I worked night shift for 8 years. I loved the teamwork that you will only find among night shift nurses. My best sleep tip was to go to bed just as soon as I got home and to sleep up to 8 hours straight, then once awake, don't go back to sleep. Breaking up the sleep, left me more irritable. I totally agree with you that sleeping with a sleep mask is a must. Totally agree with you on the eating regimen. Of course, working the day shift is more consistent with a normal life, but day shift nurses do not work together as well with each other, as the night shift nurses do. There is also more down time on the night shift, compared with the day shift. Night shift can be rough on your body, but sometimes it's easier on your stress level at work, especially if you are working with a good crew. Nursing is hard work, whether you work days or nights or staff or nurse practitioner. Nursing is so demanding that I believe that nurses should start out making $100,000 a year. For all that we do and have to put up with, a six-figure salary to start is very reasonable. Thanks for your tips, Liz, they are very useful and you really keep it "REAL".
I worked night shift at my first job in human services. I didn’t last long in that particular job, but I agree with lots of what you said. I slept from 8am-4pm and would be at the gym by 4:30pm. Then I’d eat and hang out until around 9pm because I had work at 10pm. I’d get off at 6:30pm. The one thing I did do different was if I was going to start my weekend, I’d stay up my last workday until like 4pm and would wake up at 6am/6:30am the next morning. But I agree - go to bed first.
I just started nights January 1st. Been a nurse for 5 years all days however. I'm loving it and have actually not had any issues with sleeping. I'm surprised but I'm loving it!!!
This is very true about always waking up at 1pm! It always happens to me no matter what time I fall asleep. I try not to do task after leaving work but sometimes it’s hard
I'm gonna start in a few days. I'm actually scared since many people told me that is detrimental for your body... I have no clues at all... I feel scared and excited at the same time. Brilliant video and really helpful 😊
Hope it worked out. I'm a year or so in working nights. It's not been too bad. I've found It's about striking a healthy balance of sleep/hydration/healthy nourishment on these shifts + exercise and relaxing a little on your days off. My health has been fine. Vitamins, cod liver tabs ect will help boost your immune system. Also I've tried a second job during this. Try and avoid if poss as you may find you will burn out hard as I did.
Nurse Liz I gonna be starting third soon my sleeping habits are ready not normal I wake up at 3 am naturally because of my day job I’m a runner on my spare time so I have plenty of energy I’m hearing horror stories from about third shift so I’m getting scared please gimme advice
Great content! Thank you. What you said made a lot of sense to me. I've only done 2 night shifts in a row so far, like you said, the first night I'm running on adrenaline, the second night was really hard. And then I go to bed right after I get home, wake up at 1:00 and try my hardest to go back to sleep. I'm curious to try the 3rd night in a row and see if that last night is better.
Working a nightshift is a scam. I worked a night shift for 3 years. Felt miserable and pointles after year one. They have to pay you atleast 3x the day shift salary in order for all of the bs to be worth it. And forget about your personal life. Such a thing doesnt exist while you are on a night shift.
3x what they pay the day shift??? Yeah that's never going to happen. It's unfortunate you had such a bad experience with night shift but unfortunately for a lot of people just starting out, that's what is offered. And some grow to love it!
@†ANGÉ|† I don't know how many days you'll be working a week, but you do adjust. Get blackout curtains to assure you get good sleep, eat well, take plenty of vitamins like vitamin C and D especially, hydrate, and you'll be fine. It is some serious shit at first though, not gonna lie lol. But good luck!
Yes these are helpful. I do three twelve hour shifts. Week three and I’m so burned out and I am zapped emotionally and physically. I’m a counselor and do crisis intervention on the phone. Also I am a full time doctoral student. Omg 😮 what was I thinking?????
I work shift work, day shift to night shift. I find if I have my last coffee at around 12am, and keep busy I can get through no problem it's just the 45min drive home I start drifting.
Great video! I just graduated my LPN program and got offered a full time overnight position. I'm so excited to start! Just gotta take my NCLEX! Thank you for the video!
The drive home is the most difficult. I work at a casino. Coffee is free there so that helps. Have a coffee before the shift and a coffee an hour before your shift ends. Not the healthiest but it works
This is unfortunately the thing I dread most about becoming a nurse. I worked as a nurse's aide on persistent nights and it really messed with me sometimes. It took hours to get to bed and I had my first panic attack after a shift one time because I just could not get to bed due to sleep anxiety. I dreaded bedtime for months after. Yeah, not good. I'm sure there are ways to ease into it better, but it's going to be a serious challenge. I hope it's not one that will prematurely end a career I've worked so hard to acquire.
I just started night shift as a care partner at the hospital, and holy moly you aren't wrong the second night was harder for sleepiness, but it was easier on the drive home not sure why that is lol for my orientation period my schedule is really weird, but i hope that i will be able to have 3 in a rows for most of my schedule...thank you for this informative video (I keep going back to your older videos because they are just so helpful currently :))
Do you have any advice for if you work nights and aren’t scheduled for 3 day stretches? Like what if you are scheduled for every other day? Should you sleep regularly on your off nights but then how do you readjust for night shift. I’m so worried about this lol
Oh gosh. Every other day is worst case scenario. I talked with my supervisor/scheduler and asked to have to do that as little as possible because it’s impossible for sleep! If I did have one on one off then one on I would sleep naps when I got home in the am. Then at night. And wasted my “day off” sleeping basically
Nurse Liz thank you for your reply! I’m starting my first job as a grab nurse and just want to be prepared for the possibility of this happening. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this!
Nurse Liz I’m not a nurse but this is exactly what’s happening to me 🙄 plus they’ll put me two days of day shift, then two days graveyard then back to day with one day off. It’s so messed up.. I don’t understand what they expect me to do.
