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Those who know me know what I mean when I say
good-night. I say good-night after working a long 12 hour night as I
am heading out the door, down the stairwell on my way home. I wear
sunglasses for the drive home. I say good-night as I go. It's
daytime and most people are buzzing around well into or just starting
their daily routine. I am finishing mine! It is my night. And
hopefully it will be a good uninterrupted day of sleep for me.
Working shift work is a different lifestyle.
Consider getting a phone call at 2:30 in the morning. Not an issue if you
are awake at that time. However, if you are normal and are sleeping at
that time it would probably irritate the heck out of you, especially if
the call were one of those "can I speak to the lady of the
house" phone calls. No one really thinks twice about calling at 11:30
in the morning unless you are a night shift person trying to get a good
night's, I mean day's sleep! So I have learned to
turn
the phone off and let the answering machine pick up.
Is there a possibility that employers will host
mandatory meetings at a more convenient time for night shift workers?
Probably not in the near future. Instead we are expected to come in bright
eyed and happy to be here in the middle of OUR night time for a meeting.
And then expected to stay awake and learn something. Even meetings
at the end of a shift can be a difficult task when you have slowed down
and are ready for the soft pillow sensation. Yawn. I have just accepted
that I can't learn new tricks at that time of day and have accepted that
those people who work days can just think I am stupid and moody and can
hate me because I am beautiful if they want to. Seriously, I wonder how
bright eyed they'd be at a 0136am meeting.
Working nights goes against the body's design.
We were designed to be awake in the day and sleep at night. It all relates
to the circadian rhythm thing. Sunlight or lack thereof causes factors in
our bodies to either be awake or go to sleep. Studies show that
those
individuals working nights are more at risk for heart disease,
gastrointestinal disorders, mood disorders, and neurological disorders.
Since staying awake all night and sleeping in the daytime goes against the
body's natural design getting adequate rest can be a problem for shift
workers. Some people adjust quite well to working night shift and others
are constantly plagued with sleep problems.
Here are
some tips to help night shift workers sleep better.
1. Try to
fool your body into thinking it is really night. You can do this
by: Darkening your sleeping area. I
wear a sleeping mask which works well for me; plus my room is away from
the morning and midday sun, so it stays darker till late afternoon. Minimize
outside noises. The daytime hours are a lot noisier than nighttime
hours. Neighbors will mow their grass in the day time if you can believe
that. I wear ear plugs to block out the noises. You can buy earplugs
at Wal-Mart in the sporting goods section.
2. More on
Minimizing Noises and children. I already mentioned earplugs, but
consider ropes and gags for children that are out of school for summer
vacation. Just kidding. Really, do not gag and do not hog tie your
children. My children are teenagers now and do have an understanding of my
need for daytime sleep. I have worked nights for years and they have
pretty much grown up with this lifestyle. Another hint, and a no brainer
probably, Turn the ringer off on your phones and let the answering
machine take your calls. If you have children, have a cell phone or
pager to keep by your bed. Of course don't give this number out to your
employers as they will call you on it just as you are slipping into the
very best dream you ever had to ask you some life or death question like
"did you really give that 5:00 am enema, I know you said you did, but
you did not sign for it." So, with that in mind, make sure the
children or the schools know to call this cell phone or pager number if
you have to be reached.
3. Inform others
that you work nights and sleep during the day. Tell you family,
your friends what are good times to reach you. Let them know your
routine. Tell your children's friends yourself that you are very
mean and ugly and always so NO when awakened during the day. Put a do not
disturb or no solicitation sign on the door for others that might be door
to door sales folks. If your neighbors know your routine they are
less likely to come over at noon to borrow a cup of sugar. However, they
will still mow their grass in the daytime.
4. Avoid
things that affect sleep. Caffeine should be avoided for at least 3
to 5 hours before you try to go to sleep. Alcohol, though it is a CNS
depressant will not help you to sleep any better; it actually causes you
to sleep lighter than you normally would. No smoking in bed or before
bedtime. Nicotine is a stimulant! And your body craves it even when you
are asleep, so guess what; you wake up more frequently. Pain and anxiety
should be avoided if at all possible. It is extremely difficult to
get to sleep when you are worrying. Take analgesics for pain and if needed
seek medical care for chronic pain and anxiety problems.
5. Sleep Aids. Luckily I don't need to take anything to help me sleep for the most
part. But what does come to mind is melatonin. Melatonin
is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. It is released
rhythmically (there's that circadian thing again) and is influenced by
darkness. Growing darkness stimulates our body to secrete melatonin and
conversely light signals its cessation. There is controversy about
taking oral forms of melatonin in an effort to reset the body's natural
rhythms. I am not encouraging the use of melatonin, nor discouraging its
use as I do not know the whole issues. It is an individual decision and
each person should make an informed decision before using any sleep aid.
FYI: In nocturnal animals melatonin is secreted with the setting of the
sun as it is in the human body, however, in the nocturnal animal it
signals a wake up call. Check back for links as I will provide links to
informational sites in regards to melatonin as I find them.
I will be updating this page from time to time
with more ideas and hints for better sleep so check back periodically.
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