Sleeping Arrangements

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Mt Kilimanjaro

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For those of you with families or spouses, how do you handle daytime sleeping after a night shift?

Shed out back? Garage? Hotel room? Massive house with a basement?

I have a toddler and an EM resident living in my (small) house and I need some ideas. Thanks!
 
Black out curtains in the master bedroom. Close the door. We have multiple children (5) and as long as they stay out of the room I'm fine. Some people use ear plugs, I don't. Funny thing is if I hear another adult male voice in the house I'm wide awake, go figure 😉.
 
+1 on blackout curtains. I added curtains that extend past the windows.

A loud (but not noisy) fan can do a lot for noise cancelation, but I wear earplugs too.

Basements can be fantastic places to sleep...as long as your bed isn't under a heavy foot traffic area.
 
Former EM scribe, hopeful EM attending here. When I was on nights I slept in our basement. I just put my bed from college in the utility room. It was awesome. One of my attendings slept in his wine cellar haha
 
Blackout curtains are a requirement. I sleep in a spare bedroom and have my iPhone playing the White Noise app set to extreme rainfall at pretty high volume. Usually if I wake up early it's due to the fact that it got too hot outside and the air condition isn't keeping up.
 
Black out curtains and iPad with noisemaker app or fan. Presto bingo the sandman cometh.
Ear plugs make me dream of that scene in Star Trek 2 wrath of khan with the brainwashing ear slugs, so I typically avoid them.
 
I've been doing the following for sleeping and it's been amazing.

(1) Blackout curtain liner because normal blackout curtains alone weren't dark enough for me.

(2) Blackout curtains (yes, in addition to the liner above. I can't even see my hand in front of my face at night because it's so dark.)

(3) Dohm Marpac DS mechanical white noise generator. Some people like this Ecotones sound generator more but I wanted just normal white noise. I like that the white noise generator is mechanical so there aren't looping sounds or anything. It's also adjustable which is nice.

(4) Philips Wake Up Light alarm clock so I can wake up to a nice well-lit room (nice contrast to the pitch black room with my blackout curtains).

Also, I tell my fiancee to wake me up at "x" or "y" time as well, and then she makes an effort to keep the noise down and help me sleep until that time. I think having a "protected time" to sleep agreement is helpful. If you have a toddler your wife could agree to go out with your kid or keep him occupied with hopefully minimal noise until "x" o'clock, depending on her plans. A good white noise generator that has been immensely helpful for me because there's a playground for a school essentially right outside my apartment -- but I can't hear anything with the white noise generator on.
 
I've been an ED nocturnalist for a few years now. Initially I went the blackout curtain route and they're ok. For me the problem was sound; I can't sleep with things on my head or in my ears and small noises wake me up easily.

When we moved to our new house, the master bedroom had a walk-in closet that had enough room to put a queen size mattress in, and still had 2/3 of the floor space remaining. So now that's my sleep room. It has no windows (so it's pitch black when the door is closed), and there is a room buffering it on all sides so the kids don't have to be quiet in the play areas during the day. It's actually kind of disorienting... sometimes I wake up during the day and have no clue how much time has passed.

But I realize this isn't a feasible option for most people. So just go with the blackout curtains 🙂
 
+1 on the closet. I've got a master closet that I throw a twin mattress in when I'm on nights. The 3 kids can be loud since it's on it's own end of the house and surrounded by brick. It has an AC vent in it as well which is key living on the gulf coast. It was actually one of the selling points of the house for me. The realtor gave me a funny look when I measured it for a bed.
 
Earplugs make me hear noises similar to holding a sea shell to my ear. I'm not sure why.
Blackout curtains are nice.
Melatonin helps you get to sleep.
Ceiling fan/AC to make it cooler (like nights usually are).
 
Dr.McNinja said:
Earplugs make me hear noises similar to holding a sea shell to my ear. I'm not sure why.
Blackout curtains are nice.
Melatonin helps you get to sleep.
Ceiling fan/AC to make it cooler (like nights usually are).
Click to expand...

Do you have a mild form of tinnitus? Does it still do that if you have Earmuff type haring protection on? Can you hear while wearing your stethoscope?
 
Thanks everyone!

I actually did not know there was such a thing as a "blackout curtain" so this helps a lot.
 
Allied health night shifter.


