I’ve always envied those who can flip flop back and forth between day shift and night shift. How do they do it?
I think I’ve nailed down some of their secrets, and in so doing have
been able to work both day shifts and night shifts in succession.
Happily! Nights are often a more peaceful time in the hospital and it’s
definitely a nice change in my routine.
So, need some tips on how to survive the “dark side”?
Surviving the night shift.
Here are steps to jumpstart your circadian rhythm and allow for
easier transitions from the normalcy of day shift to the non-so-routine
night shift.
(1) If you are strictly a night shift nurse and you are having problems adjusting to the schedule, try a couple weeks of
grouping all of the shifts together, three in a row. That
way you can completely convert to night owl status for half of the week
and then have four days to recover back to normalcy (that being if you
indeed do work three 12-hr shifts).
For those who rotate and really cannot stand working three nights a week, ask your scheduling manager if you can
split up your weeks into day and nights (be
sure to work your days towards the beginning of the week and allow
ample time for recovery after night shifts). For example, you would work
Monday day shift and Wednesday and Thursday night shifts.
Wake up early on the day of your first night shift and
take a nap in the afternoon.
This strategy allows you to have a bulk of the morning to get stuff
done and having some decent sleep prior to going into the long shift. I
have heard people that just sleep in late (until like noon or 1 in the
afternoon) crash around 3 or 4am because they have been up for so long.
My technique for the last day is to return home post last night shift, sleep for about four hours, then
force yourself to wake up!
You’ll be so tired by that night that you will be able to sleep during
the night and be back on a somewhat normal day routine by the next
morning.
(2) Right before a night shift,
eat a substantial dinner prior
to going into work (even if it is “breakfast-like”). That will hold you
over for hours and give you a boost of energy to get the shift started.
Try your best to
avoid the comfort foods of night shift and bring a light meal full of protein and complex carbs that will fulfill your midnight munchies.
(3) Exercise! This not only applies
to those working normal business hours. It becomes extremely important
for those on night shifts because working out allows you to have more
energy and creates for more sound sleep. I have friends that exercise
after they get off their shift in the morning (I’ve always been too
tired for that). If that is your preference, be sure to take time to
wind down and drink a warm, non-caffeinated drink prior to going to
sleep. I tend to exercise after I wake up – the beauty of that being
that as opposed to working out early in the morning like a “normal”
shift worker may do, you will be inundated with daylight hours for a
nice run, pleasant early evening temperatures, and you will most likely
beat the post 6pm rush at the gym. Hitting a wall at 4am?
Run the stairs, it will most certainly wake you up
(4) Isolate yourself! Be sure to
tell your loved ones, your neighbors, and your kids that just like they
don’t like being woken up at 2am, you don’t like to be disturbed during
your “night”. Turn your phone off, buy dark curtains that will keep the
daylight out of your room, wear an eye mask, lock the dog out of your
room, tie up the children (kidding), and for goodness sake
don’t drink coffee
within four hours of going to sleep. If you “need” coffee to get
through the shift, drink it early in the shift and combine water with a
stair run later in the shift as an energy boost.
You mind is a powerful tool. Keep in mind all of the positives of
night shift. It can be extremely conducive to family life if you are a
working parent. The shift differential is an added bonus in the bank
account. You typically have more autonomy as a nurse on the night shift
and have ample time to develop skills and master your assessments. With
the pace of the shift usually being slower, you have more time to
develop close relationships with your coworkers because you are relying
on each other for second opinions, assistance with tasks, and
camaraderie in staying awake when everyone else is snug in their beds.
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