I just found your channel and I'm subscribing right now! I have a 5yo and 7yo in school, I'm waiting to hear if I'm accepted into a BSN dual enrollment, and I just was offered a 630pm-7am acute care CNA job for 3 days a week. I want to go for it but I'm scared bc I've never worked overnight!
i changed my swing shift to nights i am 54 years old i almost die from panic attacks and high anxiety, could not sleep and one day i had an ambien and i went to buy me some groceries i don't know how i got to that market? i know i drove there but suddenly i was driving home with all the stuff i got. I was terrified because i could not remember how i got up and drove and buy stuff that i was wanting to buy but is Organic Groceries. I used to drive by that store but i always was thinking some day i will give me a lil gift and get some food there and i did but as a Zombie and i got organics chapsticks, organic almonds, organic dry mango, and Ezequiel bread LOL:) Good thing i did not go to make myself some botox or building my asscheeks uplifting i meant LOL
So, being a person that newly works a graveyard shift (factory worker), I pretty much do all the things explained in this vid prior to watching it. That being said, I can vouch for almost all of these tips as they helped me to adjust to my new job/shift. One thing I do differently, however, is the night prior to the work day, I like to sleep early (around 9pm for me) that night. Then, Oversleep the morning. I tend not to get out of bed until around 11 or 12:00. 1:00pm if I really don't have anything to do before going in for my shift. Then, by all means, I'll get that extra 1-2 hours for a total of about 13 - 15 hours of sleep. That in turn, gives me the energy to power through that first shift of the work days scheduled because I would be fully rested with all the extra sleep I got. In terms of the drive home (if you drive), I can definitely say that "performing a song" on the ride home really helps to keep you awake. Especially if it's a song you like and vibe out to. As long as it's the type of music you listen to when you tryna chill out or sleep to. That'll make things worse. Now, one thing that wasn't given tips of in this video is how to actually survive DURING the shift. If you're like me, you will look at the clock mid shift thinking a good amount of time has passed by. Only to have your spirits crushed seeing how only 2 hours have gone by when what felt like 4 or 5 hours have passed. That being said, I say 1 tip for surviving the shift itself is to not look at the clock at all, or at least not in a constant rate. I found that not looking at the clock and just focusing on your work/activities makes time FEEL like its flying by. If your constantly looking at the clock and notice that only a few minutes or an hour goes by every time you check, your mentally gonna break down because of how slow time is going and will feel a sense of despair because you feel like the shift is never gonna end. So, DON'T LOOK AT THE CLOCK! Another tip goes hand in hand with not looking at the clock, and that's focusing all your attention and giving 100% effort into YOUR WORK. It sounds cliche because your superiors are always telling you that. The reason why you should do this if you don't already is because if you put all your attention into your work and you execute it well, time will go by fast. The reason is that you' re so focused to the point where you lose all consciousness to everything around you. You begin to "tunnel vision" so to speak. When that happens your unaware of the time. As long as you don't overdo it and overwork yourself or else that will bite you in the but at the end of the work shift. If your shift requires you to be social or your given many opportunities to be social with your coworkers. Talk to them!!! Make conversation. Nothing makes time go faster then socializing with people, especially if it's about something general, you can relate to, and/or you have in common about. Even if it's about work itself. This might be easier said than done for introverts but hey, I'm an introvert too and I try to make an effort to talk to my coworkers cause time slips by for me when I engage in conversation. If you work at a job where you can use your phone, browse the internet, watch TH-cam/Netflix, etc. You people got it easy. I would recommend watching documentaries, movies, pretty much anything that spans hours to watch. That's one good way to have time pass by. If you watch small 5 - 10 minute videos, time (despite being able to use your phone or browse the internet) will still feel like it's ticking by very slowly. Anyways, that's my insight on the matter. Hopefully, this was helpful to anybody that is looking to the comments section for further help. I would encourage people to reply and add on what helps THEM with surviving the night shift.
I'm not a greedy person...the opposite....I'm hoping to get this job because it's union if you get the idea because I'm not a greedy person....It goes up to $29.44 per hour in 7 years....but, my worry the epilepsy...and you being a nurse, I'm sure you can appreciate the problem. The neurologist certainly won't like the idea. I'm not sure they are 12s, but I am pretty sure they are going to be. It says night shifts and they start at 5 PM...otherwise it would just be a late 2nd shift. I'd really just be working the evening until 1:30 AM. My mother is going to be worried to death. The problem is I've had status epileticus...more than once...it's a word used in my official diagnosis. ""epilepsy of idiopathic cause with status epilepticus". This is a picking job...not my cup of tea...more clerical, but heck $18.41 per hour. Thank you, Teamsters! I can't request reasonable accommodation, no, unless I am an employee. If after a period, I have trouble, then I can request it and it is reasonable they can do so...it's a lawyer's trick...called casuistry...lying without lying...it's why people hate lawyers. I wanted to be one...actually tried to go back to school, but sadly ran into a financial roadblock. You don't have a legal right to reasonable accommodation, you see, as a job applicant. They cannot ask where you are from in a job interview, but they can ask if you are legally able to work in the USA...which is actually more for legal purposes...there are taxes, etc that have to be done, etc. Usually there where you are from is innocent. People like accents. "So, are you from Russia?" "Oh, no, Bulgaria." That sort of thing. They like the accent and are just interested, but it's illegal for the interviewer to ask, but it is legal to ask if you can work in the US...that's on the application. All these little points. Anyway, God help me. The money is nice. And a union job is nice...though for some, I know they hate unions...but, I always tell people, if you don't go to college, please get a government job, join the military, or get a union job, or trade job...it's your best way to make a living...don't work at McDonalds, not because it's beneath anyone, but because you need to live and you can if you find the write job, like the postal service. All right, that was War and Peace right there. And they lived happy ever after. The End. Napoleon lost and his troops froze to death, but you can get it all in about 15 minutes in the 1812 Overture. Just listen to the finale to wake yourself up and the beginning to put yourself to sleep.
