All of my life, I've been sleeping and awaken at very irregular times. I know this is very harmful for my body and mind. Because of this, I awaken easily. I tried to sleep at a normal time but noise just keep waking me up like my neighbor's noisy cars. Sometimes I would get just 2 hours of sleep, take a nap later in the afternoon, then stay up all night and do it again.
My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift.
I feel like this is taking a toll on my body and mind. I'm losing my memory, gettin' moody and sometimes I am a zombie.
Question: What are your sleep times like and what do you do in the morning? For example: sleep at 10, wake at 6:00 a.m., Run and eat breakfast.
I would like to request just one shift and live a normal healthy life.
Question to those with same sleep schedule.
- Thread starter Popinski
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JHZR2
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I'd guess that the body is adaptable enough that this can be done in a healthy manner if you learn to transition quick and take a few steps to support it.
I'd probably try to be as absolutely consistent as possible, really train your body and mind to ONLY associate the bedroom with sleep, stay well hydrated, eat light dinners, and be as consistent as you can.
Id think about using melatonin to help minimize the transition issues. Otherwise, light therapy to help adjust your circadian rythms as you go along.
Of course it is far easier to have one shift and train yourself to be on it.
I couldn't deal with crazy schedules. Thats why I stopped driving a truck. I'd leave @ 10p, get home @ 12p the next day then be expected to be back at work by 8p etc.
Now I go to bed between 9 and 10p and get up @ 6a. If I don't set my clock I will sleep till 8a
IDK why companies think swing shift is good for them, or just what exactly is the point; I passed up a job once because it was 12hrs on, 12hrs off, that's just ridiculous.
if I couldn't have 1st shift, I would pick 3rd. 2nd shift is the worst, and swing shift is even worser (yes I know that's not a word...)
anyway, back to the question, you need to train yourself to relax your mind, don't think about the next day, or what you need to do. you need to let go of anxiety and just let yourself sleep. set up a room w/o distractions. it's ok to get a few shorter periods of sleep instead of one long period if that's what your body wants, but you really need good, undisturbed sleep.
Yep, there's nothing easy on the body about shift-work. You basically just learn to live with it. I also sleep horribly, waking up many times.
I've done a 12hr rotating shift for the past 15yrs. 5a-5p or 5p-5a. If you look at it over the course of a month, we work 14 shifts, the rest of the days are off provided there's no OT which is rare. We do batches of 2 & 3 shifts in a row, constantly following the same pattern.
I prefer the 5p-5a. I get home about 0545 and go right to bed. Usually get up around 1pm and have about 3hrs before I have to head back in. The plant runs 24/7/365 if we can help it.
I like having days off during the week as opposed to having to cram everything into a Sat or Sun.
Joel
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Originally Posted By: Popinski
My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift.
Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: Popinski
My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift.
+1
I did that for six years when I worked at the mines for TU. A young body (18yo) can take that abuse at first but it sure does wear on you after awhile. I finally gave that up and left the area via Uncle Sam which brought me out west where I have been with my current employer for the past 13 years. I don't set the alarm unless I need to be onsite really early. I normally wake up at 5:00 - 5:30am and go to sleep around 10:30 - 11:30pm.
B
The operators at the power station used to work 3x8 hour shifts, with a few balance hours (turns 32 into 35), but petitioned for a new arrangement of 3x12 hour days, 3-4 days off, and 3x12 hour nights, 4-3 days off (7 'til 7, AM/PM).
The earlier model of 4x8, three shift arrangements messed majorly with them. Some of the retirees waking up at stupid times, falling asleep at stupid times.
When we commission stuff, arvo shift is another 8 hours after a normal day shift, just to even stuff out. Night is midnight to 8AM.
The 12 hours, day or night seems to work for the operators now, as although it's not normal, it's more regular...and the extra days off mean more time for Vitamin D absorption, and being with family...annualised wage (rather then shift penalties for afternoon/night also mean more opportunity for overtime to cover sickies, but a 12 hour shift means no doublers are possible, so there's at least 10 hours of unwork/travel for most of them.