As with everyone, I use blackout shades. The ones I have say they buffer some sound as well too, but not really sure about that. There was still quite a bit of light coming in around the edges so I actually attached velcro strips around the window frame and on the curtain for a better seal and it's pretty much pitch black when I turn off the light. I had to change my cell phone to military/hospital time so I'm not disoriented about whether it's a.m. or p.m. when I wake up on my own or am switching my sleep schedule for school.

Sound is a problem for me, but my ear plugs work a little too well so I just deal with it since I don't want to miss hearing my alarm clock. Worst is when all the neighbors decide to stagger their lawn mowing on the same day when I'm trying to sleep, or when someone rings the doorbell trying to sell something and stirs the dogs up. I thought about putting up a sign along the lines of "Works nights, has gun. Still want to ring the doorbell?" :meanie: but decided I didn't want to advertise not being home at night.
 
Nice to know I'm not the only one with an aerobed in the closet! Between it, the white noise app on my phone and a black-out shade in the window I sleep fine.
 
Add oscillating fan - for noise and cool temperature....
 
Don't laugh, not stylish, but this thing really works:

The Mindfold

http://www.mindfold.com/

There's no pressure on your eyes at all, and when you open them with it on, it's pitch black. This, plus some 30 db earplugs and you'll sleep like it's four a.m.
 
Birdstrike said:
Don't laugh, not stylish, but this thing really works:

The Mindfold

http://www.mindfold.com/

There's no pressure on your eyes at all, and when you open them with it on, it's pitch black. This, plus some 30 db earplugs and you'll sleep like it's four a.m.
Click to expand...

Would this work for side sleepers or would it create pressure? I've been looking for a better alternative to the regular eye mask.
 
To echo above - this issue was a high priority in my house search. I didn't have a specific room-type in mind, but in every house we considered I would ask myself "where am I going to sleep during the day?". Then I'd shut the doors and blinds and ask my wife to go make noise elsewhere in the house. Our realtor probably thought I was crazy, but I'm fine with that.
 
Birdstrike said:
Don't laugh, not stylish, but this thing really works:

The Mindfold

http://www.mindfold.com/

There's no pressure on your eyes at all, and when you open them with it on, it's pitch black. This, plus some 30 db earplugs and you'll sleep like it's four a.m.
Click to expand...

Pfffhhh...I know your real reason for that mask - it won't smudge your eye makeup!
 
Black out curtains. Ear plugs ( I can never sleep without them anymore). I also tend to put a pillow by the foot of the door to keep the light from creeping in. The only problem is when I get up in the night to use the bathroom as soon as the sun in the window hits me i'm wide awake. Can't wait to black out those window too. At the moment I just try to squint my eyes.

I did know an attending who use to wear welders goggles home in the morning after a night shift to get his melatonin levels up by the time he got home.
 
I'm kinda blessed (and cursed) in that I don't actually need anything other than a horizontal surface & 15 minutes to go down... once down, I'm out.

Good for night shifts, bad for daytime tox consults - luckily I have fellows. d=)

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
 
Allied Health worker here too, work in sleep medicine, hope to do EM after Med School.

Blackout Curtains, like someone else said you can use velcro strips if there is still light coming in between the wall and the curtain

Cool room, I have to have a fan on, especially in the summer time to keep the room cool or I won't sleep at all.

I don't use ear-plugs, but I also don't have children. Some of my co-workers swear by them, I find them uncomfortable. Usually the fan + White noise app is enough to drown out any unwanted noise...

And my All time favorite... the Ambien 10mg PRN prescription. I don't use it often, but after a bad night, or if for some reason I can't get my mind to calm down after work, this stuff is a life saver. I usually only talk a half a pill when I do take it and it knocks me out right away.

Between these, I sleep like a baby during the days. But as we always tell our shift workers in the sleep lab, the key to sleeping during the day is dark and cool.
 
SmurfTurf said:
And my All time favorite... the Ambien 10mg PRN prescription. I don't use it often, but after a bad night, or if for some reason I can't get my mind to calm down after work, this stuff is a life saver. I usually only talk a half a pill when I do take it and it knocks me out right away.
Click to expand...

Interestingly I think this is the first mention of meds. After my first night shift when I'm switching my sleep cycle I usually take Benadryl and melatonin. This combo seems to work for me on that first daytime sleep in a string of nights.
 
My preferred med regimen is Shiner Bock and bacon.
 
