Night Life
Today I worked my first night shift in two years.
I never thought that I would return to nights after switching to days. And although this is a temporary switch for me, I’ve actually adjusted way better than I thought I ever could. So here’s how Im doing it this time around.
It can’t be left out that my commute is now a whooping total of 10 minutes- instead of the 70 that it was before. 10/10 recommend choosing a hospital that is local to you.
Controversial opinion, but, block your work nights together. You will be tired the first night but then you should be able to sleep that first day and then you will be flipped. Makes for better work/life balance.
Get black-out curtains. I never did, but you should. My ex had these and I used to go to his house after shift to sleep and it will change your life. Alternatively, you could get a black out eye mask but it’s not nearly as good.
Day 0: The day before, get a good night sleep. Go to bed at your usual time and rest up. Sleep your usual 8 hours. Meal-prep. Do your laundry. Think of it as “Sunday”.
Day 1: Go about your business doing your regular schedule but limit your caffeine intake. Late afternoon, take a nap. Even if you can’t sleep, just lay down for two hours and rest. Get ready for work. It helps me to feel more awake if I put a bit more effort into getting dressed. If I do my hair and put on some earrings, it feels less like bedtime. Get to work. Don’t drink any coffee after 3am, 1am if you can help it.
Day 2: Its 8am and you’re exhausted. Take a nice hot shower, eat something warm. Close your blackout curtains. Sleep at least 7 hours. If you can’t sleep, just lay there with your eyes closed. Put your phone on do not disturb. Make sure when you set your alarm clock, you set it to PM. Do not, by any means, look at your phone after you lay down. Wake up with enough time to eat dinner, or breakfast (hehe), take another shower, and get dressed like you did for day 1. Repeat.
Day 3: repeat day 2.
Day 4: You’re coming off your third shift. If you have intentions of flipping back, do not sleep more than 4 to 6 hours. If you do this, you should be able to fall asleep by midnight and you’ll be back to a regular person.
Welcome to the dark side. :)
