Shift workers cannot sleep, eat, or decompress after long nights
Healthcare professionals on rotating and night shifts are experiencing profound disruption to their sleep, energy levels, and overall well-being. This leads to exhaustion, difficulty relaxing, neglecting self-care, and a sense of isolation, impacting their ability to enjoy personal time and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
SOURCES (60)
“I'll keep it quick. I have lab and lectures from 7am to 4pm, then have to work from 7pm - 7am that same day/night.... Is there any way I can prepare for this onslaught? Context: I've been working nights for about a year now, and…”
“I’m an RN about 7 months into my residency working night shift on a med-surg floor, and I genuinely don’t know how much longer I can do this. I knew med-surg and night shift would be difficult, but I never expected it to affect me this much physically and mentally. I’m constantly exhausted. My body physically hurts, my sleep is completely messed up, and I feel like I’m always either recovering from work or mentally preparing myself to go back. Mentally, I feel like I’ve changed so much. I’m extr”
“As someone who worked nights for 10 years, I agree, total bitch. If I had turned in every coworker who I saw do an extended blink there would be no staff on the unit. We’ve all had that rough night where we didn’t get enough sleep during the day and are fighting our body at 3AM. I could understand if this was a pattern I guess, or if it resulted in an adverse event for the patient, but OP didn’t mention that so 🤷♀️ OP sometimes rejection is protection. Maybe this will open you up to a better s”
“So funny as the doctors at my old work place use to do 24 hours shift and were allowed to sleep when ever they wanted - so quiet night - slept all night even for all of the nursing staff had 5+ pt each I have worked 4 12 nights in a row where we all have been so busy that we haven’t had a break all night, and yet nurses are told to be more resilient and time manage better Better missing off for 15 mins charting than pushing a med wrong”
“Received this after I finished my block this morning. I have not miss a morning since forever. I miss my long hour sleep. submitted by /u/Glittering_Strike_61 [link] [comments]”
“Obligatory yes, I am burnt out. But ya girl gotta pay the bills so here we are. Still here. I don’t have control over my schedule, and despite asking multiple times to lower my work load, it lasts about a month before I’m over scheduled again. I’m hella exhausted. To the point where my grooms look like shit and I’m grooming well past my usual timing. A dog that would take me an hiur and a half now takes me a little over two. I’m not sure what to do. Or honestly what’s realistic. Maybe I jusy nee”
“3 on and 4 off is already a bit rough sometimes by day 3. Night shift it was already 4 by the time I counted a recovery day and the first day I tried to nap and not overdo.”
“I feel like those 12 hours go by in a flash. By the time my shift is over I feel like I could still do more! I used to work 8s in LTC and they felt sooooo much longer. Is it the adrenaline??? submitted by /u/Necessary_Tap_1749 [link] [comments]”
“According to my mom, I’ve been a night person since birth. I live my best circadian-rhythm life during the summer. When people say “I get up early because I enjoy the quiet ‘me’ time”…. I also enjoy quiet me time…. At 11pm! Haha”
“Meanwhile, this is how I felt after three weeks of waking up at 4AM to go to work. I'll take night shift any day of the week.”
“I’m a new grad ER RN and I just hit 2 years on night shift. I’m falling apart. I spend every second of free time sleeping, I’m having panic attacks at work, and I’ve lost 20 pounds. I don’t want to quit because this was my dream job, but I don’t think I can handle it anymore. I like certain parts of my job, but the negative wayyy outweighs the positives right now. Has anyone else felt like this?? I just need support - I can’t imagine doing this for the rest of my life submitted by /u”
“Say I’m a day shift RN, do I get a night differential if I pick overnight shifts? submitted by /u/Lopsided_Spare7214 [link] [comments]”
“Hello. I just recently resigned from my previous work and employer coz I was hired to another company but apparently it's for a night shift achedule. The night differential was not mentioned to me during the process and I relly thought that I will be working on a morning shift. I have hypertension and already on a maintenance -- I got my FTW and yes, the salary is good and even the benefits -- but my health is my priority. Anyone else who manage to transition on this? What did you do?”
