OK - so I have been re-offered a promotion that I knocked back a few weeks ago...

Short story is that it will involve a small amount of night shift... unfortunately, it's 5pm Saturdays through until (approx) 5am Sunday... then a 45min drive home. The rest of the week is days and I have been offered flexi-time... so some pro's with the con's

I know there's a few SeaBreezers that seem to work N.S. and was hopeful on tips about sleeping during the day... as I am not a good sleeper to begin with..

Given the 12hr shift, should I be having a Nana nap beforehand? And if I am only working the one night, how long should I sleep on the Sunday to try and slot back into the normal routine...

Any tips gratefully received.

Im working 19,00-7.00 Sunday to Wednesday.
Three ways you can go about it
1) stay up late the night before for as long as you can then sleep in for aslong as possiable ( wake up at 1-2 oclock.

2) Wake up early as possible 07;00 then go back to sleep at say 12 If you cant sleep try and just rest your eyes for atleat 3-4 hours

3) do as normal and stay awake allday ( go fishing golf etc) then go to work with sun tan and drink a mega coffee every two hours..

I wouldn't recommend number 3 as your "accident prone" signifigantly due to fatigue.
Its important if your operating machinery/fixing machinery to get shut eye before your shift esp a 12 hour. .

You can alaso wake up at 07;00 sat morning and be parole tic on hard liquor before 10 oclock the passout for 6 hours!

Been years since I worked nights. I used buster's method #1, stay up all night Friday night until 9am or so, then crash until the start of the Saturday night shift.

It sucks to switch shifts twice in one weekend, and to have to do it only for one day. Hard work.

Copious methamphetamines and valium would help. Take as required.

1700-0700 2 nights a week for the last 10 years. Get some shut eye before the shift if you can .. dont have to sleep but just some relaxing time. Try to eat some low GI index foods and keep grazing with same as much as you can. A cup of milo will keep your energy levels ticking along with out the lolly/coffee spikes. In morning a quick drink and off too bed. A blackened room ( or eyepatches) and I use silicone ear plugs to send me off to la la land.. Up at 3 to shower and do it all again...

After last shift I try to get a small sleep in and then get up and try to spend the rest of the day as normal and maybe if I've had a particually crapy night - early to bed..

4AM is the worst - its really late at night and really early in the morning!

Prob not everyone would like this idea, but I to am a bad sleeper and struggle a bit on the first day.

I take one restavit (from the chemist) in the morning after first shift and usually sleep till 2ish. Thats not really enough when doin 12 hours but it is a start.

That usually gets me into the swing of things.

Sleep before first shift is important, more the better.
I have tried staying up the night before and sleeping in but if you cant sleep in then you end up worse off. Better to sleep early and try and sleep in as well. have a lay down before your first shift is a good idea to, even if you cant sleep.

Nightshift sucks, the longer the swings the better usually cause it takes a good three to four shifts before your body adjusts.

good luck
Karl

After 25 years of NON regular shift work I have found the secret to doing night shifts.

Just look forward to when you aren't on nights....

Everyone has their method of surviving them and that's all it is - survival I reckon.

I know guys who reverse their days and have a beer and an "evening" type meal and then go to bed about 8 hours before they go on nights.

There are guys that use the "ear plugs and no light" method.

Some will sleep before their first night shift and then have a few hours when they get home and some will just tough it out and rely on getting 4 or 5 hours in the morning.

As I've got into my 50's I find that a glass of red with dinner and into bed for a rest for an hour or two on the first night (and sleep on subsequent evenings) does enough to keep me alive and when I get home a light snack if I'm hungry and into bed for about 4 hours on the first one and longer as the nightshifts go on.

If it's winter the 'leccie blanket goes on for an hour or so, if it's hot the fan goes on and if it's noisy outside the earplugs go in. I rarely need to put eye shades on even though our room isn't completely dark - that's what eyelids are for! I've got to be comfy real quick or I struggle to get to sleep.

My advice to you if you are only doing one a week (and aren't going to kill someone or yourself if you aren't at a 100%) is to treat it like going to out to a night club - just do it and sleep as long as you can the next day. You probably won't be able to catch a snooze before you start at 5pm anyway 'cos you won't be tired then.

