How to survive shift work?

[save_marla]

Hello,

I'm starting a new job very soon, and for the first time, it's not going to be the 9 to 5 routine. I'll be working 12 hour days, four days of AM to PM, four days off, and then four days of PM to AM.

Starting with the morning shifts, I'm not so worried - but the evenings are going to be tough for a gal who usually conks out by eleven (what am I still doing up??).

Has anyone made this transition, or worked similar shifts before, and can you give me some pointers on how to ease myself into it? When to drink coffee, when to stop drinking coffee...when to sleep, how to spend the 4 days before the morning shift or the evening shift?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[A_Kefka]

I used to work 12 hour shifts, and while tiring (I didn't do much more than get ready before work, then after eat and wind down a little before sleeping) the 3 days of weren't bad. I didn't switch from days to nights near as often as it looks like you will be. For me thought the best way to switch my sleep schedule was to stay up for at least 24 hours (not exactly easy) and then go to sleep at the correct time to get 8-9 hours of sleep and get up for work. I would suggest trying it a day early so you don't actually have to go to work the first time you wake up then. Granted at that point in time I was about 21, and even now I'm a night person who would rather wake up at 11am and go to sleep at around 3am.

 

[emap]

Well the easiest way to get to a night schedule from a day schedule is to start slow, stay up an extra hour each night and get up when you get up. Obviously you shouldn't be having to go to work at the time of doing this. If you do it's not going to do any good, you will crash when you get home, or at work which is rather bad for keeping a job.

Alternate method, for when you have one day to get to working all night, get up as early as possible and stay up as long as you can, usually best to get maybe 3 hours of sleep, be active and you should crash about noon, the next day you should not be tired until about 5 AM. However your body will try and go back to the old schedule.

 

[kindashy]

Maybe trade with someone so you just work days or at least fewer evenings.

 

[VelvetDarkness]

Velvet's Shift Rotation Survival Guide.

Coffee will only get you so far to be honest. I used to work 12-14hr shifts and by hr 8 or 10, the coffee had made things worse because I'd been expending energy that I didn't really have. It's actually best if you minimise caffeine or kick it completely as you can't really listen to your body while it's on stimulants. Peppermint tea is a great detox drink and it will help prevent indigestion from eating at odd times.

What you have to do here is throw your ideas about a normal daily routine out the window and stop using them as a frame of reference completely. You need to listen to your body and be directly governed by whatever it needs. If you set yourself sleeping times and you find you're not able to sleep, don't worry or beat yourself up about it. After a couple of weeks, your body will adjust to the lack of routine and you'll find yourself able to catnap and feel better for it instead of worse. Invest in some ear plugs and an alarm clock that's loud enough to wake you when you're wearing them. Wear an eye-mask or hang curtains that block light completely as your sleep is better quality when you're in a well darkened room. Let your neighbours know you're going to be working shifts as a little consideration on their part will help. Also, unplug/switch off phones when you go to sleep and even unhook your doorbell. There's nothing worse than being woken by an unwitting friend or relative when you've finally drifted off. Texting your rota to close acquaintances can also minimise interruptions, as well as help plan socialising.

Pay special attention to your diet and wellbeing. Shift workers who do not have a physically taxing job can gain weight because they're not finding time to be active. Also, having big meals at erratic times can encourage your body to store more as fat than it normally would. You're better off having 6 light meals or healthy snacks every 24hrs than you are trying to plan when to eat big meals. Keeping your meals light and frequent will speed up your metabolism and will help you to benefit from shorter, more erratic periods of sleep.

Refined carbs and sugars will give you an initial rush and then make you feel tired and sluggish so no matter how tempting, avoid junk foods/snacks. Eat a high protein diet with lots of complex carbs (wholegrain bread/pasta, potatoes & brown rice) and get your fresh fruit and veggies. Nuts are a quick, healthy source of energy so keep a bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit handy. Start taking a multi-vitamin/mineral as living without a bodyclock can make your immune system run at a lower ebb. Get plenty of Vit C. Watch your salt intake as too much will have the same affect as dehydration, making you tired and prone to headaches. Drink plenty of water. If you have sodas or other flavoured drinks your body has to process it before it can use it. Water it can just soak up like a sponge and making sure you get 2litres every 24hrs will help keep your skin from looking pallid and fatigued.