Hi Liz, I’ve done 6 days of 12 hour shifts for 2 weeks. I start 1800-0600 then get home until 0800 and wake up around 1500 then when I’m back at work I feel wide awake without drink coffee or energy drinks. When will I get my sleeping patterns back?
It took me a really long time to find a groove for my body they worked with nightshift. Play around with it and you’ll find what works the best for you! I found a good pattern about 6 months in
Do you work full time and go to NP school? I just started NP school and it’s tough. I work full time now but have no clue how that will work with clinicals
Nicole Stover I worked full time for the first two years of my program, when I was in clinical 0 or 1 day a week. And just like you said, it was ROUGH, but doable. However I didn’t have a kiddo at the time. My third year I started clinical 2 days a week and I cut back to 24 hours. Which is what I’m still doing now with clinical 3-4 days a week. I know one person who is still working full time at this point and she essentially never has days off. Sorry for the long reply! You are doing great! It does get somewhat easier as you get used to your new schedule. Let me know if you have any other questions :)
@@susansmeltzer3001 , only a few months now going well, overnight Security at the gated community I live in :-) I don’t think my body will ever adjust to it only doing two nights per week🤪 it’s kind of like weekly Jetlag🤣
I do 2 days 6am-6pm then 2 nights 6pm-6am then 4 off. Cannot sleep before a 6am start and keep waking up in the middle of the night. Getting to the stage where I am thinking of trying sleeping pills as is getting that bad. Anything you can recommend. What about melatonin?
I don’t know what I’m going to do. I was on the 7-3 shift because I have a 2 year old and school. Idk how the hell im going to manage now, because my job changed my schedule to 11-7 with no ifs, ands, or buts. Idk man.
Angie Onigiri Doesn't your child qualify as a hardship? Some people are much too insensitive to children. I pray it works out, and you're allowed to remain on the day shift. Maybe someone will need the night shift and will want to trade with you. God bless you and your baby. ❤️🌺☺️
❤this Topic/tips! Great video Liz! This is only week 4 on nights (12hr shifts).. I'm not sure it's for me, ...during the day I feel like a ghost👻 ...its like I'm here but really not.. soooo weird and uncomfortable. I'm on Ortho Medsurg, so I'm aaalllways busy during the shift, staying awake isn't a problem at all. Its just this grumpy and uncomfortable aftermath feeling that I hope eventually goes away... Some nurses say give it a few months to adjust, 😣 ..some say you never really do adjust but they just go with it, losing sleep, putting on weight etc etc in avoidance of the "hectic/demanding" day shift 😮 It's just hard, because I wanna feel like myself again, ya know? 😕 How long did it take for you to get into a groove and "adjust"?🤔 -Nikeisha 😊
Keesh73 Oof. I’m sorry your feeling like that during the day! So for the first six months of nights I really resisted sleep and tried to be awake more than I should have. Then I gave up and slept a LOT more and it helped. It probably took me 2 months of tweaking to really find a sleep schedule that worked for me. Are you clumping your days? That helped me a lot too
I am a CNA starting nights...and with a chill nurse and a super nice other CNA, I think it'll be amazing. Edit: tonight is the first night and I brought pizza 🍕🍕🍕
@@NurseLiz it went great! Of course in nursing we don't say the q word, but the night was very relaxed. I hit the wall around 4 am and was so tired doing rounds. Everytime I would check someone I'd be like please be clean...please be clean...please be clean...it went good tho. I work more nights next week.
I can’t just close my eyes and sleep whenever I want too😪 the problem is that I only work nights Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday. So every weekend I have to get re-used to the night shift. Then an hour drive home.
Hey I work night shifts from Saturday to Wednesday night. I go to school on Friday morning 8 to 3pm.. I got dizzy and my heart rate went up and felt pukish. I think i disrupt my sleep cycle.. how do I cope with this pls help me
I'm worried about my commute home because it is an hour through the country!! Does anyone have a long commute on nights? Trying to gather tips to stay alive
I drive 1.5 hours home from two of my hospitals . If you are tired, pull over and lock your doors and sleep. Sometimes I sleep 10 min and I’m fine again, a couple of times I slept like an hour or two and then was fine to continue driving. We had a nurse die on the way home after night shift, so it just not worth it to drive drowsy💔
The question is why to face all these hustles. Why not switch to day shift job as soon as you get the opportunity. Keeping it for long time super unhealthy.
i'm working as an intern, but unfortunately, i have to work in night shift, with the same salary as day shift, after 2 months, it was so terrible. what should i do now?
vee quinto I don’t work out in between 12 hour shifts, but On other days I try to in the evening! Just depends on when I fit it in! Way back in the day when I was super motivated I worked out after I got home in the morning. That didn’t last long 😂
Thanks for the immediate reply. I really have hard time managing schedule to work out. When I'm home I feel like super tired and can sleep more than 16 my first day off. It sucks because I feel like my off day just passes by without recognizing it. I hope you make more video about night shift nurse work and life balance. Thank you so much for your videos. I really love it xoxo ...
vee quinto I definitely feel you on all of that! I usually force myself out of bed after a 4-5 hour nap on that first day to help me flip back and so that I can get some things done! Otherwise you’re right, my body would want to sleep foreverrr
but what do you usually do if you just have one day off? Do you go flip back still? I'm really struggling off days when to sleep and when to eat. It's kinda crazy. One of my coworkers told me that you can't get used to night shift.
vee quinto I think you can definitely get used to nights. I did it for the better part of 6 years, and while it’s an adjustment, you just need to figure out what schedules works for you. When I only have one night off, I sleep for 4-5 hours when I get home. Then stay up until 1-2 am. And sleep until I can during the day (pre-having a kid. That’s all out the door now haha). One night off is awful though! I definitely tried to avoid that at all costs if I could
I really hope you've never actually bitten your dentist! Lol but great tips, especially for staying awake in the car. Those can be adapted to any long or late drive. Thanks!