I have been just staying at the hospital after call/night shifts.

Call rooms are great places to sleep. Most of the hospitals - even non-teaching places - I have been in have call rooms.

HH
 
Hamhock said:
I have been just staying at the hospital after call/night shifts.

Call rooms are great places to sleep. Most of the hospitals - even non-teaching places - I have been in have call rooms.

HH
Click to expand...

It definitely beats traffic. When I had a bad commute I would sleep in the call room as well.
 
I'm so tired after my night shifts that once I'm home in bed...I'm out. It doesn't matter whats going on around me
 
I do all nights and stay in a call room at the hospital for a few hrs to sleep after the shift is done then catch a late afternoon nap at home before dinner.
 
I just bought the mindfold. Guess I'm a sucker for testimonials. I like the sleeping in the closet idea, but can't get myself psyched up enough to buy a mattress that would fit in there.

While we're on the nights topic, does anyone here do templated schedules with nights once per week? What are people's thoughts on whether two overnights a month in succession or once per week (+templated schedule) would be better/worse for your general feeling of restedness/happiness? My general sense is that a weekly overnight (8 hours) would be exhausting in the longterm and now worth the template, but so many attendings do it that there must be a reason it pays off...
 
Okay, its not a direct reply to any one post, but I feel that this is the best place to post my "night shift regimen/recipe".

On a day when you have a night shift, do something physically demanding in the mid/late afternoon, then come home, hit the showers, get into your sleep gear, and sleep *hard* for 2-3 hours prior to your shift. Sleep 'in' to 12-2pm the following day, then repeat.

Real life example:

No night-shift/day off prior...
Sleep until 11am...
Wake up, coffee, small meal, check the e-mail, putz around your domicile...
Hit the gym/go swimming/play golf in the hot Florida sun/whatever from 3-5/5:30...
Go home and shower up. Curtains closed. Shut th'hell up. Sleep from 6pm until 9pm.
If you wake up before your designated 'wake up' alarm... don't move. Stay put with your eyes closed. Believe it or not, alpha-waves (awake, eyes closed) really do a bit of good for neurotransmitter regeneration.
Wake up, coffee, shower up, go to work.
Sleep from 7am-1 or 2 pm.... repeat.

Its not for everyone, but my "pro-nap" from 6-9pm really does me good.
 
Sorry for the double-post. Mobile.

50mg benadryl is great. Someone said it before me, but... best to take it before the sun really gets to cooking.

A 'shot' of ghetto NyQuil (dextromethorphan/doxylamine only... no acetaminophen/phenylephrine... it exists) may also do the trick. The key is... get down before the sun comes up.
 
These days I try to do nights exclusively. However when I do have to switch from the odd swing to a night, the day of I force myself to get up early in the day (when I'm on a normal person's sleep schedule). I'm talking like 6 am. Go about your day. Hit the gym even or do yard work. I then will take a nap from anywhere to 3-5 hrs before I have to be at work for the night shift. Time it so you wake up, have enough time to shower/ caffeinate then head out the door. Makes it so much easier to switch sleep schedules.
 
RustedFox, I like your strategy. I do the same for the most part, but have a really hard time going to sleep at 6pm before a night shift. I hadn't heard of the alpha wave concept and wouldn't be surprised if it were true. My main problem comes in on the second of two nights. I can power through the first overnight pretty well, but the second overnight drags.
 
RustedFox said:
Okay, its not a direct reply to any one post, but I feel that this is the best place to post my "night shift regimen/recipe".

On a day when you have a night shift, do something physically demanding in the mid/late afternoon, then come home, hit the showers, get into your sleep gear, and sleep *hard* for 2-3 hours prior to your shift. Sleep 'in' to 12-2pm the following day, then repeat.

Real life example:

No night-shift/day off prior...
Sleep until 11am...
Wake up, coffee, small meal, check the e-mail, putz around your domicile...
Hit the gym/go swimming/play golf in the hot Florida sun/whatever from 3-5/5:30...
Go home and shower up. Curtains closed. Shut th'hell up. Sleep from 6pm until 9pm.
If you wake up before your designated 'wake up' alarm... don't move. Stay put with your eyes closed. Believe it or not, alpha-waves (awake, eyes closed) really do a bit of good for neurotransmitter regeneration.
Wake up, coffee, shower up, go to work.
Sleep from 7am-1 or 2 pm.... repeat.