“Hello. I just recently resigned from my previous work and employer coz I was hired to another company but apparently it's for a night shift achedule. The night differential was not mentioned to me during the process and I relly thought that I will be working on a morning shift. I have hypertension and already on a maintenance -- I got my FTW and yes, the salary is good and even the benefits -- but my health is my priority. Anyone else who manage to transition on this? What did you do?”
“I drink a lot of bone broths and soups with light snacks / crakcers. It helps me long term for my stomach especially since it’s more sensitive when I’m on nights”
“I think I broke the code here. I eat “breakfast” as I’m going in like egg bites. Then a protein yogurt around 2100, meal at 0000, meat and cheese around 3, meal at 5:30 with a sweet treat, toast with butter before bed around 0900 (staves off the empties, IYKYK). I stay high fiber high protein. So how do I transfer to days and nights on my days off/on? The day I go in for my first of 3, I take a nap from 12-4, then go in. On my first day off I sleep until like 1500, snack, meal at 1730-1800 snack”
“so I am planning a trip that will take over 16 hours traveling by car. I work night shift and due to my training, I haven’t been able to get to sleep before 9 AM. I’m trying to figure out how to book a hotel for check-in around 5 to 7 AM. Are there hotels that cater to night shift workers? I just don’t wanna book a hotel room and have a mandatory check-out time of 11 AM. Ideally, I would get to sleep around 9 AM and wake up around 3 to 4 PM to continue my travels. Has anyone had any experience w”
“When i wake up i basically have my heaviest meal (dinner) then progressively get into lighter meals/snacks. Ive never gained weight being on night shift. I go to the gym or run after my shift close to home. Then go to bed around 10 & wake up at 1430-1530. I feel amazing.”
“Usually a zofran. I work call shifts at 3am and I’m always so nauseous when I have to go in.”
“See question title. I struggle with chronic insomnia despite being medicated for it, and I consistently experience a slump in awareness between 12 PM - 2 PM. Obviously I can’t nap that entire time due to my workload, so by the term “nap” I am referring to short power naps of ~30-45 mins. submitted by /u/IntrepidYoung9493 [link] [comments]”
“three years of nights and i still have not figured this out. like i meal prep on my day off with the best intentions. little containers. protein. whatever. and then 3am hits and i am standing in the break room eating a string cheese and half a granola bar that was in my pocket since tuesday. the cafeteria is closed obviously. vending machine options are depressing. i brought a real meal tonight and somehow left it in my car. everyone talks about sleep hygiene and circadian rhythm stuff but nobod”
“I've been going through a pattern of getting zero sleep the night before returning to work after the weekend or any time off. You know the drill, sweats/panic/fear all night. My little girl starts nursery today and my wife has put effort in to create a special morning for her, with her favourite breakfast etc etc. I have to make today about them and try forget how anxious and tired I am. I just really wish I had slept. I started therapy recently but I don't feel it's helping. I have”
“I continue living my life as normal. Go out and do things, stay home and do things. 👐🏻”
“Im not completely OTR but sometimes I stay the night or work like 12-16 hour days and it seems alot of other drivers have women but I just dont see how you have time to even meet a partner let alone maintain a relationship while driving all the time. It sucks because im almost 30 and feel like ill never find one because im just working all the time submitted by /u/JudgeHonest3106 [link] [comments]”
“So I recently accepted a position where I’m on call 2 days every 6 weeks. Not bad, but I’ve never been on call before, what do you do on the days you’re on call? Just chill at the house? Does anyone have a routine for this? 12 hours of maybe free time is going to be new for me. submitted by /u/Arlostyles [link] [comments]”
“I feel this is silly to post 😂 but maybe I can get advice I wouldn’t think of myself. I’ve been a stay at home mom for over a year. I worked briefly last year but it was night shift and my husband would watch our kids, older ones not much of an issue since they were more independent but we have a 1 & 2 year old now. I’ll be starting a new job this week (so thankful), but it’s day shift. We’ll both be having to get up around 4:45am, he’ll be taking our 2 toddlers to daycare (his relatives ho”