Lacelynn Creations fortunately I don’t think I’ve ever bitten anyone in sleepy rage haha. But I definitely have fallen asleep during a cleaning and the dental hygienist had to awkwardly poke me awake when my head flopped to the side. Fail.
Ugh I never dealt with that from nights but I’m sorry if you are 😖. Definitely something to bring up with your healthcare provider! Hope it gets better
@@mihimmohammed9149 that's not true at all. When I wake up around 4 I eat then workout spend time with my wife for 5 hours. On my off days I keep to work schedule sleep. When I wake at 4 we eat dinner,go see a movie go to the lake and enjoy life
Hate the self obsessed assumption that only the nursing fraternity do night shifts. I work nights in residential child care with young people who can/do physically assault staff on a daily basis or who self harm....and I certainly don't get paid as much as nurses. It would be much easier to endure night shifts if I was paid as much as s nurse!
Maria Weitz I can completely relate to this 😂. We got married and then I started nights two weeks later. I was pretty impressed he didn’t leave me haha
I worked night shift for 8 years. I loved the teamwork that you will only find among night shift nurses. My best sleep tip was to go to bed just as soon as I got home and to sleep up to 8 hours straight, then once awake, don't go back to sleep. Breaking up the sleep, left me more irritable. I totally agree with you that sleeping with a sleep mask is a must. Totally agree with you on the eating regimen. Of course, working the day shift is more consistent with a normal life, but day shift nurses do not work together as well with each other, as the night shift nurses do. There is also more down time on the night shift, compared with the day shift. Night shift can be rough on your body, but sometimes it's easier on your stress level at work, especially if you are working with a good crew. Nursing is hard work, whether you work days or nights or staff or nurse practitioner. Nursing is so demanding that I believe that nurses should start out making $100,000 a year. For all that we do and have to put up with, a six-figure salary to start is very reasonable. Thanks for your tips, Liz, they are very useful and you really keep it "REAL".
Totally agree about how day shift is way more individual. Not a fan!.
Not die when you drive home🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Audra Weber for real though haha
That's so real.
Literally me this morning. Lol
😂😂
Omg so true
I am on night shift now. The first one is always the hardest! The second one is not too bad. 😊
Hope tomorrow night is better!
It gets only worse not better, I am a night shifter
I worked night shift at my first job in human services. I didn’t last long in that particular job, but I agree with lots of what you said. I slept from 8am-4pm and would be at the gym by 4:30pm. Then I’d eat and hang out until around 9pm because I had work at 10pm. I’d get off at 6:30pm. The one thing I did do different was if I was going to start my weekend, I’d stay up my last workday until like 4pm and would wake up at 6am/6:30am the next morning. But I agree - go to bed first.
I just started nights January 1st. Been a nurse for 5 years all days however. I'm loving it and have actually not had any issues with sleeping. I'm surprised but I'm loving it!!!
Yay! That’s awesome! Best of luck with everything!
@@NurseLiz thank you!!! Big change from long term care to hospital as well
How to survive my night shift: lots of coffee and self hatred
Coffee is a life saver for sure
And depression lol
That self hatred would put me to bed cause I want to ignore everything
This is very true about always waking up at 1pm! It always happens to me no matter what time I fall asleep. I try not to do task after leaving work but sometimes it’s hard
its like a 1 pm curse
KesandraC same here! I CANNOT go back to sleep once I wake up at 1.
Ps my sister is a RN nurse for baby unit in indiana. She works a 12 hr night shift. God bless the nurses love them all
Awesome!
Can u make a video of what u do on your day off. Your the best and very funny
Next week I start a 20:30-6:30 shift in a hospital that’s 4 in a row, so I appreciate this video! Thank you
Best of luck to you!!
I’ve got my first ever night shift tomorrow and I’m trying to mentally prepare. Wish me luck!
I'm gonna start in a few days. I'm actually scared since many people told me that is detrimental for your body... I have no clues at all... I feel scared and excited at the same time. Brilliant video and really helpful 😊
Cancer, diabetes, MS, you name it-you can get it! Keep one foot in another job. Trust me-do not go full-time!
Hope it worked out. I'm a year or so in working nights. It's not been too bad. I've found It's about striking a healthy balance of sleep/hydration/healthy nourishment on these shifts + exercise and relaxing a little on your days off. My health has been fine. Vitamins, cod liver tabs ect will help boost your immune system.
Also I've tried a second job during this. Try and avoid if poss as you may find you will burn out hard as I did.
I start night shift tonight (not nursing but still night shift) and I’m so nervous!! Thanks for the tips!!
Hope it goes well!
Nurse Liz I gonna be starting third soon my sleeping habits are ready not normal I wake up at 3 am naturally because of my day job I’m a runner on my spare time so I have plenty of energy I’m hearing horror stories from about third shift so I’m getting scared please gimme advice
Me too. Trying not to stress about it.
