Question for the night shift guys

[arff]

Definitely a routine helps. Get home, hot tub, water and coffee.Snow and mud, watch tv. Get a few things done around home Then sleep. .I put the TV on to fall asleep.

Kind of have to find a plan that works for you.

 

[beerwolf]

Some great advice guys. Thanks for all of this!! Going to foil the windows today and get some earplugs, high test beer today and then it's off to work 7pm to 7am with a 2 hour drive

 

[smokinD]

Worked night shift for 10 years with no sleep aids, other than breakfast and just relax and dark blinds and a movie and then just put on some relaxing meditating music or nature sounds works good. Tried ear plugs but found i got a headache with not getting full oxygen levels required. Fridays we would book a tee time early then go home and sleep and ready for Fri night shennanigans. Took awhile approx 8 months to get my circadium back to normal for days though lol. Melatonin is not good on a regular basis though as your body all ready makes this naturally, any naturopathic will tell you this along with a qualified Dr. just my 002

 

[Cdnfireman]

Be very careful about using alcohol to aid with your relaxation and sleep....too easy to get reliant on it, and often you need more and more to get the desired effects. Worked shift work for 23+ years and saw lots of guys get into trouble with using alcohol and medications to try to alter/ aid their sleep patterns. There’s been lots of good advice in this thread that don’t include alcohol or drugs....

 

[arff]

How in the hell do you get to sleep once you get home after a night shift?
It's light out and just not right to be trying to get a few hours sleep. I've tried the non thc pot which did nothing, melatonin..nothing, a few beer as weird as they tasted did nothing. Couple shots of whiskey a no go. Anyone have any secrets besides doctor prescribed sleeping pills?

Did you find something that works for you.

 

[Uturn]

40+ years of shift work, 30 on this shift cycle. 12hr rotating shifts from 6 to 6. I was fortunate enough to get some very in depth shift work training early in my career. Not every routine works for everyone, its about finding what works for you. As you age, you will find how you sleep changes. When I was younger I would stay up after night shift. Golf, putter around house, get kids off to school before going to sleep and sleep until it was time to go to work. For the last 15+ yrs I go to bed as soon as I get home. No coffee at work after midnight, very little water after 2am. I have a light snack one hour before I go to sleep. My sleep room is pitch black and about 18C. No clocks that I can see, phone is off and on kitchen counter. Fan on for white noise. Sign over doorbell "Do Not Use, Shift worker sleeping". Wife and kids know the only reason I get woke up is blood or fire, the rest can wait. I sleep for 6 or 7 hours, get up and putter before going to work.

Be careful with over the counter sleep aids and alcohol. While they may help you fall asleep, they alter your sleep cycles and you may not be as rested as you think. Beware of the 2am to 4am period when working nights. Its when your body really wants to be asleep, and not a safe time to be doing complex tasks.

 

[Stompin Tom]

I have had to approach night shift differently the past couple of years, used to be able to go to bed and sleep 7 hours and do it all over again. Now my night shift is about a 14 hour ordeal, then get home, have a shower and a bowl of cereal and hit the pillow. Sleep 3 to 4 hours, get up for a few hours, then hit the pillow again for 3 or so hours. I feel much more rested this way.

 

[ATV Rancher]

Been calving out heifers and haven't been to bed yet. Getting into the routine. I don't require a lot of sleep. If I went and woke my wife up and asked for a favor right now I'd probably get shot. For the first few nights I felt like "I'm getting too old for this sh*t".