Nightshift experiences?

[Riff Raff]

Couple of nightshifts a week is fine - we do 2 day shifts, then 2 nights then 4 off. I do tend to be grumpier on my nights due to lack of sleep. It's hard to sleep during the day, but as it's only 2 nights I can cope. Don't think I'd be able to do more than that tho. Plus Jimmy gets severe separation anxiety and becomes really pathetic - not good for his manly image!!!

[Number One]

drunk girls flashing titties so they could use the toilets all sorts

Gawd woman! Don't tell him that...he'll be off to work in a gas station on nightshift next

[Trudes]

I'd miss you in our bed at night.

I would say that would be the best part of it.... ahhhhh, sprawl..... and no farting or scratching and duvet stealing.... bliss!!

[fireball]

Gawd woman! Don't tell him that...he'll be off to work in a gas station on nightshift next

the pay isnt half bad either..... if i was single i would prob go back to it and back to uni

[Number One]

no farting or scratching and duvet stealing.... bliss!!

cough cough...erm yeah, oh of course there'd be none of that stuff going on if he wasn't in the bed

...shhhh he might send me off to work nightshifts you paint an attractive picture

[Mr Merde]

I worked for 3 years on Night shift

Started at 8pm and finished at 8 am

4 days on and 4 days off

Never had any problem sleeping.

Got home about 9am, went to bed, woke up about 4pm

On the last day I had to travel home by train 130 miles. Dozed on the train. Got home about 11am. Forced myself to stay awake as long as possible then crashed. Next day all OK.

Takes a bit of getting used to but it worked for me.

[caesius]

I worked 6pm-6am at a juice factory for quite a long time. I didn't have any troubles but I watched my colleagues drop like flies. It just doesn't agree with some people.

I made a point of coming home, having breakfast (yes I still told my mind it was breakfast) and going straight to sleep. If you don't sleep the first day, you'll DEFINITELY sleep the second.

Oh and unplug the phone before you hit the hay. Otherwise...

[Ocean1]

I did 3 rotating shifts for years, as the others have said some manage completely without a problem and others can't handle it. Lets face it the night shift's the problem, either you can sleep after a shift or you can't. I never had a problem sleeping, (well, no more than usual) and never noticed any performance issues at work or elsewhere.

Some shift patterns are much better than others, 3 shifts rotating forwards in one of the more common set-ups, and one of the most disruptive. There's definitely an age related thing there too, it seems to affect people more as they get older.

[Str8 Jacket]

There's definitely an age related thing there too, it seems to affect people more as they get older.

And lets face it Sully, you aint getting any younger....

[owner]

night shift as a truckie is great for me 3 years running as I can sleep at work sometimes so I dont get traffic hassles and am free to ride my bike when I get home

[Her_C4]

I did 3 rotating shifts for years, as the others have said some manage completely without a problem and others can't handle it. Lets face it the night shift's the problem, either you can sleep after a shift or you can't. I never had a problem sleeping, (well, no more than usual) and never noticed any performance issues at work or elsewhere.

Some shift patterns are much better than others, 3 shifts rotating forwards in one of the more common set-ups, and one of the most disruptive. There's definitely an age related thing there too, it seems to affect people more as they get older.

So did I 6am - 2pm; 2pm to 10 pm; 10pm - 6am. Then we had several 8am - 5pm shifts as well. In the past some people were able to negotiate their rostered responsibilities and others had permanent or semi permanent night shift because it suited them. In the middle of a (usual) 8 week stint of nights though you would break and have 2 random 8am - 5pm shifts and then back onto nights. On the random day shifts I basically walked around like a zombie and then spent the following week suffering from an acute lack of sleep, (and could have easily put myself and my workmates at risk!!). Over time the roster was standardised and became cyclic so that you knew which roster was coming up and your body clock adjusted moving forwards.

At the time, I was a solo parent with two teenage boys and studying extramurally for a double degree. If I said that it was hard on everyone that would be a major understatement.

