Shift work - nights
Discussion
Gary C said:
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.
jdw100 said:
What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?
Emergency services for me 
TT1138 said:
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.
Thanks! 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.
Re the last bit. I've struck gold with my girlfriend. She gets what it's like and is very understanding. Especially during my tutor phase.
Gary C said:
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.
Thankfully it's only until the start of March then I move to a station that is 15 minutes away and not a hour! Also a bit of a better shift pattern with two earlies, two lates and two nights before four days off. 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.
This shift pattern is s
te with only two or three days off between sets with either nine or ten hour shifts. Tomorrow is a night shift followed by a rest day (won't pay us double time in training to work NYD!) before another late shift.
17 months to go until I can apply for another department after my probation and find somewhere that does nicer shifts ha.
I help keep a warehouse running then do maintenance in the down time for a few hours overnight. We have an 84 day shift pattern of 0545 - 1800, 0945 - 2200 or 1745 - 0600.
How to cope with nights? I wake up late, laze about, do a night shift then go to bed in the morning, usually sets me right as ill sleep from 0730 until 1500 so get enough sleep. Key I've found is the after shift activity, has to be home shower sleep. Nothing else, head down ASAP.
We do a max of 3 on a row, 5 a week. January for example, week one I'm doing 2 days and 2 nights, week 2 I'm doing 1 day and 2 nights, week 3 I'm doing 2 days and 3 nights and week 4 I'm doing 2 days before it repeats and one set replaces nights with Afters.
How to cope with nights? I wake up late, laze about, do a night shift then go to bed in the morning, usually sets me right as ill sleep from 0730 until 1500 so get enough sleep. Key I've found is the after shift activity, has to be home shower sleep. Nothing else, head down ASAP.
We do a max of 3 on a row, 5 a week. January for example, week one I'm doing 2 days and 2 nights, week 2 I'm doing 1 day and 2 nights, week 3 I'm doing 2 days and 3 nights and week 4 I'm doing 2 days before it repeats and one set replaces nights with Afters.
Edited by Poisson96 on Tuesday 31st December 02:58
Edited by Poisson96 on Tuesday 31st December 14:02
The biggest thing for me is exercise & fitness. Nights used to absolutely clean me out, ever since I lost a load of weight and got fitter I cope OK with them.
The best way of dealing with them though is to swop for morning and afternoon turns
I detest doing them. Unfortunately they’re part of the job (Railway), so if I can’t find a swop, I just have to crack on. Not the end of the world.
The best way of dealing with them though is to swop for morning and afternoon turns
I detest doing them. Unfortunately they’re part of the job (Railway), so if I can’t find a swop, I just have to crack on. Not the end of the world.I used to do them for years, a week of days then a week of nights. I didn't mind them too much, it was quite handy to get stuff done during the day. But the first couple of nights were always tiring when midnight /1.00 am came around. Meal times were often pretty odd. Would feel hungry and random times until I got into it and learnt about how my body clock changed working shifts.
Until after I stopped doing them I didn't realise how tired I was at the weekends.
The key for me was straight to bed and the whole ear plugs, blackout blinds etc.
I'll probably have to go back to shifts at some point, wouldn't exactly look forward to them tbh.
Until after I stopped doing them I didn't realise how tired I was at the weekends.
The key for me was straight to bed and the whole ear plugs, blackout blinds etc.
I'll probably have to go back to shifts at some point, wouldn't exactly look forward to them tbh.
LosingGrip said:
Thankfully it's only until the start of March then I move to a station that is 15 minutes away and not a hour! Also a bit of a better shift pattern with two earlies, two lates and two nights before four days off.
This shift pattern is ste with only two or three days off between sets with either nine or ten hour shifts.
Tomorrow is a night shift followed by a rest day (won't pay us double time in training to work NYD!) before another late shift.
17 months to go until I can apply for another department after my probation and find somewhere that does nicer shifts ha.
Best of luckThis shift pattern is s
te with only two or three days off between sets with either nine or ten hour shifts. Tomorrow is a night shift followed by a rest day (won't pay us double time in training to work NYD!) before another late shift.
17 months to go until I can apply for another department after my probation and find somewhere that does nicer shifts ha.