Get into the habit of keeping an emergency kit in your purse, so you can conceivably crash out anywhere. Have ear plugs, eye-mask, a travel sized alarm clock, travel sized toothpaste/brush, clean knickers etc. Carry a good moisturiser and apply it whenever you need to. Also be aware that seeing the sun less often will mean you need a higher protection factor when you do go out. Prioritise your social life and plan uninterrupted downtime so that you get to chill out and recharge. Don't allow yourself to be pressured into socialising when you know you need to sleep.

You can also make your life simpler by cutting corners in the home. Order groceries online rather than drag yourself around the store. Don't beat yourself up if you don't manage to vacuum in a few days or whatever. I used to use the duration of a laundry cycle to blitz round, clean the kitchen/bathroom and vacuum/tidy the lounge/bedroom. Don't let housework get you down. Life's too short. Get yourself a slow-cooker too. You can cook up large quantities of a healthy, unprocessed dish while you're out at work and then divide it into a few re-heatable meals. For summertime, get some crisp salad and cook up pulses or a few pieces of meat or fish to have with it, then just fill a tub in the morning. Keep dressings separate until you're about to eat.

 

[save_marla]

You guys rule. This is why I still love Lit.

No time to read through, this morning (still on 9-5), but I will read everything through tonight and post any other questions I have, if that's all right.

 

[MisterSir]

That sort of schedule seems really backasswards to me. Is it not simply possible to switch with somebody so one of you takes days and the other nights?

 

[shiny5437]

I do runs of nights but not as frequently as you do though but i thought that I would share my routine.

The night before the night shift I will stay up a couple of hours later - not too much. For example if I go to bed at 10pm normally I'll try to hang on till just after midnight. Then the next morning I'll have a little lie in eg get up 8am instead of 6am. Really importantly I will then make sure I do make something of the morning eg go shopping or something nice. Next I have a high carb lunch and then when I have the resulting carb crash I'll then sleep till whatever time I'll be getting up with the new routine.

Other tips are to really make sure your bedroom is dark. I used to put tinfoil on the windows which worked a treat. Also limit your sun exposure in the morning by wearing dark glasses. Sunlight resets your body clock.

Not really sure about caffeine so can't comment.

If you can grab an hour overnight that is still really useful especially if it's when the deadzone hits at about 5am.

The only thing I've not worked out is how to revert back into normal daytime hours without wasting the first few days feeling wrecked.

 

[nh23]

I work swing shift as a peds nurse. I work dayshift through the week and midnights on the weekends. I have yet to find a way to get my body used to it and I've been doing the swing for over a year. I use those five hour energy drinks sometimes.

 

[emap]

I never tried those, course they were just appearing when I stopped working anyway. No idea what you are doing in your job so this may or may not be possible, but I've found that butt pinches tend to keep you up longer.

Something I was kinda forced to test at one point, there was construction very near where I was staying at the time, they started 4 hours after I got home. I spent two weeks with little sleep until I gave in and stayed at a guys house, I didn't sleep much there either, he liked sex.

So if you are having problems with staying awake for work, find a friend with strong hands, he sees you slumping he pinches your butt hard.

Luckily for you, if you can sleep when you get home you only need it for the one day. I probably had bruises on my butt months after I stopped working as a waitress.

 

[rosco rathbone]

I don't know why employers set up these insane schedules.

 

[LuckySevenStars]

rota

Sound like a security team rota to me. Best advice I can give is ... when on Nights just turn your day upside down and behave as if 7am is 7pm, midday is midnight etc, and yes you will be going to bed early like a naughty child but you need to sleep your full ration ( 7-8 hours for me - yours? only you will know). Good advice in a post above, darken room, sleep mask, water (coffee demands payback!) a good alarm (or two, mobile phone can be good as you can change the sound and wont get used to it and sleep through it). Be aware though that a routine like this will take its toll on your life, loves, social life etc. all will suffer. Almost all the security officers I work with have lost a marriage to it, me included.Good luck. LSS

 

[save_marla]

So, I've started the shift work - just completed the four days on, AM-PM, and am now on four days off. My next shift will also be days, and then nights after another four off.

I really want to thank everyone for the advice in this thread, I've come back to it a few times this week, and have been making some changes in order to make this schedule a little easier.

It didn't take me long to realize the importance of getting as much sleep as possible, even if it means I don't do much else, when I get home. I tried to run some errands one night, and paid for it later, when I couldn't get settled, and slept miserably. I'm anxious to get through my first set of nights, see how well I fare. I'm told by my co-workers that the boredom is the worst thing, on nights.