On the other side of the coin the times we had together were irreplaceable and we learnt to value the time the time we had together as a family unit. We made an issue out of 'off days' and tried to do things together that we may not have done or been able to do had I been working days all the time. Everyone had a job to do to ensure that the wheels ran smoothly, and mostly that worked well.

It helped that I am a 'nightowl' type of person, and relished the house to myself during the day, a set of earplugs and the bliss of deciding how to spend my day, with whom and where while the rest of the world was working.

Ability to sleep varied depending on what happened during the shift and if I was energised and hyped when I got home then I would come home, get breakfast for the boys, do some housework, study, go shopping, make dinner/ snacks and pop off to bed when my body told me I needed to sleep.

Alternatively if it was a quiet night, I would come home pick up the notes that the boys had left for me, check in and go straight to bed grabbing the earplugs on the way. When I got up I was able to go and pick them up from school, go to there sports events, take them shopping etc etc none of which I would have been able to do had I been 8 - 5 every day.

In my experience, eventually you and those around you fall into a kind of rhythm and you accept the good along with the bad and it all kinda gels.

[robertydog]

I work a 4 on 4 off 12hr rotating shift.

So i work 4 days at 12hrs then have 4 days off then work 4 nights at 12 hrs then back to days etc. Starting work at either 06.00am or 18.00hrs.

Took a while to get used to the sleep patterns but im away now. Being doing it for about 3 years now. Sucks in the summer when you are trying to sleep in the heat.

[Daffyd]

The first 10 years are the worst, but be happy. Once you finish it only takes 5 years to get back to normal.
Speaking from 12 years of experience.

[NZsarge]

I've been on the receiving end of living with someone doing nightshift.

It got to the point where it was me or the nightshift.

If makes total psychos out of normal people.

It will age you prematurely, make you prone to a variety of cancers and mental disorders, and you will never, ever have time or energy to do "normal" stuff that people take for granted.

Been doing nightshift 20 years in april.
Dunno about making people phycho but definetly some of the above for sure

[DingoZ]

Have never had a 9-5 kind of job

Always worked shift work

Started off on a 7 day 8 hour rotating shift - 7 Days 2 off & Afternoons 2 Off then 7 nights and 3 off. Sucked big time.....Hardly felt like we got any time away from work....

Then came a 12 hour rotating roster 2 days 2 off 3 nights 3 off then 3 days, 2 off, 2 nights 2 off then it started again. Basically if you worked a monday + tuesday one week you had mon +tues off the next week, then the following it would fall on one of your three days or three nights on.....Much easier to read on paper....

This was okay. Got a fair time away from work. The guys/gals with families said they got more time with them than the first roster which I guess is a big thing for people with kids....

Then a variety of jobs, linehaul truck driving. Loved the night shift swaps. Start at six, finish around 4 - 5 in the morning. Home, stay up for an hour or so, go to sleep (earplugs,cause it was a noisy neighbourhood, and yes you do get used to sleeping with earplugs in)....Then up to have something to eat, and off to work again.........Weekends with the partner (she worked fulltime during the day). All good....

Now the job I am in is shift work again. 9.5hours per shift 6 on 4 off. 2 Days - 2 Lates - 2 Nights then 4 off. Love it. Get enough sleep. 4 days off is a bonus. Gives the body time to recharge.

Just got to be aware of trying to change your sleeping patterns, along with your eating patterns. If you can, try to keep the eating patterns around the same time. If you going to eat while on night shift - the time you would normally be asleep, eat a light meal, and keep it small in size... Try and avoid coffee in the last few hours of your shift. and when first starting a new shift pattern. Don't force yourself to get sleep. If you can't sleep, get up for 30 mins walk around, do something else, then go back and try again.

Got some literature iif you want it on the whole body clock rearrange thing. As well as hints and tips and things you can do to deal with shift work. PM me if ya want it and I'll flick it to you..

One last thing though. Would not go to normal working hours if you paid me squillions. It's not for me...... As other people have said above, shift work suits some and some it doesn't


Cheers

Andrew