sleep schedule for over-nighters

[lane one]

Post #1. Escaped CVS awhile back for an overnight hospital gig and I'm curious how everyone flips their sleep schedule. I always flip mine back to normal after the 7 days on and it had been working well but recently I'm having trouble sleeping. What do you do?

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[Dalteparin]

Work week starts on Wednesday. Tuesday night stay up until 0200, get up at 0800 on Wed. Go to gym, do some chores, nap from 1300-1800. After last night of the week, come home and nap until 1400 or so, then have some caffeine and hang out with spouse and go to bed when they do. Taking melatonin has really helped both with sleeping during the day and with getting back on a nighttime sleep schedule.

 

[lane one]

That's actually really similar to what I do. I usually nap for max of 4 hours after my last shift so I'm still tired, but lately I haven't been able to fall asleep that night. Might try just pushing through without the nap this week.

 

[Dalteparin]

That's actually really similar to what I do. I usually nap for max of 4 hours after my last shift so I'm still tired, but lately I haven't been able to fall asleep that night. Might try just pushing through without the nap this week.

I'll say it again: melatonin! I couldn't sleep through that 1st night off without it.

 

[confettiflyer]

Been a while, but here's what I did (for ease of following, let's assume Monday-Sunday is the workweek, meaning the last day is ON Sunday night, go home at 0700 Monday AM:

End of Day #7 of ON, 0700: Go home and nap for max. 4hrs. Awake 12pm-9pm (taking it easy, household stuff, etc...). Get back to sleep early. Ta-daa, schedule flipped!

Day #5 of OFF: Start to transition to night shift by progressively staying up later and later. So I'd sleep at midnight/1am here, try to sleep in next day.
Day #6 of OFF: Start sleeping at around 2-3am.
Day #7 of OFF: Make sure the house is stocked up with food, laundry is all done, meals prepped for the week, car has gas, etc... The last thing you want to do is any of this stuff while you're on. Sleep at 3-4am if you can, sleep in next day.

Day #1 of ON: Sleep in through noon at least. Fit in some last minute errands, have an early dinner (like 5pm). I personally took a quick nap right after this dinner from 6-8pm, then rolled into night shift after that. For some people, you can't do it, or you get groggy after.

Day #3 of ON was usually the worst for me, not sure why. Once I got passed that, it was smooth sailing to day #7.

Key points: meal prep (avoid fast food, stay hydrated, night shift is stress so heavy/greasy foods are like double whammy to you), have good sleep hygiene (blackout shades, phones/devices off... one tip is to keep a small mattress in a windowless closet in case you have a buzzing household w/ kids, my border patrol buddy does this), and find ways to keep the night moving (bluetooth speaker with your own music is a godsend). Don't forget pharmacies can have fluctuating temps overnight, so always have layers available. Limit your snacks. Keep a timer handy so you get up from time to time if that's how slow it is.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

Melatonin 2hrs prior to bed and exercising at some time in the day (intense weight lifting + cardio, do both; HR 120-140 at least) will do wonders for sleep.

 

[Amicable Angora]

How does just sticking permanently with an overnight schedule even on days off go?

 

[RxPreceptor]

How does just sticking permanently with an overnight schedule even on days off go?

I've actually done both methods...I prefer staying consistent with a nocturnal schedule but nonetheless must transition back to daytime mostly just for errands. I concur with PharmBro; exercise (anaerobic + aerobic) & melatonin are both good ways to keep a consistent sleep-wake cycle & transition when necessary, respectively.

I have used Modafinil & (R)-modafinil (NUVIGIL)...I will say these will allow 1 to pull off a 24-36 hour day, but it's not worth it financially & they are no substitute for sleep (eventually, the crash is inevitable...12+ hours of sleep was typical...more like 16-20 hours).