Our eldest just got to his first 10 week review but has decided the police isnt for him, after all that hard work to get in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did nightshifts on the railways for about 18 months all in; my boss at the time wanted me to work Friday night to Tuesday night, but that didn't work with a young family - so I did Sunday night to Thursday night. It was tough; my wife expected me to be able to switch to days on the weekends, so I always went back in shattered on a Sunday night - but it was always the second night that was toughest. I lost weight (not in a good way) and was even more unpleasant to be around than normal. But a job was a job.
When I was eventually switched back to days, I used to occasionally cover a Saturday night shift for overtime, which I didn't mind - there was always loads going on & it was an interesting shift.
When I was eventually switched back to days, I used to occasionally cover a Saturday night shift for overtime, which I didn't mind - there was always loads going on & it was an interesting shift.
I do 3-6 weeks on Nightshift doing 12 hours 6 to 6
I find getting into nights not too much of a problem. But after doing at least 21 12 hour shifts in a row without a break, getting back to days is an absolute nightmare.
Feel like getting up and hoovering the house at 2am in the morning, then during the day absolutely zombied. Takes roughly a week to get back to normal.
Luckily I don't do nights every trip. If I did I wouldn't be able to do it. It's your health you are sacrificing for extra money.
I find getting into nights not too much of a problem. But after doing at least 21 12 hour shifts in a row without a break, getting back to days is an absolute nightmare.
Feel like getting up and hoovering the house at 2am in the morning, then during the day absolutely zombied. Takes roughly a week to get back to normal.
Luckily I don't do nights every trip. If I did I wouldn't be able to do it. It's your health you are sacrificing for extra money.
Uggers said:
I do 3-6 weeks on Nightshift doing 12 hours 6 to 6
. But after doing at least 21 12 hour shifts in a row without a break, getting back to days is an absolute nightmare.
Did I read it right, 3 week of consecutive 12 hour shifts ?. But after doing at least 21 12 hour shifts in a row without a break, getting back to days is an absolute nightmare.
Are you from a Dickens novel ?
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
Cantaloupe said:
Uggers said:
I do 3-6 weeks on Nightshift doing 12 hours 6 to 6
. But after doing at least 21 12 hour shifts in a row without a break, getting back to days is an absolute nightmare.
Did I read it right, 3 week of consecutive 12 hour shifts ?. But after doing at least 21 12 hour shifts in a row without a break, getting back to days is an absolute nightmare.
Are you from a Dickens novel ?
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
Cantaloupe said:
Did I read it right, 3 week of consecutive 12 hour shifts ?
Are you from a Dickens novel ?
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
I've done similar, a month of 12 hour days, 24 hours off, a month of 12 hour nights, 24 hours off, a month of 12 hour days then done. Are you from a Dickens novel ?
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
Work levels varied from fairly quiet to flat out. Not good for you though.
Cantaloupe said:
Did I read it right, 3 week of consecutive 12 hour shifts ?
Are you from a Dickens novel ?
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
Offshore oil and gas. Are you from a Dickens novel ?
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
3 weeks is North Sea. In Africa anything from 4 weeks to (in my case) a max of 8 weeks doing 12 hours a day, everyday on nightshift.
It isn't for everyone
jdw100 said:
What jobs are people doing to have night shifts?
Offshore oil and gas production platform, we don't just turn the wells off when it gets to bedtime 
Usually on a 2-week trip we'll swing round onto nights after a few days, do nights for a week then swing back for a few dayshifts before heading home again. With our rota we have an overlap of a week with another crew so that when we swing onto nights, they're swinging back onto days and we maintain the 24 hour coverage.
Edited by csd19 on Friday 3rd January 01:01
Cantaloupe said:
On the railway you can't do more than 6 x 12 hr shifts [72 hrs] in a row without a rest day off,
and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
When I worked railway nightshifts, the construction company did 7am to 7pm, but Network Rail manager cover was from 6am to 2pm, 2pm to 10pm, and then 10pm to 6am. It worked ok, and working hours (incl travel time) / rest days were strictly adhered to.and I've never done more than 4 x 12 hr nightshifts in a row cause they f*** me right up.
Biggest issues on the railway were people signed in / but not actually on site, and alcohol issues - lads turning up to a nightshift having had a couple of pints during the day. Probably seen most dismissals because of this over the years (and it's rarely the young lads, mostly those who know better).
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