“Wondering when you know when it’s bad enough to go home from work/school. Some days I’m not in pain but so extremely fatigued I feel like I can’t focus and have major brain fog. That said, I wonder if it’s still appropriate for me to go home when I’m not dramatically hurting. (I’m still in school so I also have classes and am afraid to leave and miss material) submitted by /u/Alexrocket8 [link] [comments]”
“How the heck did yall handle it. Routine wise, emotionally, I want all of the advice and support please because I’m already scared!! submitted by /u/candlecono [link] [comments]”
“Some context about my situation: • My schedule is Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday from 5pm-3am. It’s been this way since I started a year ago and no, there’s no change in sight. • The job is not at all what I thought it would be before I was hired. A lot of physical labor (which was not mentioned in the job description) and very stressful shifts. • I’ve been applying to both internal and external jobs for five months now without any luck. I’ve been consistently interviewing but have been run”
“Ask me I spend almost 3 hours in commute and I get home so tired that I have no energy to even cook. And the gas is ridiculous. I wish I had some flexibility to WFM. Enjoy while you can ! Routine certainly helps. Get going to gym or run before you start. Take breaks to go for walks in between and some days find time to eat outside . Fresh air helps!”
“Not sure I used the right flair. Anyway, I need some advice on how to be more energised during nighttime feedings. I've been so tired these past few days and I am terrified that one night I will fall asleep with the baby in my arms. I EBF and I never gave my daughter a bottle, nor am I planning to in the near future. My husband works long hours at a very physically demanding job, so I would rather have him do house chores and watch baby during the day, and get his rest during the night. So..”
“Need some reassurance/advice as a first time mom. I have been on night shift as an ICU RN for 1.5 years now and have always struggled with sleep, especially since I switch to normal people hours when I’m off. I will have to work full time night shift for ~2 months while my husband works a typical 9-5 M-F. I’m currently on maternity leave and will return when my baby is 3 months old. My sister will be here to help watch him, which should help me get sleep during the day in between shifts; however”
“Can anyone speak to the pros and cons of 24’s? - how is your circadian rhythm as compared to normal EM schedule of flipping between days and nights - how is your family life in comparison I am looking at a rural position that is very low volume and has high potential to sleep through the night. submitted by /u/earthmanlistener [link] [comments]”
“It's not healthy to be a man your size and not eat for 12+ hours. You're literally starving yourself and will start to break down protein. Take your break and eat a sensible meal. Grilled chicken and veggies from home. Sushi from the cafeteria. Whatever. But not eating is going to put your body into starvation mode and do the opposite of what you want it to do.”
“I eat an apple and a cup of oatmeal (sweetened with just a 1/8 cup of chocolate chips) on my shift. It works. I'm still fat but I've lost some weight and I don't have the cravings for munchies at work anymore.”
“Downing my adder with two monsters kept me satisfied. Also made me hear my own heartbeat. Through my teeth.”
“Hey all. I’m a new grad working in a community shop and since attendinghood, I’ve been starting to have pretty significant anxiety after my shifts about things that happened/things I did/things I didn’t do. I go home after sign out and go onto the EMR to check up on patients and then start wondering about he meds I sent them home on and if there is going to be an adverse outcome because of it, wonder about the diagnosis I potentially delayed because I had someone planned for discharge but then t”
“You seem like a nice person. Your actual problem is daytime management and activities, which led to problems with sleeping. I bet you struggle with overconsumption of content, probably some bad eating habits, probably hydration deficiencies, and so on. The thing is that when you try to live at 120%, you pay with something - it is either a buildup of cognitive/mental debt or your physical health struggles. My advice: repair your circadian rhythm, get proper eating habits and good nutritious food,”
“This happened to me a few months ago. I am per diem and wrote down the time wrong in my calendar. I was apologetic and got there as quick as I could. I now have other checks I do in my routine to make sure this doesn’t happen again. It’s a ding on me for time clock stuff. I can only have so many dings in a rolling 12 months. That sucks. It also sucks for the people who were counting on me. I won’t let it happen again. But it was what it was. We are all human.”
