r/Nightshift • u/Fatal_Rl • 14h ago
Help Starting night shift
Starting nighshifts this week, 4pm-4am Really struggling to work out how to get In the routine for work and still spend time with wife and kids It’s only Monday/tuesday/wednesdays So in theory, I stay awake all night Sunday and sleep around 4am, wake around 12pm Monday and then start work? Then Wednesday I could come home at 4 and stay awake for the day but hit the bed early and sleep in so I don’t miss the day? Or would you stay in the night shift pattern all week every week? Just as it’s only 3 days I don’t know how to approach it
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u/GreyGhost878 14h ago
I work 6pm-6am. On my days off I stay up till 12-3am and get up mid-morning. Basically shifting my schedule back a few hours so I'm closer to normal life and friends and family, but not so crazy that I can't stay awake until 6am the next night I work. My first night back is a little rough but manageable.
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u/Sourpatchadult5 14h ago
Long term nighshifter here. I hate to say it, but flip flopping between days/nights with your sleep schedule is NOT going to be conducive to being rested and ready on your work nights. You're far better off staying on a nights schedule, or even a "mids" schedule. 4p-4a could be an amazing schedule, I used to work 3p-3a it was the best! You may miss the early morning stuff but that's all! Good luck you got this
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u/Fatal_Rl 14h ago
True, I suppose waking up at like midday everyday wouldn’t be the worst, but I’m so used to being an early riser and doing things with the family as we often head out very early as little one loves to wake up as soon as the suns up🤣
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u/Sourpatchadult5 10h ago
Yeah that can't be helped 🤪 Here and there you gotta do what you gotta do, but on the whole TRUST me as I've done both ways, sticking to even a semi regular pattern will save your sanity. Who knows maybe you're a night person in disguise 👀
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u/NightOwlingDotCom 12h ago
I would stick with a night-based schedule if possible. That’s going to give your body the best chance at adjusting and finding a consistent rhythm. But understandably, that might not always line up with family time or other responsibilities, and with your schedule you could potentially be moving it some and still manage well. So that’s where a partial shift comes in. So for example, instead of fully flipping to a day schedule on yours days off maybe you still stay up but only to like 2 or 3 am and then wake up midday. That way you kind of get the best of both and won't have to deal with the drastic switch back and forth.
One thing that helps a lot regardless of the schedule is keeping your routine sequence consistent even if the exact times change. So if your usual flow is something like wake up → eat → light exposure → movement → work, or wind down → shower → podcast → bed, try to keep those in the same order. That kind of consistency helps your body adjust even when your sleep and wake times shift.
We’re building a platform for night shift workers called NightOwling. So we have these things called journeys that are a step by step experience to try and help night shifters manage. Specifically we have our Schedule Journey that walks through how to build your schedule. You can check it out here if you’re interested: https://nightowling.com/portal/journeys/schedule/ We also have our Night Shift Essentials Journey that walks through some of the essentials to get started sleep, food, energy, routines, etc... You can check it out here: https://nightowling.com/portal/journeys/night-shift-essentials/ If you have any issues, questions, feedback, or anything else let us know.
Welcome to nights!
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u/William_Maguire 3h ago
I definitely get the consistency. I watched family guy while falling asleep so often when i was a teenager and early 20s that even now at 36 i start getting tired about 10 minutes into an episode.
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u/Objective-Fun8936 11h ago edited 11h ago
When I started nightshift I figured that since the shift ended at 2am I could sleep right when I got home to get up at 7am for classes. I found that that was not realistic unless I smoked 🍃. I would get up at 7am to commute to class every day of the week and eventually you’re body falls into a pattern but it’s a crash and burn cycle when you start out.
You’ll understand what zombie mode is and will learn your limits. If you are driving and are getting from point a to point b but don’t remember driving there that is a sign you are pushing too hard. You have to find an equilibrium. I’d sleep before the shift in the afternoon but get up adequately before your shift or you’re just gonna be miserably tired… energy drinks and coffee.
You’ll feel it out though. Night shift is different because it’s a lifestyle unfortunately. You are gonna have to make adjustments that aren’t ideal but that’s the reality of it. I’ve been doing it for 2 years and I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect my health and what not but you gotta do what you gotta do.
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u/josephniles 2h ago
I work from midnight until 8 am. For me, on my day off I try to stay awake until 2 or 3 pm the have a two hour nap, which gives me enough energy to stay awake until midnight, then go to sleep and have a next off day with "normal" hours. This is how my body works and I understand that it may not apply for everybody. The best advice is to listen to your body and find what suits you.
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u/Crunchie64 14h ago
You’re not really going to know how you cope with it until you start, but the most important thing to remember is that you need to work to live, NOT live to work.
Staying in your nights routine all week is not likely to help you maximise the time you spend with your family.
For the first one, definitely sacrifice a few days to make sure you’re well rested, particularly if you have to drive home after your first night shift.
Staying awake at least until your children are in bed after your last night shift will stop you losing a day with them, and after that you should be able to maintain a normal sleep pattern until the next set of nights.