Regarding switching my shifts with a co-worker - I believe, at this point, that my only option there would be to trade for all nights, because days are certainly preferred. And I may offer around, if I find the switching back and forth is too rough.

The days off are really sweet, and the money is good. My fella's been extremely understanding, and the work isn't difficult or unduly stressful. So I think I'll stick with it, a while.

Some really wonderful advice in this thread, and I am going to try as many things as I can, to see what works for me. Except the butt-pinching - I'll take my chances, I think.

Thanks again.

 

[SweetErika]

You might want to look into the potential health effects of night shift work and screwy schedules if you're going to be doing this for any real length of time. Read up on it for yourself, but night shifts have been linked to things like heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

My mother-in-law worked as a night OB and NICU nurse for years, and we think that may have contributed to her colon cancer since she had very few other risk factors. A lot of the research on the health effects of night shifts was just coming out when she was fighting it about five years ago, but it looks like a good amount of info has come out since then.

I think it's just a good idea to know the risks so you can take every reasonable step to protect yourself and check out things that seem amiss (ignoring symptions was my MIL's downfall).

And if you haven't done so already, you may want to experiment with melatonin to see if that helps you sleep and ease the transitions.

Good luck with the switch!

 

[hulmule]

working construction for 25 years i've had those crazy shifts and dead lines to complete.as things were talked about, eating good, exercise, COFFEE, my was sleeping.i had to put heavy black plastic around the window screen to black out the bed room, that way i thought it was night time during the day.my father worked swings his whole life. he said it takes years off your life. you dont sleep ,eat ,or "shit" right as my father would say. wish you the best.ALL, have some good sex that always makes me sleep good! LOL

 

[Username_In_Use]

Sleeping pills and energy drinks. That's what I do.

 

[MissileMan85]

I have to work very crazy hours sometimes
0530-1330, Sleep until 2345 or so, then up from 2345-0700, hit the rack again for another 2-3 hours, then up until 1530 or sometimes 2300 again.

How I handle it?
Drink water during the period you are naturally awake, remaining hydrated keeps the body functioning and keeps energy levels up.

Eat protein-snacks. Carbs will put you to sleep or make you drousy, you wake up some and stay awake if you are eating meats, nuts and the like.

When I start to get drowsy I drink a Dr. Pepper or something. Otherwise for the day I stay away from Caffiene. Don't drink caffiene within 2hrs of sleeping or you will not sleep well generally. If you avoid caffiene most of the time it will take less to cause an effect (Just like alcohol, you build a tolerance over time)

When getting drowsy, if you can, get up, walk around, do a few sit-ups or push-ups somewhere. If you can't do that much activity, squeeze and release your leg muscles to get the blood back up into your upper body and brain. Shift positions as much as possible, make yourself purposely uncomfortable if you are struggling a bit.

Also, lower the temperature of your body either by cooling the air around you, or by shedding some layers if at all possible. (Not so cold you can't work, but cooler than comfortable)

Eliminate white-noise if you can (radio playing something that actually makes you listen on some level can help).

When its time to sleep either use white-noise, music, or completely silence the environment and black it out as much as possible. Play around a bit to find out which helps you sleep more.

Even with all of these it can be difficult to stay awake. Sleeping well the night before or day before will help. Avoid naps before you're supposed to sleep.

Hope some of this helps!

 

[Vixandra]

I'm a natural night person, so when I was working nights on shift work, it was great for me.

But I'm working 8-5 days now so I feel your pain.

Make sure your friends and loved ones understand that you're schedule is screwy. I got my people trained to text me instead of calling me during the day. I can wake up enough to read and triage a text message and fall back asleep if its not an urgent/emergency manner.

Stay up during you're work hours on your time off. If you just got off days and are going to be working nights next, stay up as late as possible that first night and sleep as late as possible.

Take up a hobby that isn't noise-intensive that you enjoy. Sewing, writing, whatever. It'll help keep you up on your nights off.

Its tough, especially on a rotating schedule.

 

[DeepDan]

It's a bitch constantly alternating shifts. We do 0700-1700 x2, then 1700-0700x2, then 4 off. You become an opportunistic napper, sleep becomes a hobby all in itself. You have to be ruthless in saying no to a lot of social activities. Light exercise in the morning after the 0700 finish, especially if its a nice day, helps me sleep really well.
And +1 on the water instead of caffeine.