all u guys on 3rd shift or swingshifts

[brucebanner]

for all u guys who work 3rd shift or swingshifts i need help. i work 3rd shift fri,sat, and sunday nights 7-7. im off the rest of the week. my problem is after 9 years on this shift i cannot get to sleep during the week. ive tried every sleep pill i can think of including ambien and nothing helps. it only makes me drunk feeling. i only average about 4-5 hrs sleep a day which i know is hurting my gains. any advice or sleep aids u guys use that i can try would be appreciated.

 

[N623]

That's my shift in the ER. Been working nights since 78, with the exception of some scattered years on other shifts. Darken your room as best you can, sparing no expense is a great help. Try some valerian root caps or camomile tea, and keep your cool when people make noise. No matter what bro, people just don't understand nightshift. Earplugs work, but uncomfortable. Try a fan for white noise. if you discover a better way, let me know. For those bad runs and I mean when you start getting only 2-3 hours, Nyquil works. Drugged sleep is better than none, I guess. Best of luck!

 

[j4ever]

n623 gave good ideas,i have been working 7p-7a for about 6 years now and i have often wondered how my crappy sleep effects my gains,as far as sleeping when im off i dont care anymore if i go to sleep at a decent hour cool but if im up all night i will stay in bed to whenever but unlike many folks i do not have any children.

 

[scott j]

i have two ways, on totally safe, and one not as healthy that i did when i was younger, but you can make your own decision as to that.... I have tried everything from the doc, such as ambien, seroquil, lunesta, but they gave me that hangover feeling in the morning. two surefire ways are---- go to walgreens and get melatonin, about 90 pills for 8 dollars. only takes one each night, totally safe and really works... the other is take 4 tylenol P.M. and do about 4 tablespoons of Nyquil at the same time. I dont recommend this but it works. use at own discretion. good luck.

 

[Newman]

Earplugs work, but uncomfortable.

I've been welding nightshift for 4 years.

Keys to using earplugs for sleeping:

1. Trim 3/16" off of the fat end of the earplug so that you don't get an earache from sleeping on your side.

2. Don't re-use disposable earplugs for more than a week or so. They are meant to be tossed out after each use in a dirty industrial environment, but you can stretch them out a little longer in a clean environment if you are clean & carefull.

3. Always wash your hands before putting your plugs in.

4. After you get out of the shower, GENTLY use Q-tips to clean your ears out. Watch nobody bumps your elbow while you've got the Q-tip in your ear, or the pain will send you to the moon.

5. Use only the tapered/molded earplugs. The cylindrical ones are much less comfortable than the tapered conical ones.

I prefer a brand called Howard Leight. They come paired in sterile packs.

 

[boondocksmuscle]

I work that shift in the ER as well and the best advice i can give is to get into some sort of routine for going to sleep. Are you wanting to stay up all night all week and sleep during the day or are you wanting to get back to a normal sleep pattern of sleeping at night during the week? I'm guessing it's the second but either way, find your routine. Don't eat, read, or watch tv in bed. Since I have some real flexibility issues I've started stretching at night for 15-20 minutes, taking a shower, then hitting the sack. I very rarely have trouble sleeping since doing this.

Also, when you can't sleep, don't just lay in bed and toss and turn. Get up and go read or watch tv in a different room. Your bedroom should be a place where as soon as you shut the door and lay down you're automatically relaxed.

 

[Iceman1800]

Do you make sure there is no phone in your room? Also, I used two fans while I slept to block out noise. You want to make sure you block as much light as you can using shades or blinds if possible. I was on midnights for 7 years and it was rough.

 

[N623]

Also, when you can't sleep, don't just lay in bed and toss and turn. Get up and go read or watch tv in a different room. Your bedroom should be a place where as soon as you shut the door and lay down you're automatically relaxed.[/QUOTE]



Excellent advice

 

[fbxdan]

I work one week on, one week off 12 hour shifts. It rotates from one week I do 6am-6pm, have a week off and then the next week 6pm-6am. I find on the night shifts its very hard to sleep. Especially up here as it is daylight close to 21 hours a day. The only thing that helps me is after work I go straight to bed, and don't do anything else. I have dark curtains, put ear plugs in and a face mask and just try to sleep. It does wear on you going back and forth after awhile. Then on my off weeks usually I catch on alot of sleep because I'm just doing personal training.

 

[bigfatandugly]

i work swing shift as well- 11pm to 7:30 am.

what works best for me is to come home at 7:30 am and go directly to bed and sleep until i wake up naturally- this could be 3 hours, or as many as 6. the key is staying in bed until your body says it's rested. don't over sleep, or under sleep.

i'll then set about my daily routine of training etc.

then about 6 or 7 pm i'll go and have a nap for 3 hours until 10pm when i get up and return to work.

i absolutely love this shift, whereas most hate it. i find i have enough hours in the day and i am fresh enough to do what i need to do when i awake, and the 2-3 hour nap before work helps keep me alert and awake thru my entire shift.

the key is getting your body to adapt to the schedule as it will fight to do so as being awake during those hours disrupts your circadian rhythms. once your body is used to sleeping those waking hours, your set.

BFU

 

[Big Bapper]

I worked rotating shifts and its makes a big difference than working nights only. I use to try to get people of the other two shifts, so I could have some routein. But that was when I was single, dont think I could get away with it now my daughter is about.

The shifts were
6am-2pm
2pm-11pm
11pm-6am

My shft changed every week. In the end hooked on GHB for sleep, that was over 10 years ago. GHB is very addictive drug, caused me alott of problems.

 

[K1]

Try a fan for white noise.

This is the only thing that somewhat works for me right now.....