gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
Anyone work the back shift?
Since being promoted a few years ago I’ve been 100% 1st shift. Unfortunately, we’re hemorrhaging people and I volunteered to fill in on 3rd for the rest of the week.
Normally I take a nap for a few hours the night before and the either stay up all morning playing video games to prep me for the next day’s 3rd shift start or I go in and get paid, though it sucks to go in tired and sleepy, and is sometimes dangerous for me driving home. I‘ll admit that driving home dead tired is likely just as bad as driving drunk. I’ve taken naps in my car for an hour or so before driving home on numerous occasions. I started doing that after I once (probably more than once, IIRC) didn’t even remember driving home. Scary. I’m usually back to normal after a few days on third.
We should be rolling out of shift work my Saturday 3rd shift (Friday night for Saturday). I’m not sure if it’s the same everywhere, but 3rd shift is considered the first shift of the day —> 3rd, 1st, then 2nd.
When I was younger I used to love 2nd. I never felt tired I got so much sleep. I rarely went out after shift, but usually could for a couple of hours before the bar closed. I usually just hung out and had a drink at home while watching a movie or playing video games for a couple of hrs before bed. I liked the benefit of being able to run errands late at night or in the AM with minimal people out and about and no lines.
Since having a family, 3rd shift is now my favorite. The first couple of days are rough, but there are benefits. I usually sleep as soon as I get home at 0900 or so, get up after 5-7 hrs of sleep (sometimes longer after a particularly bad shift), spend time with my family after being fully refreshed, then go to work and start the cycle over again. I like that I can still run errands before I go home to bed. I wake up at the same time as people are getting off 1st shift, so no benefit there.
Anyway, my short stint now and longer previous periods of work on the back shift got me wondering how other people transition between shifts, how it affects their health, family, etc. What are your shift work experiences?
Since being promoted a few years ago I’ve been 100% 1st shift. Unfortunately, we’re hemorrhaging people and I volunteered to fill in on 3rd for the rest of the week.
Normally I take a nap for a few hours the night before and the either stay up all morning playing video games to prep me for the next day’s 3rd shift start or I go in and get paid, though it sucks to go in tired and sleepy, and is sometimes dangerous for me driving home. I‘ll admit that driving home dead tired is likely just as bad as driving drunk. I’ve taken naps in my car for an hour or so before driving home on numerous occasions. I started doing that after I once (probably more than once, IIRC) didn’t even remember driving home. Scary. I’m usually back to normal after a few days on third.
We should be rolling out of shift work my Saturday 3rd shift (Friday night for Saturday). I’m not sure if it’s the same everywhere, but 3rd shift is considered the first shift of the day —> 3rd, 1st, then 2nd.
When I was younger I used to love 2nd. I never felt tired I got so much sleep. I rarely went out after shift, but usually could for a couple of hours before the bar closed. I usually just hung out and had a drink at home while watching a movie or playing video games for a couple of hrs before bed. I liked the benefit of being able to run errands late at night or in the AM with minimal people out and about and no lines.
Since having a family, 3rd shift is now my favorite. The first couple of days are rough, but there are benefits. I usually sleep as soon as I get home at 0900 or so, get up after 5-7 hrs of sleep (sometimes longer after a particularly bad shift), spend time with my family after being fully refreshed, then go to work and start the cycle over again. I like that I can still run errands before I go home to bed. I wake up at the same time as people are getting off 1st shift, so no benefit there.
Anyway, my short stint now and longer previous periods of work on the back shift got me wondering how other people transition between shifts, how it affects their health, family, etc. What are your shift work experiences?