How do people live who work the night shift without waking up the neighbors?

[B1974]

I worked all sorts of shifts, I actually find I get more errands done when working 7pm to 7 am then I do working 7am to 7pm. Like taking tires in to get mounted and the shop is open 7am-6pm!!! Plus when you get 4 days off a week you have lots of time to mow the lawn.

 

[Patman]

When I was in my early 30s I worked the night shift for about a year and a half and it was brutal! I don’t know how people can do that for many decades My shift was Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights from 7pm to 7am and then I had 4 days off. But I didn’t want to sleep all day on my Saturday and Sunday because I was newly married and wanted to spend time doing things with my wife on the weekends. So on Saturday morning when I got home I would stay awake all day and switch to a nighttime sleep schedule for a few days. Then on the Wednesday I would try to sleep in a bit longer if I could. But it really just ended up with me not really ever getting a proper amount of sleep every day. Truth be told I felt like a zombie that entire time I worked there. It was actually a miracle that I didn’t crash my car on my hour long morning drive back home, there were many days where I pulled into my driveway and couldn’t entirely remember my journey home!

I much prefer my semi retired life that I’m living now. I never set an alarm but I usually sleep from 11 pm to 6 am. I work part time and it’s generally from 10am until 2 to 2:30 and then I’m done. I work about 4-5 days a week. It’s a pretty sweet gig

 

[ctechbob]

When I was in my early 30s I worked the night shift for about a year and a half and it was brutal! I don’t know how people can do that for many decades My shift was Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights from 7pm to 7am and then I had 4 days off. But I didn’t want to sleep all day on my Saturday and Sunday because I was newly married and wanted to spend time doing things with my wife on the weekends. So on Saturday morning when I got home I would stay awake all day and switch to a nighttime sleep schedule for a few days. Then on the Wednesday I would try to sleep in a bit longer if I could. But it really just ended up with me not really ever getting a proper amount of sleep every day. Truth be told I felt like a zombie that entire time I worked there. It was actually a miracle that I didn’t crash my car on my hour long morning drive back home, there were many days where I pulled into my driveway and couldn’t entirely remember my journey home!

I much prefer my semi retired life that I’m living now. I never set an alarm but I usually sleep from 11 pm to 6 am. I work part time and it’s generally from 10am until 2 to 2:30 and then I’m done. I work about 4-5 days a week. It’s a pretty sweet gig

Yep, switching back and forth is murder. Staying up isn't much better, but sleeping for 4 hours and getting up sucks too.

I guess the only saving grace is we make 2.5% more than the day-shifters, but that took years to get, for a long time we didn't get anything extra.

 

[Patman]

Yep, switching back and forth is murder. Staying up isn't much better, but sleeping for 4 hours and getting up sucks too.

I guess the only saving grace is we make 2.5% more than the day-shifters, but that took years to get, for a long time we didn't get anything extra.

It was a no win situation either way for me but I just didn’t want to be sleeping all day on the weekends when I could be doing things with my wife. But staying up for such a long period of time without sleeping wasn’t much fun either. I was so glad when they laid me off, especially because they actually helped me find another job right away and that one paid more money and was 9-5 M-F

 

[opus1]

...I was recently asked to move furniture at 530 pm when I was walking my dog to get ready to leave for work. When I said no my neighbor looked upset. Would I ask you to move furniture at 6am? lol same thing to me

A friend worked nights maintaining mainframe computer printers. He'd get home around 8AM, fire up the grill and have a beer while grilling a steak or burger. One of his neighbors finally had the nerve to ask about that and he explained that he worked nights, so this was his dinner.

 

[Lubener]

Do they go out and cut the grass at 2am? Or work on the el camino out in the garage?

That's what weekends are for.

 

[ctechbob]

It was a no win situation either way for me but I just didn’t want to be sleeping all day on the weekends when I could be doing things with my wife. But staying up for such a long period of time without sleeping wasn’t much fun either. I was so glad when they laid me off, especially because they actually helped me find another job right away and that one paid more money and was 9-5 M-F

Ohh, there were plenty of times when I was just getting adjusted to nights that we almost ended up in divorce*. It took a good long time for us to get used to/learn how to live with/not kill each other/etc.

*To be fair, about 50% of it was also the attitude change that came with the line of work. It took me a while to not take work home with me. Night shift certainly didn't make my attitude any rosier though.

 

[The motor guy]

That's what weekends are for.

You're still going to be on your night shift though. That's like me that sleeps at night randomly waking up after 4hrs and mowing the lawn, then going back to bed

 

[The motor guy]

Idk, you sleep good enough you can't hear anything anyways. Sleep with the TV on if you don't know what I'm talking about. Suddenly you start hearing the TV again about 30 seconds before you open your eyes

 

[clinebarger]

Do they go out and cut the grass at 2am? Or work on the el camino out in the garage?

Night shift workers would have more daylight hours at their disposal I would think??

 

[JeffKeryk]

At work?

Well, I will say getting paid for sleeping is a great gig.
Did I put my head down while the super mini was preparing the daily reports that I distributed for 1st shift? Yes.