 

[lane one]

Been a while, but here's what I did (for ease of following, let's assume Monday-Sunday is the workweek, meaning the last day is ON Sunday night, go home at 0700 Monday AM:

End of Day #7 of ON, 0700: Go home and nap for max. 4hrs. Awake 12pm-9pm (taking it easy, household stuff, etc...). Get back to sleep early. Ta-daa, schedule flipped!

Day #5 of OFF: Start to transition to night shift by progressively staying up later and later. So I'd sleep at midnight/1am here, try to sleep in next day.
Day #6 of OFF: Start sleeping at around 2-3am.
Day #7 of OFF: Make sure the house is stocked up with food, laundry is all done, meals prepped for the week, car has gas, etc... The last thing you want to do is any of this stuff while you're on. Sleep at 3-4am if you can, sleep in next day.

Day #1 of ON: Sleep in through noon at least. Fit in some last minute errands, have an early dinner (like 5pm). I personally took a quick nap right after this dinner from 6-8pm, then rolled into night shift after that. For some people, you can't do it, or you get groggy after.

Day #3 of ON was usually the worst for me, not sure why. Once I got passed that, it was smooth sailing to day #7.

Key points: meal prep (avoid fast food, stay hydrated, night shift is stress so heavy/greasy foods are like double whammy to you), have good sleep hygiene (blackout shades, phones/devices off... one tip is to keep a small mattress in a windowless closet in case you have a buzzing household w/ kids, my border patrol buddy does this), and find ways to keep the night moving (bluetooth speaker with your own music is a godsend). Don't forget pharmacies can have fluctuating temps overnight, so always have layers available. Limit your snacks. Keep a timer handy so you get up from time to time if that's how slow it is.

Thanks for the tips! Glad to see I'm not the only one with these freakish tendencies. All those are absolute must for sure. I don't understand how people do it without meal prepping. No kids, but I can imagine. The only thing that's different is that I'm at a fairly large hospital so it's never boring. I usually sleep just 4 hours after the last night, like you said, but lately I've had trouble sleeping after that.

Melatonin 2hrs prior to bed and exercising at some time in the day (intense weight lifting + cardio, do both; HR 120-140 at least) will do wonders for sleep.

The workout might be the difference actually. I used to get a workout in after my 4 hour nap after my last shift but lately haven't due to general holiday madness. Might have to change that this week, even if it's just a short burn out or something.

 

[mentos]

My schedule is weird. I do 3 on/4 off, then 4 on/3 off. My schedule is Wed-Fri (9p-7a) and every other Saturday (7p-7a). This is what my 4 day work week looks like:

Wed: Wake up around 11am, workout in afternoon, nap from 3/4pm-7:30pm. Eat dinner and start work at 9pm.
Thurs: Get home at 8am, eat/shower/waste time online or whatever until 10/11am, sleep until 7:30pm, dinner and go to work at 9pm.
Fri: Get home at 8am, eat/shower, wake up at 11am to work out (I'm crazy), nap from 4:30pm-7:30pm, dinner and go to work at 9pm. I'm young so I can handle it now but I can't do this forever.
Sat: Get home at 8am, eat/shower, wake up at 5:30pm, dinner, work at 7pm.
Sun: Get home at 8am, eat/shower, nap until anywhere from 12pm-3pm. Chill, maybe workout in the evening, sleep by 11pm or midnight.
Mon: Wake up at normal time and sleep at normal time
Tues: Wake up at normal time, sometimes nap during the day and sleep at normal time

Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep at a normal time on my days off but I don't practice good sleep hygiene. I always waste time online or on my phone in bed. I have to get better with that.

 

[Amicable Angora]

I've actually done both methods...I prefer staying consistent with a nocturnal schedule but nonetheless must transition back to daytime mostly just for errands. I concur with PharmBro; exercise (anaerobic + aerobic) & melatonin are both good ways to keep a consistent sleep-wake cycle & transition when necessary, respectively.

