Working Overnight

[luv_mist]

Re: Working Overnight

Work in healthcare and boy do the night shift hours kill. Should be pretty good. One thing that you can do to stay wake is exercise. With your heart pumping and blood flowing, it helps keep you awake. Eating good would also be vey wise. Sometimes I'd get stuck doing a double shift (18) which would be brutal. Get plenty of rest before your shift. Should be easy though since you'll be doing manual labor. Also, if you nap during your breaks, use several LOUD alarms to makesure you don't over sleep.

[wsu_gb23]

Re: Working Overnight

I tried it for like 2 days once and I hated it. Pretty much impossible to get 8 hours sleep. 6 if you're lucky. I just didn't like the lifestyle. It just felt nuts for me to be working when everyone else was sleeping. You don't wanna work the overnight shift your whole life though. It's really bad for the body.

[trobinson97]

Re: Working Overnight

Worked 9-6 at The Home Depot. It's not easy, especially if you have a family, but you get used to it after a while. Without a family I suspect it'd be a lot easier if you're a single guy, not something you want to do for too long though. If I was trying to do anything on the weekend it would really throw my sleep pattern out of wack.

[peteykirch]

Re: Working Overnight

You need to buy one thing.

Black-Out Curtains.

If you are like me, and most people trying to sleep when it's already sunny and bright out is damn near impossible, so making your room as artificially dark as possible is a must.

[elgreazy1]

Re: Working Overnight

Yes, the scheduling is what is difficult. I would strongly suggest you maintain the same schedule OFF work as you do on. And to make sure to treat your body right: eat healthy, drink lots of water (as suggested), and get plenty of sleep.

I worked a 5pm-5am shift for 4 years and it was hell on my body. I gained like 30 pounds in that time and didn't take care of myself. It was very hard but you just have to take care of yourself.

One suggestion I would make is to make your work day the beginning of your day. I know it'll be hard to miss out on "prime-time" life but putting your job at the END of your day makes it hard on your body. Plus it makes it very difficult to come home and sleep because your body wakes up after you get home. Trust me.

[deaduck]

Re: Working Overnight

One suggestion I would make is to make your work day the beginning of your day. I know it'll be hard to miss out on "prime-time" life but putting your job at the END of your day makes it hard on your body. Plus it makes it very difficult to come home and sleep because your body wakes up after you get home. Trust me.

That sounds reasonable.

I always tended to stay up for a few hours after work and then get up a few hours before work. In effect, centering my sleep in the off time.

[p_rushing]

Re: Working Overnight

One suggestion I would make is to make your work day the beginning of your day. I know it'll be hard to miss out on "prime-time" life but putting your job at the END of your day makes it hard on your body. Plus it makes it very difficult to come home and sleep because your body wakes up after you get home. Trust me.

Yeah that was the hardest part for me. I'd get home by 8am, eat some food, and not end up sleeping until after 12PM. When you have other people in the house coming home around 5-6PM, it makes it hard to get any where near 8 hours.