Its not for everyone, but my "pro-nap" from 6-9pm really does me good.
Click to expand...

Domicile? So I get to upgrade from a house to a domicile when I reach attending-land? Lol.

RustedFox said:
Sorry for the double-post. Mobile.

50mg benadryl is great. Someone said it before me, but... best to take it before the sun really gets to cooking.

A 'shot' of ghetto NyQuil (dextromethorphan/doxylamine only... no acetaminophen/phenylephrine... it exists) may also do the trick. The key is... get down before the sun comes up.
Click to expand...

Benadryl always makes me so groggy the next day. I have trouble getting to sleep, but rarely, if ever, staying asleep. Often times, I'll just take a 1/2 tab (12.5 mg) which is enough to help me get to sleep, but even then I sleep in late and feel tired when I wake up. I've been thinking about trying Ambien/Lunesta for post-overnight nights.
 
There was a mythbusters episode where they were looking at working long shifts and whether it was better to nap or power through. (It was a Deadliest Catch Mythbusting extraordinare) Anyway, they found that even if they didn't sleep, resting the eyes for 30 minutes made a difference. And although I think the whole nap-during-internship isn't being implemented well, I see the value in at least laying down for 20-30 min prior to a night shift to at least rest my eyes. I have never been able to do the 2-3 hour pre-shift nap, and benadryl makes me very groggy...ambien I am too nervous to try if I have to do anything within about 8 hours. (I sometimes take it and am wide awake 4 hours later... or still want to sleep after it's been 12 hours. There's no rhyme or reason)
 
TimesNewRoman said:
Domicile? So I get to upgrade from a house to a domicile when I reach attending-land? Lol.



Benadryl always makes me so groggy the next day. I have trouble getting to sleep, but rarely, if ever, staying asleep. Often times, I'll just take a 1/2 tab (12.5 mg) which is enough to help me get to sleep, but even then I sleep in late and feel tired when I wake up. I've been thinking about trying Ambien/Lunesta for post-overnight nights.
Click to expand...

I'm still an apartment-dweller (albeit, 3-bed/3-bath), so 'domicile' is wherever or in whatever you do live. If tragedy struck and the wifey were just sucked off to another dimension, I'd sell everything and go sleep at the hospital (no joke, a real option for me) for several months, and just 'walk the earth' as my home. I don't need a big-screen TV and a big couch. That's what the pub is for.

We're looking at houses around the area, and I'm scared stiff. No joke.
 
RustedFox said:
I'm still an apartment-dweller (albeit, 3-bed/3-bath), so 'domicile' is wherever or in whatever you do live. If tragedy struck and the wifey were just sucked off to another dimension, I'd sell everything and go sleep at the hospital (no joke, a real option for me) for several months, and just 'walk the earth' as my home. I don't need a big-screen TV and a big couch. That's what the pub is for.

We're looking at houses around the area, and I'm scared stiff. No joke.
Click to expand...

A couple of years before me there was a resident who got divorced concurrent with the Match. He drove to town in a VW Westfalia, bought a parking pass and lived in his van for the 3 years of residency (our hospital had a parking lot reserved for RVs), showering in the gym and getting around town on a bike.
 
RustedFox said:
We're looking at houses around the area, and I'm scared stiff. No joke.
Click to expand...

You should be. Domestication is not for wimps. Be scared.

🙂


(I have nothing enlightening to say now. Just stuff like this. I've jumped the shark.)
 
gutonc said:
A couple of years before me there was a resident who got divorced concurrent with the Match. He drove to town in a VW Westfalia, bought a parking pass and lived in his van for the 3 years of residency (our hospital had a parking lot reserved for RVs), showering in the gym and getting around town on a bike.
Click to expand...

To all recent posters: Thanks. You guys keep this joint going.

Now, for realsies: If, all of a sudden, I were a single man... I would ditch my present apartment... it would be a $1500/month sink. 'bed' would be the doc's lounge at work. There's a few private rooms that are NEVER used. I'd set up shop, quick. 'Food' would be whatever the hospital had for me, plus the various *whatever* in the region. There's a supermarket not far, and a few pubs in walking distance.

Wanna watch the ballgame? That's what the pub is for. Ask 'em to turn to your game. They will. Wanna veg-out in some nature? That's what the park is for. I get mad when people that I know say to me - "But, my backyaaaard." fffPFFFttt. You want nature ? Go seek it. Wanna hit some irons? YMCA, beeyotches.