Maybe it's something that you could suggest as an improvement...longer hours, shorter weeks, same players.
I Usually call it a night by 12am and get up anywhere from 7:30a-9am depending what time I have to work. Once in a while like tonught I pull an overnight shift but usually I sleep hevay and dont wake up much.
Originally Posted By: Popinski
My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift.
Originally Posted By: Popinski
....My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift....
I have to drag my butt out of bed at 5:45 AM so I can get to work by 7:30. I've been working here for about 9 months an I'm still not used to waking up so early. I usually get to bed at around 10 PM. It's really not enough sleep for me. I try to go to bed before 9, but I'm usually up doing things around the house. I get home around 5 PM, so it doesn't leave me much time to enjoy for myself.
It wasn't too long ago that I was in college and I always stayed up until 2 AM and got to sleep in till around 11 AM. Ahh those were the days! I think my body still wishes I could do that. It just seems "programmed" to stay up late and wake up late.
Originally Posted By: Popinski
Question: What are your sleep times like and what do you do in the morning? For example: sleep at 10, wake at 6:00 a.m., Run and eat breakfast.
I would like to request just one shift and live a normal healthy life.
I'm in bed around 9:30 every night and usually read for 15-20 minutes. It's lights out no later than 10:00. My alarm is set for 5:15 AM, but I haven't used it in years-I'm automatically up at 5:00 every morning, even on weekends.
First thing I do is go for a walk/run for an hour or so, usually with the dogs. Since it is pitch dark this time of the year I drive down to the bike trail and use that for my morning exercise.
I keep busy from about 7:00 AM to 3:00 or 4:00 PM, a combination of consulting/QA in the morning and working at the winery in the afternoon. I then usually meet my wife and we exercise for an hour-either running, walking, biking, snow shoeing, etc. I usually bring the dogs unless it's raining. Weekends I continue to stay active and don't vary much from my weekday schedule other than not doing any consulting or QA work.
A light dinner around 5:30 or 6:00, a glass or two of wine while we discuss our day, and around 9:30 it's off to bed.
I never take naps-I'm never tired during the day. The daily exercise keeps us both physically and mentally fit. I never eat after 8:00 PM and don't consume any caffeine after noon. Both my wife and I understand the importance of quality sleep, and work hard to make sure we sleep soundly every night for at least 7 hours. We live in a quiet rural area, and we both wear earplugs which help considerably during thunderstorms. In order to promote good sleep our master bedroom was designed and positioned to stay as cool as possible-it's zoned by itself so we can bump up the cooling in the summer and allow it to stay cooler in the winter.
In addition I also wear a rubber snore guard that prevents my lower jaw from dropping back if I'm sleeping on my back, and it completely prevents me from snoring. Both my wife and I understand that if you're snoring, you're not really sleeping, so I go to great lengths to make sure I don't snore.
Good sleep and a quality diet are probably the two most important factors affecting health for most people, and unfortunately it's the two areas where many people fail miserably. As you've found out, it takes both a mental and physical toll on you.
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Maybe it's something that you could suggest as an improvement...longer hours, shorter weeks, same players.
Originally Posted By: Popinski
All of my life, I've been sleeping and awaken at very irregular times. I know this is very harmful for my body and mind. Because of this, I awaken easily. I tried to sleep at a normal time but noise just keep waking me up like my neighbor's noisy cars. Sometimes I would get just 2 hours of sleep, take a nap later in the afternoon, then stay up all night and do it again.
My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift.
I feel like this is taking a toll on my body and mind. I'm losing my memory, gettin' moody and sometimes I am a zombie.
Question: What are your sleep times like and what do you do in the morning? For example: sleep at 10, wake at 6:00 a.m., Run and eat breakfast.
I would like to request just one shift and live a normal healthy life.
Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: Popinski
My job has it where you work 1st shift one week, 2nd shift another week, and 3rd shift another week..then back to 1st shift.
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