If you can grab a kip during the shift do so but I really don't think there is a safe way of doing one off nights and then driving home 45 mins in the morning.

If you take it on be aware that you turn into a short tempered p--ck after the NS-- well that's what my family reckon anyway.

A quick lamb shank before bed....zzzzzzzzzzz

All good advice above and I used some of those methods when on nightshift so nothing to add blah blah but I really have to ask...
WTF is with dayshift all week then one nightshift on Saturday? That is totally contrary to the fatigue management plans required to be implemented under OSH. Best practice is at least 4 shifts of nights with at least two full days off (more the better) to get the body clock back in swing.

If you work 4 or 5 days, then just one nightshift with only Sunday to get back on track, then days again, you will have no time to yourself (sleep most Sunday then feel like SH!T Sunday night) and worse, its likely your health will suffer.
Fkn dangerous.
Why can't they have a week of days and a week of nights like every other industry?
I dun gettit

Bigwavedave said...

. .

You can alaso wake up at 07;00 sat morning and be parole tic on hard liquor before 10 oclock the passout for 6 hours!

It took me 5 minutes to work out you meant paralytic!!!

Firefox strikes again

Valerium. Natural herb with an I-can't-believe-this-is-just-a-herb-how-can-they...zzz kick.

Darken the room, shut outside noise as best as you can and play Ken Davis (rainforest sounds,pipe flutes,etc). If it's getting warm put a fan on. Need to feel as comfortable as possible as well as making it feel like night time.
Also I would kick of with Adolf's advice - we all know it does help.
As for the 45 min drive home, watch out for driver fatigue - it's real. I have had dreams whilst driving home from night shift work many years ago. You can't fight it - just pull over and sleep for a couple. That stop,revive,survive campaign saved my life as I pulled over on 3 occasions and slept.

dude - a single night shift is the easiest thing in the world. totally different to doing multiple nights shifts.

Have a normal day the day before
Work the night, then sleep for three hours in the morning - really easy as you will be shagged
Have a slightly headspaced day all day - I personally advocate having 2-3 beers with dinner - life never seems that funny normally
Then the best night's sleep you will ever have

I've been doing shift work for years. I love it. Practically never have to do night shifts any more, but do get called in to work in the middle of the night if the poo hits the fan

GPA said...

^^^

Unfortunately, I have trouble winding down - and Valarium (and it's various variants) does not work for me... Restavit helps... but i'm wary of becoming reliant on it.

Have you tried Melatonin(sp) It's the chemical the body releases prior to sleep, can be bought online from the states; to be honest I didn't believe it would work (thought just more hippy $hit the wifes trying to feed me) but it actually does.
I'd also clarify the hours worked - something doesn't seem right - at a minimum I'd be expecting overtime and a half rates as effectively you have lost your 48hr break.
Caution with the restavit, there is the addiction component (like anything) but theres also the built up fatigue issue due to sleep cycle disturbances - its not a 'proper sleep'.

at the end of the day there really is no point to money if you don't have family to share it with or the time to enjoy it. Other opportunities will flow your way if they've offered this as recognition for your work ethics.

^^ tell them the one night does not suit you and is contrary to good rostering practice. BUT you acknowledge the opportunity as recognition of your good work, and you have the good of the company at heart, so you will mentor the existing N/S supervisor/s to ensure production is still good on Sat night. This mentoring will of course be as you knock off and they come on.

??

Mark _australia said...

^^ tell them the one night does not suit you and is contrary to good rostering practice. BUT you acknowledge the opportunity as recognition of your good work, and you have the good of the company at heart, so you will mentor the existing N/S supervisor/s to ensure production is still good on Sat night. This mentoring will of course be as you knock off and they come on.

??

Yeah - it's a good idea and I have already tried that approach but the boss wouldn't go for it - hence me knocking it back originally...

And I have spoken to the guy who was in the role 3yrs ago (for 10yrs) and he says that there is no escaping Sat nights... it's too important to the business and they want their #1 overseeing it.