Wanna do... anything else... ?


walk the earth.


just like kane.


a;klsfja[dsijofpaoewijf[pfa'[zwioefj'[AWIOEJF'[Oawiejf'[awioefja'[woeids
 
Birdstrike said:
You should be. Domestication is not for wimps. Be scared.

🙂


(I have nothing enlightening to say now. Just stuff like this. I've jumped the shark.)
Click to expand...


Hey, man - I do the saaaame thing. you can't win the internets. Ready ? Go.


Star Wars is the best, anyone who doesn't agree is sux00rs, LOLZ.

Is there a way to do mostly day shifts and practice FM clinic on teh (sic) side?

Cna (sic) I still do FM and maybe do EM thru a fellowship that will let me do all day shiftgs and have funsies and teh LOLZ wherevers? a;dslkfja;ldskjf

Your turn. Someone pick this up.
 
RustedFox said:
Hey, man - I do the saaaame thing. you can't win the internets. Ready ? Go.


Star Wars is the best, anyone who doesn't agree is sux00rs, LOLZ.

Is there a way to do mostly day shifts and practice FM clinic on teh (sic) side?

Cna (sic) I still do FM and maybe do EM thru a fellowship that will let me do all day shiftgs and have funsies and teh LOLZ wherevers? a;dslkfja;ldskjf

Your turn. Someone pick this up.
Click to expand...

YOur lidestyle sounds idea; for me. Which residency would be the best for me? I assume Harvard, but maybe Yale should be my safety?:luck: I'm halfway through pre-med, so I need to get this figured out A$AP.:scared:
 
WilcoWorld said:
YOur lidestyle sounds idea; for me. Which residency would be the best for me? I assume Harvard, but maybe Yale should be my safety?:luck: I'm halfway through pre-med, so I need to get this figured out A$AP.:scared:
Click to expand...

I can't do LEET speak without getting physically ill, but thought I'd contribute the Parent's Guide to Raising a Future Doctor -

"If you don't eat your vegetables you'll have to go to a Caribbean school"

"No you can't play outside, the Krebs cycle isn't going to learn itself"

"We don't care about the homeless, but you need to have a well-rounded app"

"You're going to live in the backyard for the summer so you can learn how to survive when student loans go up to 18%"
 
Arcan57 said:
I can't do LEET speak without getting physically ill, but thought I'd contribute the Parent's Guide to Raising a Future Doctor -

"If you don't eat your vegetables you'll have to go to a Caribbean school"

"No you can't play outside, the Krebs cycle isn't going to learn itself"

"We don't care about the homeless, but you need to have a well-rounded app"

"You're going to live in the backyard for the summer so you can learn how to survive when student loans go up to 18%"
Click to expand...

Or as my father frequently liked to say to me as motivation,

"Fine. You don't want to do your homework? That's okay, because the world needs plenty of ditch diggers."

...oh, sorry, my bad: "d¡+¢h d¡§§er$"
 
Threeeead hijack cittaaaayyyyy....

(timeout: a lot of effort was put into that "ditch diggers" string, birdstrike.)

You know what we really REALLY need around here ? A revival of the "In-N-Out" jokes. Haven't seen a good in and out burger gag in a loooong time.
 
I just have to put in a plug for my new bed - a big two thumbs up to the Tempur-Pedic. We got the Rhapsody, and none of that adjustable bogus. It's just a bed that is like laying down on a cloud. Really! I don't have bad joints, but my wife has a bad hip, and she's better on it already.

Tempur-pedic, man! Way to go!!
 
Also, we have a Tempur-Pedic knock-off and love it - I'll never go back to springs. Some find them too hot, but I keep my bedroom at 68 degrees, so that's not a problem for me.
 
WilcoWorld said:
Also, we have a Tempur-Pedic knock-off and love it - I'll never go back to springs. Some find them too hot, but I keep my bedroom at 68 degrees, so that's not a problem for me.
Click to expand...

i'm scared of the hotness... live in the south, keeping my room at 68 degrees is almost impossible unless the room is boarded off. i call my room my cave, but it faces the sun part of the day 🙁 so i can't keep it cooler than the rest of the house.

my fancy light shield for day sleeping is the ultra high-tech old Tshirt...
 
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