Thank you for all of the tips Liz! I’ve watched three of your videos and they are so helpful as well as well done. 💕
Great content! Thank you. What you said made a lot of sense to me. I've only done 2 night shifts in a row so far, like you said, the first night I'm running on adrenaline, the second night was really hard. And then I go to bed right after I get home, wake up at 1:00 and try my hardest to go back to sleep. I'm curious to try the 3rd night in a row and see if that last night is better.
Working a nightshift is a scam. I worked a night shift for 3 years. Felt miserable and pointles after year one. They have to pay you atleast 3x the day shift salary in order for all of the bs to be worth it. And forget about your personal life. Such a thing doesnt exist while you are on a night shift.
Sorry you had such a rough experience with it!
oh no :( i just took a night shift job as a new nurse it was kinda all they had..
3x what they pay the day shift??? Yeah that's never going to happen. It's unfortunate you had such a bad experience with night shift but unfortunately for a lot of people just starting out, that's what is offered. And some grow to love it!
@†ANGÉ|† Don't. You adjust, it's not that bad and it pays more. You honestly get used to it!
@†ANGÉ|† I don't know how many days you'll be working a week, but you do adjust. Get blackout curtains to assure you get good sleep, eat well, take plenty of vitamins like vitamin C and D especially, hydrate, and you'll be fine. It is some serious shit at first though, not gonna lie lol. But good luck!
Yes these are helpful. I do three twelve hour shifts. Week three and I’m so burned out and I am zapped emotionally and physically. I’m a counselor and do crisis intervention on the phone. Also I am a full time doctoral student. Omg 😮 what was I thinking?????
That Is a ton going on! Hang in there.
I work shift work, day shift to night shift. I find if I have my last coffee at around 12am, and keep busy I can get through no problem it's just the 45min drive home I start drifting.
that drive is brutal
Great video! I just graduated my LPN program and got offered a full time overnight position. I'm so excited to start! Just gotta take my NCLEX! Thank you for the video!
congratulations on your graduation and job!! So awesome
Hope it's going well!
The drive home is the most difficult. I work at a casino. Coffee is free there so that helps. Have a coffee before the shift and a coffee an hour before your shift ends. Not the healthiest but it works
This is unfortunately the thing I dread most about becoming a nurse. I worked as a nurse's aide on persistent nights and it really messed with me sometimes. It took hours to get to bed and I had my first panic attack after a shift one time because I just could not get to bed due to sleep anxiety. I dreaded bedtime for months after. Yeah, not good.
I'm sure there are ways to ease into it better, but it's going to be a serious challenge. I hope it's not one that will prematurely end a career I've worked so hard to acquire.
there are other shifts available as well!! That sounds awful :(
I just started night shift as a care partner at the hospital, and holy moly you aren't wrong the second night was harder for sleepiness, but it was easier on the drive home not sure why that is lol
for my orientation period my schedule is really weird, but i hope that i will be able to have 3 in a rows for most of my schedule...thank you for this informative video (I keep going back to your older videos because they are just so helpful currently :))
Fingers crossed for ya! Also congrats on the new job!
@@NurseLiz thank you so much!! I am so happy and excited for this awesome new journey I am on :)
I read that drinking coffee is not good about 4-5 hours prior to trying to sleep is not good because you will not be able to sleep.
I did 6:30am-11:30am up till 4:30pm then sleep till 7:30pm. I needed to have time during the day to do things.
super imprressed you could split it like that!
Really enjoyed this video. Starting mine in 1 hour. 12 hours per shift 5 days on the bounce. Cannot wait
Glad it was helpful! Good luck!
How do you feel after 3 years? 🤔
I'm 34 weeks pregnant so I'm not sleeping at night that great anyhow. Lol!
My husband works nights so I use that time to clean house and relax.
Hey, whatever works, right?! Congrats on the new little!
Do you have any advice for if you work nights and aren’t scheduled for 3 day stretches? Like what if you are scheduled for every other day? Should you sleep regularly on your off nights but then how do you readjust for night shift. I’m so worried about this lol
Oh gosh. Every other day is worst case scenario. I talked with my supervisor/scheduler and asked to have to do that as little as possible because it’s impossible for sleep! If I did have one on one off then one on I would sleep naps when I got home in the am. Then at night. And wasted my “day off” sleeping basically
Nurse Liz thank you for your reply! I’m starting my first job as a grab nurse and just want to be prepared for the possibility of this happening. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this!
Nurse Liz I’m not a nurse but this is exactly what’s happening to me 🙄 plus they’ll put me two days of day shift, then two days graveyard then back to day with one day off. It’s so messed up.. I don’t understand what they expect me to do.
Thanks to your video it helps me a lot as a security guard in the phillippines
I just found your channel and I'm subscribing right now! I have a 5yo and 7yo in school, I'm waiting to hear if I'm accepted into a BSN dual enrollment, and I just was offered a 630pm-7am acute care CNA job for 3 days a week. I want to go for it but I'm scared bc I've never worked overnight!
I reccomend the blackout sheets and buy a fan that makes a loud noise motor wise..thank me later
Great video!! Peppermints on the way home really help me!
Resetting the body clock is so hard, I end up staying up for 24 hours to go back into day mode. I hope the moneys worth it in nursing
i changed my swing shift to nights i am 54 years old i almost die from panic attacks and high anxiety, could not sleep and one day i had an ambien and i went to buy me some groceries i don't know how i got to that market? i know i drove there but suddenly i was driving home with all the stuff i got. I was terrified because i could not remember how i got up and drove and buy stuff that i was wanting to buy but is Organic Groceries. I used to drive by that store but i always was thinking some day i will give me a lil gift and get some food there and i did but as a Zombie and i got organics chapsticks, organic almonds, organic dry mango, and Ezequiel bread LOL:) Good thing i did not go to make myself some botox or building my asscheeks uplifting i meant LOL
ohhh my goodness! thats terrifying! Ambien does wild things to people.