“I have multiple chronic health conditions that are aggravated by swapping between day and night shift, and I have not ever found a way to reliably stack day vs night shifts that doesn't do it, and I am trying to upskill by changing units. The problem is most units want you to rotate in the first year because of "learning opportunities" or whatever. Has anyone successfully used an ADA accommodation to allow you to not rotate shifts? Has anyone tried it and gotten pushback? sub”
“Utilize grocery delivery service like Walmart Plus. That’s my biggest tip. I do one load of laundry continuously. When I get home, I load the washer. When I get up, move it to the dryer. Don’t worry about folding until your off day. Just let the pile sit on the couch or the spare bed until then. Find like 5-7 dinner recipes that are easy. Crock pot, hot dogs, frozen pizza. Get a dinner menu rotation. You might get a little tired of the menu items but at least you’ll be fed. That way you know wha”
“48 hours is standard in many provinces in Canada! I just meal prep & do shit on my days off. But I don’t have kids. Meal prep is a life saver. Spend 20 minutes a day cleaning, that really helps!”
“This! I occasionally would work 6 days in a row and it got to me. It’s not sustainable for me at least bc I made silly, harmless mistakes and my memory was absolutely shot by the end of day 4. I cringe thinking about what if I made a big mistake bc I was so tired. Just not worth it to me.”
“Ive been WFH 12am til 8:30am for almost 10 years now, I will say that it’s super unhealthy and I would beg everyone else not to do it, I have no one to talk to during this time, people I work with are not friendly at all, we just sit all day and stare at the screen and answer calls from angry people🤷♂️, I’m a Helpdesk analyst and I would also advise anyone not to keep this job over one year! It’s a trap that I am currently in, almost 24 bucks an hour is totally not worth it whatsoever. It’s ha”
“January will be my first busy season. I also cannot function without 8 hours of sleep every night. It’s the minimum I need to feel rested. I will be working in audit. submitted by /u/Constant_State_2272 [link] [comments]”
“Anybody experiencing severe dry,gritty and itchy eyes after starting residency by using n number of hours on EHR? submitted by /u/Putrid_Twist_6549 [link] [comments]”
“As a fellow ADHD remote person (though appropriately managed at the moment), keeping a routine is paramount. I have my 5-9, 9-5, and 5-9, night edition. Getting up and doing the 5-9 is the most critical part of the day. I have workouts planned, I have the general dog walk route planned, shower, chores, NPR in the background to see what we’re dealing with today, write out the day’s non-work to-do’s on the clear “whiteboard” on my fridge, and get to it. And even if I am changing from workout cloth”
“Imagine if you had the commute each day and start being grateful. It helps more than you know.”
“I work 5 x 8. Holiday and weekends off. I’m exhausted. Just laying in bed all day today. AC 24x7. No energy to go out. Perhaps tomorrow. Mental health day today. submitted by /u/Calm-Struggle3898 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve sort of done this. Didn’t check the schedule so I thought I was my normal Monday Tuesday Friday that week. Turned out I wasn’t. Ended up with a cat though through that incident. Also forgot I’d agreed to swap shifts with a coworker when they were on vacation. The call sucks but least you made it in. It doesn’t happen often, but I feel bad every time.”
“I used to do this ALOT until I bought an old fashioned ringy dingy alarm and am now never late, try it! Also this happens so don’t stress too much”
“I sometimes have to do something like lock it behind something or otherwise make it very difficult to access to make sure I am fully awake when I get to it. Also set multiple alarms.”
“Happened so many times as a student and as an employee at various jobs. It happens to probably majority of us. It’s better than not showing up at all, they’ll be glad that you showed up.”
“I’ve done it too- my Apple Watch was charging in a different room and apparently the alarm sounded on the watch but not my phone. I’ve also woken up to a phone call from charge at 7:15 wondering where I am- and I have a commute.”