I have used Modafinil & (R)-modafinil (NUVIGIL)...I will say these will allow 1 to pull off a 24-36 hour day, but it's not worth it financially & they are no substitute for sleep (eventually, the crash is inevitable...12+ hours of sleep was typical...more like 16-20 hours).

If you stay completely nocturnal, how does it affect your health? Mind talking a little bit about your experience?

 

[Dalteparin]

How does just sticking permanently with an overnight schedule even on days off go?

I have a tech who does that and says he loves it, but it's not my thing. I'm an outdoorsy type and I need to see the sun during my week off.

 

[lane one]

My schedule is weird. I do 3 on/4 off, then 4 on/3 off. My schedule is Wed-Fri (9p-7a) and every other Saturday (7p-7a). This is what my 4 day work week looks like:

Wed: Wake up around 11am, workout in afternoon, nap from 3/4pm-7:30pm. Eat dinner and start work at 9pm.
Thurs: Get home at 8am, eat/shower/waste time online or whatever until 10/11am, sleep until 7:30pm, dinner and go to work at 9pm.
Fri: Get home at 8am, eat/shower, wake up at 11am to work out (I'm crazy), nap from 4:30pm-7:30pm, dinner and go to work at 9pm. I'm young so I can handle it now but I can't do this forever.
Sat: Get home at 8am, eat/shower, wake up at 5:30pm, dinner, work at 7pm.
Sun: Get home at 8am, eat/shower, nap until anywhere from 12pm-3pm. Chill, maybe workout in the evening, sleep by 11pm or midnight.
Mon: Wake up at normal time and sleep at normal time
Tues: Wake up at normal time, sometimes nap during the day and sleep at normal time

Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep at a normal time on my days off but I don't practice good sleep hygiene. I always waste time online or on my phone in bed. I have to get better with that.

Why not just sleep later and then workout before work? Sleep, workout, sleep sounds like hell.

 

[confettiflyer]

Thanks for the tips! Glad to see I'm not the only one with these freakish tendencies. All those are absolute must for sure. I don't understand how people do it without meal prepping. No kids, but I can imagine. The only thing that's different is that I'm at a fairly large hospital so it's never boring. I usually sleep just 4 hours after the last night, like you said, but lately I've had trouble sleeping after that.

The workout might be the difference actually. I used to get a workout in after my 4 hour nap after my last shift but lately haven't due to general holiday madness. Might have to change that this week, even if it's just a short burn out or something.

Yeah I think you just answered why in your 2nd half of the post.... most career night shifters I know are creatures of habit, the moment you throw out some part of their routine, it goes to pot for a while.

Not sure of the flow at your hospital, but even at a busy one where it's rarely boring, I find that one needs a mental break away from the hum and din of the pharmacy. I rarely had to sign off physical product, so I could literally sit the entire shift and be at my work station. Since it's like a casino down in the basement, I had to change things up to keep sane, like dimming the lights between 11pm and 4am, getting up q30mins-1hr, and playing music.

And you can't play the same type of music either....I actually drilled it down to 3 hrs of classic rock, then change to something else every 2-3 hours (and let my tech pick, but they usually said whatever was fine).

Yup, creatures of habit.

 

[RxPreceptor]

If you stay completely nocturnal, how does it affect your health? Mind talking a little bit about your experience?

Staying nocturnal doesn't bother me social-wise because I'm a relatively shy and reserved person with no family. I honestly think it makes me even better at planning (not everything is 24 hours) & is quite relaxing vs. daytime (no noise, traffic, crowds, etc.).

Health wise, the only impact is during my on-week, I haven't quite mastered how to get enough exercise in (I am getting better though). No drastic health condition changes although I do use many stimulants regularly (extensive history though even before being nocturnal). I must say, I am caution certain lab values as time of day/circadian rhythm can affect some values greatly. Food wise, I don't prep, just stock up beforehand and cook fresh food after work.

 

[ExpressMaiL]

Empty stomach + ambien 10mg + cell phone off + 1 shot something will fix your schedule.