I’ve been dealing with depression and just felt burned out from work.
Facts about waking up at 1pm it never fails
So, being a person that newly works a graveyard shift (factory worker), I pretty much do all the things explained in this vid prior to watching it. That being said, I can vouch for almost all of these tips as they helped me to adjust to my new job/shift. One thing I do differently, however, is the night prior to the work day, I like to sleep early (around 9pm for me) that night. Then, Oversleep the morning. I tend not to get out of bed until around 11 or 12:00. 1:00pm if I really don't have anything to do before going in for my shift. Then, by all means, I'll get that extra 1-2 hours for a total of about 13 - 15 hours of sleep. That in turn, gives me the energy to power through that first shift of the work days scheduled because I would be fully rested with all the extra sleep I got. In terms of the drive home (if you drive), I can definitely say that "performing a song" on the ride home really helps to keep you awake. Especially if it's a song you like and vibe out to. As long as it's the type of music you listen to when you tryna chill out or sleep to. That'll make things worse.
Now, one thing that wasn't given tips of in this video is how to actually survive DURING the shift. If you're like me, you will look at the clock mid shift thinking a good amount of time has passed by. Only to have your spirits crushed seeing how only 2 hours have gone by when what felt like 4 or 5 hours have passed. That being said, I say 1 tip for surviving the shift itself is to not look at the clock at all, or at least not in a constant rate. I found that not looking at the clock and just focusing on your work/activities makes time FEEL like its flying by. If your constantly looking at the clock and notice that only a few minutes or an hour goes by every time you check, your mentally gonna break down because of how slow time is going and will feel a sense of despair because you feel like the shift is never gonna end. So, DON'T LOOK AT THE CLOCK! Another tip goes hand in hand with not looking at the clock, and that's focusing all your attention and giving 100% effort into YOUR WORK. It sounds cliche because your superiors are always telling you that. The reason why you should do this if you don't already is because if you put all your attention into your work and you execute it well, time will go by fast. The reason is that you' re so focused to the point where you lose all consciousness to everything around you. You begin to "tunnel vision" so to speak. When that happens your unaware of the time. As long as you don't overdo it and overwork yourself or else that will bite you in the but at the end of the work shift. If your shift requires you to be social or your given many opportunities to be social with your coworkers. Talk to them!!! Make conversation. Nothing makes time go faster then socializing with people, especially if it's about something general, you can relate to, and/or you have in common about. Even if it's about work itself. This might be easier said than done for introverts but hey, I'm an introvert too and I try to make an effort to talk to my coworkers cause time slips by for me when I engage in conversation. If you work at a job where you can use your phone, browse the internet, watch TH-cam/Netflix, etc. You people got it easy. I would recommend watching documentaries, movies, pretty much anything that spans hours to watch. That's one good way to have time pass by. If you watch small 5 - 10 minute videos, time (despite being able to use your phone or browse the internet) will still feel like it's ticking by very slowly.
Anyways, that's my insight on the matter. Hopefully, this was helpful to anybody that is looking to the comments section for further help. I would encourage people to reply and add on what helps THEM with surviving the night shift.
This was great information thank you!
Great tips! Going to write down your tips!
I'm not a greedy person...the opposite....I'm hoping to get this job because it's union if you get the idea because I'm not a greedy person....It goes up to $29.44 per hour in 7 years....but, my worry the epilepsy...and you being a nurse, I'm sure you can appreciate the problem. The neurologist certainly won't like the idea. I'm not sure they are 12s, but I am pretty sure they are going to be. It says night shifts and they start at 5 PM...otherwise it would just be a late 2nd shift. I'd really just be working the evening until 1:30 AM. My mother is going to be worried to death. The problem is I've had status epileticus...more than once...it's a word used in my official diagnosis. ""epilepsy of idiopathic cause with status epilepticus". This is a picking job...not my cup of tea...more clerical, but heck $18.41 per hour. Thank you, Teamsters! I can't request reasonable accommodation, no, unless I am an employee. If after a period, I have trouble, then I can request it and it is reasonable they can do so...it's a lawyer's trick...called casuistry...lying without lying...it's why people hate lawyers. I wanted to be one...actually tried to go back to school, but sadly ran into a financial roadblock. You don't have a legal right to reasonable accommodation, you see, as a job applicant. They cannot ask where you are from in a job interview, but they can ask if you are legally able to work in the USA...which is actually more for legal purposes...there are taxes, etc that have to be done, etc. Usually there where you are from is innocent. People like accents. "So, are you from Russia?" "Oh, no, Bulgaria." That sort of thing. They like the accent and are just interested, but it's illegal for the interviewer to ask, but it is legal to ask if you can work in the US...that's on the application. All these little points. Anyway, God help me. The money is nice. And a union job is nice...though for some, I know they hate unions...but, I always tell people, if you don't go to college, please get a government job, join the military, or get a union job, or trade job...it's your best way to make a living...don't work at McDonalds, not because it's beneath anyone, but because you need to live and you can if you find the write job, like the postal service. All right, that was War and Peace right there. And they lived happy ever after. The End. Napoleon lost and his troops froze to death, but you can get it all in about 15 minutes in the 1812 Overture. Just listen to the finale to wake yourself up and the beginning to put yourself to sleep.
Thank you Nurse Liz!!
Hi Liz,
I’ve done 6 days of 12 hour shifts for 2 weeks. I start 1800-0600 then get home until 0800 and wake up around 1500 then when I’m back at work I feel wide awake without drink coffee or energy drinks. When will I get my sleeping patterns back?
