:00) in a row followed by 2 or 3 days off then on to late shift.

What works for me is

Don't sleep much before the first night, normally try to chill out through the day though and nothing too strenuous.
Eat at regular times including a small meal halfway through the shift. Anything too heavy makes me feel worse and knackered.
Drink regularly during the shift to stay hydrated (ill have a few coffees but not in the last few hours)
Try to get up earlier than normal after the last night so you can reset the body back to normal sleep pattern.

It does take a while to get used to working nights and it takes its toll on the body long term too.

But the feeling of driving home when everyone else is just heading into work is magical!

[LosingGrip]

Three weeks of shift work and im fked!

I've got one set of three nights in 12 weeks.

My trouble is getting to sleep early enough for my early shifts. I need to leave mine at 0515 to get there for 0630 for a 0700 start.

Lates im fine with, but I was up until 0330 Friday morning with my alarm going off at 0430.

In bed with an eye mask on from 2100. Phone at the other side of the room. No TV on. Even tried some sleeping tablets my girlfriend got from work and didn't work at all (medical ones not herbal).

Even last night I wasn't tired when I got in bed at 0130 despite being awake for 20 odd hours. (I've got a night shift coming up so trying go stay up late at themoment).

Any suggestions?

[jdw100]

What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?

[TT1138]

LosingGrip said:

Three weeks of shift work and im fked!

I've got one set of three nights in 12 weeks.

My trouble is getting to sleep early enough for my early shifts. I need to leave mine at 0515 to get there for 0630 for a 0700 start.

Lates im fine with, but I was up until 0330 Friday morning with my alarm going off at 0430.

In bed with an eye mask on from 2100. Phone at the other side of the room. No TV on. Even tried some sleeping tablets my girlfriend got from work and didn't work at all (medical ones not herbal).

Even last night I wasn't tired when I got in bed at 0130 despite being awake for 20 odd hours. (I've got a night shift coming up so trying go stay up late at themoment).

Any suggestions?

There’s no other way of putting it but it doesn’t get any easier, it just gets more manageable. You learn what works for you to help you get through.

On days always try and get a decent nights sleep. Not always possible but you need to at least try. On days to nights I get up about 7, gym/ bicycle and clean/ do washing etc before going back to bed for a couple of hours about 3pm. After nights get up about midday, treat it as a normal day. After that I’m on rest days and back to a normal pattern, until it all starts again the next week...

I don’t mess around with remedies or anything like that. Eye mask or black out blinds, ear plugs and shut out the world.

I think I replied to you in another topic about marriage on here and said don’t even consider getting married until you’ve worked out whether you and her can manage sustaining a relationship around ‘the job’. Relationships can be difficult, chuck in shift work and a job that asks a lot from you and things can be tough. Some partners understand, but very few actually get it.

[MissChief]

LosingGrip said:

Three weeks of shift work and im fked!

I've got one set of three nights in 12 weeks.

My trouble is getting to sleep early enough for my early shifts. I need to leave mine at 0515 to get there for 0630 for a 0700 start.

Lates im fine with, but I was up until 0330 Friday morning with my alarm going off at 0430.

In bed with an eye mask on from 2100. Phone at the other side of the room. No TV on. Even tried some sleeping tablets my girlfriend got from work and didn't work at all (medical ones not herbal).

Even last night I wasn't tired when I got in bed at 0130 despite being awake for 20 odd hours. (I've got a night shift coming up so trying go stay up late at themoment).

Any suggestions?

Really sounds like nights aren’t for you. I did them in my late teens and it killed me then and that was only 9pm-8am four nights a week. I’d need a million pounds a year to do them again.

[Gary C]

jdw100 said:

What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?

Running a Nuclear power station. Not something that can be left alone for the night.

[Gary C]

MissChief said:

LosingGrip said:

Three weeks of shift work and im fked!

I've got one set of three nights in 12 weeks.

My trouble is getting to sleep early enough for my early shifts. I need to leave mine at 0515 to get there for 0630 for a 0700 start.

Lates im fine with, but I was up until 0330 Friday morning with my alarm going off at 0430.

In bed with an eye mask on from 2100. Phone at the other side of the room. No TV on. Even tried some sleeping tablets my girlfriend got from work and didn't work at all (medical ones not herbal).

Even last night I wasn't tired when I got in bed at 0130 despite being awake for 20 odd hours. (I've got a night shift coming up so trying go stay up late at themoment).

Any suggestions?

Really sounds like nights aren’t for you. I did them in my late teens and it killed me then and that was only 9pm-8am four nights a week. I’d need a million pounds a year to do them again.

The killer seems to be having to get up to leave at a daft time. An hours commute for a shift worker is far from ideal.

My day shift starts at 07:00 but I dont neet to get up until 06:00 which, while a bit early means I can get 7 hours in easily which is more than enough sleep.

[Shaw Tarse]

jdw100 said:

What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?

Emergency services?

[Supercell]

I do a set of nightshifts every 12 days, 4 on 4 off pattern. 12 hour shifts 1900-0700. Only been doing them a year and they are most definitely not for me! I find on my first night i sleep in till about 9.30am, get up and eat breakfast, do what I've got to do then back in bed by 1pm to try and get a couple hours more sleep.

I get home at about 0715am, eat breakfast, chill out for about 30 mins in front of the TV, then I find i'm dropping off, so drag myself up for a shower and bed.

The one thing that surprised me is the quality of sleep is poor sleeping in the daytime. Even with blackout blinds your body is aware its daytime and so I sleep much shallower and wake up often, leaving you feeling groggy.

Benefits are if you can push past the 3am-4am slump I perk up, and next to no managers on nightshifts, which means much more opportunity for general pratting around and colleague banter!

[soad]

jdw100 said:

What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?

Dairy. That’s a 24/7 operation (we supply most supermarkets).

Had a power cut yesterday though. Which meant taking a well deserved day off.

[CX53]

jdw100 said:

What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?

Making F1 cars. I hate nights, swore I'd never do them again after the last time and got swayed by the money. Fortunately the contract will no doubt end due to changes in tax laws in April and I'll hopefully do days again!

[gazza285]

jdw100 said:

What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?

Airport baggage handling installations and maintenance. We can only work on the system when it has shut down, so that’s between nine and three at Manchester.