 

[Jokester]

Honestly I never paid any attention to what I did possibly annoying the neighbors. No one is on a set schedule we must all abide by and do what needs to be done when it's convenient for you.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

For the last 18 years, I work 11pm to about 8am Sunday night > Friday morning. Worked MANY overtimes that consisted of the Friday night and Saturday night the same. Most of my neighbors and their kids don't really care that I'm trying to sleep during the day. I have black out shades cut tight so no gap on sides. Dohm white noise machine, my phone is on do not disturb except family and that for calls only, no text.

I'm 55 and definitely feel the affects of that schedule with missed parties, dinners etc. If I need to do something with family I need to take 2 vacation days, the night before to rest and the night of since I didn't sleep. I will cut the grass when I get home and do other things. I'm also a volunteer firefighter so will answer calls and ambulance during the day. As of late I'm in bed by about 1pm, get up at 9pm, eat, shower, go to work.

I buy Monster Energy and 5 Hour Energy by the case when I go shopping. 1 Monster normally on way into work, 5 hour at lunch around 4am.

I'm fortunate my wife is excellent and it has been our life for a long time. I was on dayshift about 2 years before this round of 3rd. Prior to that also on 2nd and mostly 3rd.

When the kids were young I would sleep when I got home, get them off the bus, start dinner and homework and then nap for about 2 hours before work. That doesn't give me enough rest anymore, I need the straight 8-ish.

We are not working OT's currently so I get home Friday, grass cut, Oil changes etc but I might be in bed by 6pm and sleep until 6-7am totally throwing me off.

 

[Jetronic]

Do they go out and cut the grass at 2am? Or work on the el camino out in the garage?

It's the other way around, the rest of the world wakes people whio work the night shift.

 

[ctechbob]

I need the straight 8-ish.

100% the same. Some folks here at work can make it on grabbing a few naps. I can't do it. I either sleep for 7.5-8 or I'm wrecked, during the work week that is. I can suffer through the deprivation on days off, but not at work.

Best thing I ever did was tint my bedroom windows with a blackout vinyl tint. Nothing gets through. Blackout shades never worked for me, there was always a glow. Now with the film there is nothing. If it weren't for my Nixie clocks you wouldn't be able to see your hand in front of your face.

 

[RDY4WAR]

I worked nights for 2 years, 6-12s from 6pm-6am. I mowed in the afternoon before work or on my day off. Sometimes, it would slip a few days late. My wife was pregnant with #2 during this time and was a rather rough pregnancy. She was on bed rest the last 4 months and generally miserable. I'd get home around 645, wake our daughter up, and get her off to school. Then I'd wake my wife, cook us something to eat (I ate breakfast for my "dinner" a lot through this), and then sleep from about 9-3 when my daughter got home from school. I'd then clean, put away laundry, and cook dinner before leaving for work at 5. That's if my wife didn't have an appointment which she did at least once a week, often twice a week. Those days, I might get 3 hours of sleep if I slept at all, as I refused to miss a single one. My day off, I would sleep 10-12 hours, go grocery shopping at midnight, and catch up on things.

 

[dlundblad]

When my wife was on 3rds when we first got married, that was an adjustment. It was very easy to wake her too while mowing and such.

Weekends or days where she was off, she would try to get on the “day shift” sleep schedule, but she was always tired. She was a medical lab scientist at a community hospital and working days and times were all over the place.

 

[Delta]

I started night shift at the place I work now; was the only way to get in. Worked Wed-Sat nights 9pm to 7am. Sunday morning I'd get home and piddle around and then probably take a couple hour nap around lunch time. Then reset my sleep schedule. I'd stay up as late as I could Tuesday so I could sleep in as long as I could Wednesday. Never was able to take a nap before work, so that first night was always brutal. Did all that for a couple years; I swear I took 10 years off my lifespan. I was able to get on 2nd shift which was much better and I could actually sleep when it was dark out. Finally was able to get on daylight a little over a year ago. Now I gotta be up at 3:30am. Worth it though.

When I was on nights I had this neighbor who seemed to mow twice a week and despite a window AC unit or noise maker, he'd always wake me up. He knew I worked nights, but he was an odd character.

 

[97prizm]

Do they go out and cut the grass at 2am? Or work on the el camino out in the garage?

I work the night shift and get done at 8:15am. Twenty five ish minutes to get home. If I have to mow the lawn it gets done in the morning alog with errands. However on my days off I have been known to bbq or smoke ribs starting around 2-3am and have them done in 6 hours or so.

 

[facility1]

I worked from 6pm to 6am for 24 years, the only way to do this is simply change your lifestyle 12 hr opposite, or reverse your am and pm,leave caffeine alone and no alcohol,,,the largest problem there is ,your neighbors,noisey traffic and the phone ringing,no family or friends,no social life to speak of, and some people can't get through their head that I sleep during the day time (as meetings for work),,,yeah it can be rough ,but you have to be disciplined to do this shift,now im retired ,still hard to be back to day hrs.