It took me a really long time to find a groove for my body they worked with nightshift. Play around with it and you’ll find what works the best for you! I found a good pattern about 6 months in
Ok
Everything in this video was on point!
Not dying is always a plus
Generally my life goal haha
Thank you
I work a night shift for 6 months, when I quit this job, I'm never gonna work a night shift again, because I feel tired and extremely unhappy.
It definitely doesn't agree with some people. Sorry it was such a struggle for you! Hope you found something that works better for you
@@NurseLiz Maybe it isn't because of night shift, I've been suffering from depression for many years. But now I feel worse than before.
Do you work full time and go to NP school? I just started NP school and it’s tough. I work full time now but have no clue how that will work with clinicals
Nicole Stover I worked full time for the first two years of my program, when I was in clinical 0 or 1 day a week. And just like you said, it was ROUGH, but doable. However I didn’t have a kiddo at the time. My third year I started clinical 2 days a week and I cut back to 24 hours. Which is what I’m still doing now with clinical 3-4 days a week. I know one person who is still working full time at this point and she essentially never has days off. Sorry for the long reply! You are doing great! It does get somewhat easier as you get used to your new schedule. Let me know if you have any other questions :)
thank you for the tips. at age 70, just starting a part-time job working 2-12 hour shifts, 7 PM to 7 AM in the middle of the week😎😳🤪
How’s it been going? I’m starting 7 PM to 7 AM shifts on Monday and I’m 64. New nurse.
@@susansmeltzer3001 , only a few months now going well, overnight Security at the gated community I live in :-) I don’t think my body will ever adjust to it only doing two nights per week🤪 it’s kind of like weekly Jetlag🤣
Currently watching you at 4am haha..
Alexa is a great sound machine as well
I do 2 days 6am-6pm then 2 nights 6pm-6am then 4 off. Cannot sleep before a 6am start and keep waking up in the middle of the night. Getting to the stage where I am thinking of trying sleeping pills as is getting that bad. Anything you can recommend. What about melatonin?
I’m a big fan of melatonin! I used it quite a bit on nights
Such a great tips from you Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Loved it.
Thanks for the video ♡♡
glad it was helpful!
I don’t know what I’m going to do. I was on the 7-3 shift because I have a 2 year old and school. Idk how the hell im going to manage now, because my job changed my schedule to 11-7 with no ifs, ands, or buts. Idk man.
Oh no 😣. That is wild that they can just switch you like that. I’m so sorry. Hang in there momma.
Angie Onigiri sane boat here I feel your pain
Angie Onigiri Doesn't your child qualify as a hardship? Some people are much too insensitive to children. I pray it works out, and you're allowed to remain on the day shift. Maybe someone will need the night shift and will want to trade with you. God bless you and your baby. ❤️🌺☺️
I appreciate this video I really needed it
I'm so glad it was helpful!
The drive home is the hardest part for me. It’s 30 minutes. I always forget the last 15. Lol
omg YES. Those last bits of the drive could be BRUTAL
On point
Kisha D Jackson thanks!!
When you work nightshift . Thats the fast process to die early.
Thank you!
❤this Topic/tips! Great video Liz!
This is only week 4 on nights (12hr shifts).. I'm not sure it's for me, ...during the day I feel like a ghost👻 ...its like I'm here but really not.. soooo weird and uncomfortable.
I'm on Ortho Medsurg, so I'm aaalllways busy during the shift, staying awake isn't a problem at all. Its just this grumpy and uncomfortable aftermath feeling that I hope eventually goes away...
Some nurses say give it a few months to adjust, 😣 ..some say you never really do adjust but they just go with it, losing sleep, putting on weight etc etc in avoidance of the "hectic/demanding" day shift 😮
It's just hard, because I wanna feel like myself again, ya know? 😕
How long did it take for you to get into a groove and "adjust"?🤔
-Nikeisha 😊
Keesh73 Oof. I’m sorry your feeling like that during the day! So for the first six months of nights I really resisted sleep and tried to be awake more than I should have. Then I gave up and slept a LOT more and it helped. It probably took me 2 months of tweaking to really find a sleep schedule that worked for me. Are you clumping your days? That helped me a lot too
Keesh73 you definitely have to listen to your body! It’s not for everybody. I hope you can switch shifts around soon!!
Definitely in the works! 👍👍
Thanks Liz 😁
Keesh73 good!!
I am a CNA starting nights...and with a chill nurse and a super nice other CNA, I think it'll be amazing.
Edit: tonight is the first night and I brought pizza 🍕🍕🍕
Hope it went well!
@@NurseLiz it went great! Of course in nursing we don't say the q word, but the night was very relaxed. I hit the wall around 4 am and was so tired doing rounds. Everytime I would check someone I'd be like please be clean...please be clean...please be clean...it went good tho. I work more nights next week.
I work in a UK hospital and it's staffed 95% by Hyenas, yes! Hyenas!! They drive me nuts...…..especially on nightshifts.
😣😣 that sucks
i am a student and i am doing night sift job, as well as day time study.do you have any tips that , how can i be fresh...
There’s no subsitute for sleep. Exercise helps as well. Best of luck with your studies!
Halfway in i take my lunch hour for a nap if i need it
I can’t just close my eyes and sleep whenever I want too😪 the problem is that I only work nights Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday. So every weekend I have to get re-used to the night shift. Then an hour drive home.
I feel you on that. Sorry it’s rough!
If your falling asleep while driving eat HOT FRIES. Mouth will be burningggg. Thats what i do
hahaha what a method!
Hey I work night shifts from Saturday to Wednesday night. I go to school on Friday morning 8 to 3pm.. I got dizzy and my heart rate went up and felt pukish. I think i disrupt my sleep cycle.. how do I cope with this pls help me
Ugh I used to feel like that until my body got used to it. Hope yours gets adjusted soon!
