At the time that I’m writing this, I’ve been working on day shift for six months now. I’m searching for my next contract and would honestly like to go back to night shift! I’ve done night shift for ten years and there’s a lot to love- the vibe is more relaxed, you often have nights with more downtime, the people that work night shift are always awesome- I could go on and on! With that being said, working overnight shifts is a huge adjustment. Even if you’re a natural night owl like I am, you still have to figure out a routine, and it does take some getting used to. Here are my tips on how to survive night shift.
Schedule
If you have any control over your schedule, it is best to stack your shifts in a row- three in a row, with four off. It’s not always possible, and I also avoided doing this for the longest time. Three shifts in a row is exhausting! I’ve never done more than four in a row. I only stack four in a row if it’s before something important- like a vacation- so I can really maximize the number of days I have off.
I’ll sleep like normal the night before a night shift, wake up and do stuff with my husband and kids, then take a nap around 2:00 PM until about 4:00 PM. I then wake up and drink my coffee and do my normal ‘morning’ routine of getting ready. After this first night shift- if your shifts are stacked- you can then work, go home and sleep your 6-8 hours, then rinse and repeat until it’s over. On that last day when my stretch is over- it’s a true lazy day. I don’t stay awake or take a nap then try to function as normal. I will usually sleep until around 3:00 PM then get up and just take it easy then go to bed that night at a normal time.
Blackout Curtains
It is an absolute MUST to make your room as dark as possible. I completely close my room darkening blinds, and then I layer blackout curtains on top of it. I always do my curtains floor to ceiling length (hanging my curtain rods high and wide). Aesthetically, this makes windows appear much larger and grander. The larger curtains also provide more coverage when closed. On large windows, I use two panels on each side. I have these curtain panels from IKEA. These exact ones are technically considered ‘room darkening’, but they provide exactly enough darkness, and I love the way they look. IKEA also has options that are labeled as ‘black out’. I love ordering from them because they have a variety of curtain lengths and they are sold on packs of two.
White Noise
I have been using a white noise machine for so long that I can not sleep when things are perfectly silent. This comes with me everywhere I go, including hotels. I always use this white noise sound machine from Amazon and pair it with a fan of some sort. I have a ceiling fan at home, and my last Airbnb had a ceiling fan as well. Since my current Airbnb does not have one, I bought these bedside fans to keep on the nightstands- this adds to the white noise. I also need things to be pretty cold to sleep! A nice, dark cold cave. The fans definitely help with that.
Ideal Housing
This one may or may not be something you can control. I have always opted for apartments or Airbnbs on the top floor so that no one is above me. Noise can transfer pretty easily from people walking and living overhead, so I’ve always carefully selected housing on the top floor to optimize peace and quiet. My house in Colorado is pretty quiet because of its location. When I’m home, there’s never as much noise to worry about.
Sleep Aids
Any issues I’ve ever had with sleeping always end up being from anxiety- not the actual ability to fall asleep. I know a nurse who had Xanax on hand for this purpose, though it’s not really a great long term solution. I’ve tried a lot of things to help me sleep when my anxiety takes over. The one that works best for me is Unisom. I was actually given this along with B6 for nausea during both my pregnancies, but I quickly discovered that it is also used as a sleep aid. It was never really effective as an anti-nausea medication. Maybe it works because you can’t notice your nausea if you’re sleeping? Anyway, since I was introduced to this, it’s been my absolute go-to for sleeping between shifts. I take it to sleep between day shifts too. There are two different versions sold over the counter- the one that I take is the version with doxylamine succinate. I only need to take half of one to sleep really well and not wake up groggy in the morning or afternoon, depending which shift it is.
Work
Work is usually fine until you hit the witching hour- 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM seems to be when everyone struggles. I recommend bringing a variety of snacks and your favorite coffee/tea/energy drink/beverage of choice. Some of the funniest and most interesting conversations happen on night shift. It’s always a treat when you have some pretty hilarious and entertaining coworkers to keep you awake!
On a side note, I’ve become so used to all of the things I need to sleep during the day that I still use them for sleeping at a normal time- before day shifts, on vacation, etc. I hope this was helpful in teaching you how to survive night shift!
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