[cindy63]

I just got a new job and I will have to start out on 3rd shift (9pm-5am), just wondering if anyone else works these kind of hours and what affects it has on your lives. I am planning on sleeping while my son is at school which hopefully will be from 7:45 to 2:45. I am very worried about being able to go right to sleep so soon after getting off work. Did your marriage suffer?

Can anyone share their experiences or tips with me?

Thanks!

[1TiredGradStudent]

I work night shift (11pm - 7am). I am not married, so I can't help or comment on that part, but I can tell you some things that help make the shift bearable for me.

1 - Dark room. Make sure to block out as much light as possible. I have miniblinds that I keep closed and thick curtains which I close as well.

2 - Cool room. If you think about it, it is usually at least about 20 degrees cooler at night than it is during the day. I sleep much better if the room is cool, even if it means I need to sleep under a blanket in the summer.

3 - Turn off the phones!!! I keep my cell phone turned on in my bedroom and everyone knows it is for emergencies ONLY while I'm sleeping. The rest of the phones, the ringers are off and the messages go to voice mail.

4 - White noise. Keeping a fan on in the room or some other form of white noise seems to keep the other daytime noises from waking me up.

I try to get to sleep as soon as I can after work. This may be difficult for you since you have a child to get off to school. But I find that if I am up too long after work, it gets harder to get to sleep (and stay asleep) as the day goes on.

Night shift is rough, no doubt about it. I work night shift and attend grad school in the evenings. But it gets easier as long as you take care of yourself. That is very important. You must make getting adequate rest a priority, even though it is sometimes difficult for people to understand why night shift workers "need to sleep all day". I simply ask them why they need to sleep all night. After all, I am at work and awake....that usually shuts them up.

[nicolyn75]

cindy63---I use to work over nights. Like 1TiredGradStudent was saying we use to have blankets on the windows. When the sun still shined in we put aluminum foil up. I know it is not the best looking but what a difference it makes. We always sleep with a box fan or small fan going too. It helps cut down on barking dogs and traffic noise. Also like she was saying turn off the phone. We don't even have one in our bedroom for that purpose just cellphones. It is hard to get use to at first. But eventually you will. I use to stay up for a little bit and then sleep until about 3-4p. I also don't have any children. My husband works days and I would be able to spend time with him before going to work. Now I am on a 3p-11:30p shift and he is still on days. The only times I see him during the week is on my 30min lunch and for about 15min after I get home before he goes to bed. Sometimes it is hard but we have been married for a while and have been doing this for about 2 years now. We just make sure to make up for it on our days off. The marriage part when we had to do these different hours before it was so hard. I wanted to spend all my time with him and knew that I couldn't. I understand how you feel. Now I think we enjoy each other because we don't see each other so much. Hopefully it will all work out for you once you get a new routine going. I hope some of this has helped. Good luck!!

1TiredGradStudent---- Like I said I work 3p-11:30p and I understand that last part you said. People always saying, "How can you sleep so late?" It's just like them sleeping all night. I don't go to bed until 3a or so and wake up at noon and then some family members get mad it they want us to go do something with them and I tell them it will have to be in the afternoon. They always say "you are wasting your day sleeping!!!" Well then let's go shopping at 2 in the morning and see how you like it!! Sorry had to rant a little, just wanted you to know I understand!

[Margarita]

I worked rotating shift a number of years ago when I was first married. It was pretty rough: 6 days, 2 days off, 6 swings, 2 days off, 6 overnights, 2 days off. DH was on an entirely different rotating shift, and none of his days off coincided with mine. We got through it by spending as much free time together as we could, never interrupting each other's sleep, and just being as nice as we could to each other in general.

It helped that DH painted the bedroom dark blue and put up dark blue curtains. Maybe you can't go to that extreme, but by all means, make your bedroom as dark as possible.

I'm presently having to get up before 4AM to get to work by 5:15. I allow myself one cup of caffeine when I first get up, then none for the rest of the day. I don't drink "decaffeinated" drinks because they still contain some residual caffeine, so if I want a hot drink in the evening, I have peppermint tea instead. I also eat well, and I exercise regularly first thing when I get home. (If I were on swings or mids, I'd probably exercise before work, not after). Taking care of yourself does make a big difference when you have a difficult schedule.

[cindy63]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice! Ya'll have some really good ideas that I plan on using.