I'm worried about my commute home because it is an hour through the country!! Does anyone have a long commute on nights? Trying to gather tips to stay alive
Air conditioning, some good podcasts, and ice chips!
I drive 1.5 hours home from two of my hospitals .
If you are tired, pull over and lock your doors and sleep. Sometimes I sleep 10 min and I’m fine again, a couple of times I slept like an hour or two and then was fine to continue driving.
We had a nurse die on the way home after night shift, so it just not worth it to drive drowsy💔
"Errday"!
The question is why to face all these hustles. Why not switch to day shift job as soon as you get the opportunity. Keeping it for long time super unhealthy.
Haha I’m guilty, of going to bed after work and waking up between 1-2 😅
i'm working as an intern, but unfortunately, i have to work in night shift, with the same salary as day shift, after 2 months, it was so terrible. what should i do now?
If there is any availability to move to days I would. Or switch to a job that will allow for that if you can
Where you pregnant while working nights? How did working nights affect your pregnancy?
Hi Liz! how about exercise ? when do you schedule it?
vee quinto I don’t work out in between 12 hour shifts, but On other days I try to in the evening! Just depends on when I fit it in! Way back in the day when I was super motivated I worked out after I got home in the morning. That didn’t last long 😂
Thanks for the immediate reply. I really have hard time managing schedule to work out. When I'm home I feel like super tired and can sleep more than 16 my first day off. It sucks because I feel like my off day just passes by without recognizing it. I hope you make more video about night shift nurse work and life balance. Thank you so much for your videos. I really love it xoxo ...
vee quinto I definitely feel you on all of that! I usually force myself out of bed after a 4-5 hour nap on that first day to help me flip back and so that I can get some things done! Otherwise you’re right, my body would want to sleep foreverrr
but what do you usually do if you just have one day off? Do you go flip back still? I'm really struggling off days when to sleep and when to eat. It's kinda crazy. One of my coworkers told me that you can't get used to night shift.
vee quinto I think you can definitely get used to nights. I did it for the better part of 6 years, and while it’s an adjustment, you just need to figure out what schedules works for you. When I only have one night off, I sleep for 4-5 hours when I get home. Then stay up until 1-2 am. And sleep until I can during the day (pre-having a kid. That’s all out the door now haha). One night off is awful though! I definitely tried to avoid that at all costs if I could
Awesome
when do you work out?
I really hope you've never actually bitten your dentist! Lol but great tips, especially for staying awake in the car. Those can be adapted to any long or late drive. Thanks!
Lacelynn Creations fortunately I don’t think I’ve ever bitten anyone in sleepy rage haha. But I definitely have fallen asleep during a cleaning and the dental hygienist had to awkwardly poke me awake when my head flopped to the side. Fail.
Nurse Liz ha! Awkward but hilarious!
How can i workout if i work a 12 hr night shift ? Love your videos
A lot of people I worked with worked out before they came in, a few when the got home in the morning. Whatever works for you
It depends on how many days you work a week
Are you having stomach problems? I feel like my food isn’t digesting well and my stomach is killing me. 😭
Ugh I never dealt with that from nights but I’m sorry if you are 😖. Definitely something to bring up with your healthcare provider! Hope it gets better
It can be stress too. LOL
Yes indeed it could be. Stress does some wild things
You're hilarious, I love you, suuuubscribed!!
You are too kind! Welcome to the craziness!
Talking about how bad day shift helps
I work nights from home
omg how?! I would be in my bed asleep haha. Too tempting
Nice video
Alexander Vasquez thanks!
Subscribed !
Thanks! Welcome!
I'm starting night shift at Amazon, in a few days. Goodbye, life
Me too good luck
Same
@@mihimmohammed9149 that's not true at all. When I wake up around 4 I eat then workout spend time with my wife for 5 hours. On my off days I keep to work schedule sleep. When I wake at 4 we eat dinner,go see a movie go to the lake and enjoy life
I got a issue I come home off night shift and I can t get my self to sleep any tips ?
I've heard a lot of people have success with things like the Calm app. good luck. that is so hard.
@@NurseLiz Thank you I will try it out :)
Thc gummies
@@mikep3322 I got fired cause corona now I got a better job 😊😊
I had my baby September 21, 2020 by c section, and omg.....I've been pretty tired. 🤣
Congrats on the new little!! The exhaustion... I feel that 😂
Hate the self obsessed assumption that only the nursing fraternity do night shifts. I work nights in residential child care with young people who can/do physically assault staff on a daily basis or who self harm....and I certainly don't get paid as much as nurses. It would be much easier to endure night shifts if I was paid as much as s nurse!
No self obsessed assumptions. I just have a channel geared towards nursing.
I work 24h shifts so no sleeping in for me!
Kärolyn Nigula you are a superwoman!! My brain is DONE at 16 hours. What do you do?
:(
That’s not even legal.. lol how???
When you said I might bite my dentist, it was too real Lmaoo
😂😂
I was like Mommy Dearest when I worked nights...my poor husband
Maria Weitz I can completely relate to this 😂. We got married and then I started nights two weeks later. I was pretty impressed he didn’t leave me haha
I'm planning on peeing my pants
Jesse Hicks nice
Caffeine will become your friend
Never was a statement more true.
How many times do u eat
Usually just once during the shift, maybe a snack at like 4am
Nurse Liz oh okay thank u
Just smoke some weed lol
It’s hard when you work at night and sweat and it’s like a working out and sleet I almost passed out MAKE SURE TO EAT
YES! eating is huge
Thank you