I’m curious as to the sleep patterns that people develop when they are on long term night shift.
I’ve only ever done the odd night shift and because it’s tended to be a because were very busy I’ve copped a quick sleep before I started then gone back to normal routine afterwards. ie- worked through till my normal bedtime having done a night shift.
So my normal work/sleep/life pattern is sleep, then work, then have a life.
Some people seem to sleep straight after work, some before they go to work.
It depends on when you start and finish. I’ve just changed my shift and also changed my sleep pattern.
When I was starting at 21.00 and finishing at about 06.20 I used to stay up and go to bed at about 10.00 / 11.00, in effect turning the day around by 12 hours. Now I start at 18.00 and finish at about 02.30 I go straight to bed and then get up late morning eg. 11.00 ish.
Fred:
I’m curious as to the sleep patterns that people develop when they are on long term night shift.
I’ve only ever done the odd night shift and because it’s tended to be a because were very busy I’ve copped a quick sleep before I started then gone back to normal routine afterwards. ie- worked through till my normal bedtime having done a night shift.
So my normal work/sleep/life pattern is sleep, then work, then have a life.
Some people seem to sleep straight after work, some before they go to work.
What’s your choice?
The last time i done nights was along time ago. I’m now on 22.00 starts. With a trunk to London or Glasgow it could well mean a 10.00 finish and ifind the small hours tough going. So my pattern now is…off to bed now and up about 8pm…goodnight!!!
I sleep straight after the shift, normally get around 5 hours before I wake - then I will go to bed 2-3 hours before my 01:30 start… Seems to work for me.
It’s extra difficult for me because I tend to do 3-4 nights a week to fit in with other business,so I do not manage to get into a routine, especially as they may be split Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat for example. So if I’m starting at 23.00-midnight I’ll try & crash out about 18.00 - 19.00, but I’m lucky in that I don’t need much sleep so 4 hours pre-shift will suffice for the 2 nights I’m working, then I get around 6 hours on the intervening nights - drives the missus spare as she works 9-5, but it’s the only way I can fit in sleep. When I previously worked FT nights I would, again, sleep before my shift because I found I could always find something better to do as soon as I got home.
I couldn’t choose an option in the poll as I do both. When I get in, which is usually between 04:00 and 07:00, when working nights, I have 2 hours sleep and then late afternoon I have another 2 hours. I also take a 20-minute nap during the shift.
I always start longing for my bed during the “dead hours” about 3/4 am and its the thing keeps me going through it. Trouble is once I’m through it I cant sleep when I get home at at 6ish so tend to linger a bit, read the paper, drink tea and get off about eightish. I just love that feeling though of getting into bed after nights though. Much bettter than normal bedtime.
slightly off thread…I always seem to go through a bad hour on nights no matter how much rest I’ve had. I think its psycological. The only thing that works for me when \i get the nods is to stop and have a walk round the wagon. Mind you, once and once only I nearly dropped off and that woke me up no problem!!
Anyone else have a problem and solutions?
I generally have an hour on the computer and a glass of wine or two when i get in and then off to bed as long as its 12 hours before my next start time i have the wine but if its less i dont bother, I just sit and stare at the bottle !!!
I can’t do this split sleeping thing that some of you do, having a couple of hours here, then getting up then going back for another couple and getting up again. W T F is that all about?
I always start at 1800 unless there’s a good reason otherwise and depending who I’m working for, will finish any time between midnight and 0600. I usually potter about for about 3 hours and then get off to bed and get up again after 8hrs as a general rule. That way I’m always already up before going to work, rather than only getting up to go to work, if that makes sense? It’s the main reason why I don’t do days - I aboslutely HATE having to get up of a morning. I’m a big lover of my sleep .
I normally spend 2 hours winding down , cup of tea , breakfast and some TV . Normally up about 1430-1445 . When schoo;s on it’s off to school to get my lad and then upon arrival back home it’s sarnies sorted , dinner sorted , watch some TV and then back off to work for 1900 .
with all the bad press about sleep apnea i probably fall asleep half way through my run somewhere up the m62
no seriously i got in this morning about 0610 talke the dog for a walk have a coffee and a smoke wash etc then bed about 07 30 ish wake about 14 30-14 45 thats if my new neighbour isnt making a racket .if he is its about 0830 ish awake threaten to knock his lights out then back to sleep
he is supposed to be a coach driver but since moving in several weeks ago he hasnt done any driving either extremely long holiday or maybe he was lying or lastly a good boss
When I did nights, I used to start at 17:00, and finish between 06:00 and 08:00. I used to go straight home and sleep until about 11:00-12:00, then get up and have a few normal hours, go and meet the wife for lunch, potter around the house, cook dinner, make some lunch for the middle of the night, and then go back to work. I used to grab 15-30 minutes part way through the shift if I got tired.
Weekends were the worst, I used to do Monday night to Friday night, finishing about 08:00 Saturday morning, and I always wanted to catch up on my sleep, but the wife always made sure iwas up by 11:00, so that I didn’t miss the weekend…
But monday mornings were good, because I could lounge around for hours after she had gone to work !!!
When I used to do Bristol night trunk from Nottingham for Stirland’s I started around 9pm and was home in bed for 4am. Daneinter’s right, nothing like it. After 6 hours kip I was up at 10 and had a full (almost) normal day before me. Even fitted in a little casual job driving my mate’s hearse or limo.
Mind you, if ever I have felt tired at work, night or day, I have been able to dive into the bunk setting the alarm for 10 or 15 minutes and wake refreshed for another 100 miles .
Anyway, when I work nights I’m usually finished for about 9.30 (home for about 10am). Our lass works 1.30pm till 10pm so I stay up with her, then take her to work about 1pm, back in the house about 1.30 have half hour on the pc then sleep between 2pm and about 6pm. Wake up, do my bit around the house. Eat, stare at the pc again then pick her up from work. Back in house about 10.15pm, have a quickie (cup of tea) then bed about 10.30 to be back up around 1am.
Six nights a week. Saturday’s I’m home for about 6.30am, cuppa, bed about 7am up at 11.30 then she goes shopping while I go to the Tut ‘n’ Shive
Not done nightwork for years now, but when we first got married in 82, I did 2 solid years of it !!
for about the first 6 months I carried on with my 6 nights a week, starting at midnight & home for around 9am, chat to me Dad for an hour (he was my boss then) & off home. Would do odd jobs here & there, usually going to bed about 1pm, then when she got home from work, she would do dinner & wake me about 7pm to eat & have the evening with her, then back to work for midnight.
The last 18 months I had a 2am start, so would do a split rest Home for 11am, bed for 1pm, up at 6pm & then back to bed with her from 10:30 to 2am. FAR worse than the midnight starts but being newly wed it worked better
Done various nightwork jobs for short periods sine then & usually crash as I walk thorugh the door & grab 6-7 hours.
An agency driver at Tesco Hinckley said to me always treat your start time as the start of the day and get 8 hours sleep before
do your shift then do your thing then go to bed
.
Bloody day work 
Home for 11am, bed for 1pm, up at 6pm & then back to bed with her from 10:30 to 2am. FAR worse than the midnight starts but being newly wed it worked better