Question about sleep hours..

LikeAnOcean

I normally get about 7 hrs of sleep, usually between about Midnight and 7 AM.. but for my job I will be required to work night time hours for the month of August.

I have to be at my work between the hours of 3 AM and 8 AM to get what's done, done. Basically running order processing for the company I work for so people in production can start their shifts around 5 or 6 am.

The way I see it I have two options.. work 3 AM to 11 AM which means I would have to be in bed around 7 PM.. or work 12 AM to 8AM, in which I would probably just sleep from 9 AM to 4 PM.

I would rather sleep during the day so I can have an evening social life. I guess my real question is, is sleeping during the day bad for you???

musicismylife78

I worked nights 1030 pm to 7 am, for two months. It literally made me go crazy. humans arent meant to sleep during the day and be up all night, as much as we all would like to stay up all night! Its just not healthy. Those crazy hours mess with your equilibrium. And studies have shown that people who work graveyard/night shift hours, are at a higher risk for just about every disease and ailment you could think of, from cancer on down the line etc...

It also messes with any chance of having a normal life. I remember quite clearly, being pissed off to no end, walking to work at 10pm, and seeing people out at bars, and lining up to get into music venues, or just hanging out, while I was off to work. It really messed me up, emotionally, physically and mentally. There would be concerts I wanted to go to, or movies I wanted to see with friends, and it was almost impossible to pull off any of that. I could go to a concert, but most concerts dont even get good until 1030, which is when I had to be clocked in at work, and for movies, although I enjoy going to daytime movies, most people seem to want to go to night showings, and that was also out of the question.

I would say, get out of your work situation as fast as you can! Run like hell!

pjhawks

i did it for a few months myself as well - was brutal. difficult part was the days not working, what is your sleep pattern for those 2 days. i was tired for the whole 3 months i did it. i never really felt right physicially. i'd be exhausted but still could only get like 4 hours of sleep during the daytime hours. it was like my body was in a constant state of fatigue. and i was in my early 20s when i did it so i was pretty much in my peak physical state then too.

rival.

musicismylife78 wrote:

I worked nights 1030 pm to 7 am, for two months. It literally made me go crazy. humans arent meant to sleep during the day and be up all night, as much as we all would like to stay up all night! Its just not healthy. Those crazy hours mess with your equilibrium. And studies have shown that people who work graveyard/night shift hours, are at a higher risk for just about every disease and ailment you could think of, from cancer on down the line etc...

It also messes with any chance of having a normal life. I remember quite clearly, being pissed off to no end, walking to work at 10pm, and seeing people out at bars, and lining up to get into music venues, or just hanging out, while I was off to work. It really messed me up, emotionally, physically and mentally. There would be concerts I wanted to go to, or movies I wanted to see with friends, and it was almost impossible to pull off any of that. I could go to a concert, but most concerts dont even get good until 1030, which is when I had to be clocked in at work, and for movies, although I enjoy going to daytime movies, most people seem to want to go to night showings, and that was also out of the question.

I would say, get out of your work situation as fast as you can! Run like hell!

perfect response right here. i worked the graveyard shift at a hotel for about 10 months and i agree with everything here and had the same experiences. RUN!

IwasBit10

For two weeks each month, I have to work from 5am-2pm. My office is over 30 mins away from my place, so my alarm goes off at 4am at the lastest. Not quite as bad as your options, but still rough. Honestly, it sucks. Basically have to be in bed no later than 8pm. Can't go out with friends after work, can't go to concerts, bars, everything that people have mentioned. Worst of all, can't watch White Sox games. I'm not sure what your options are (I know I don't have any), but if I had to pick just between those two shifts, I'd go with the 3am-11am. Atleast you can have somewhat normal of an afternoon and sleep during part of the night. I don't know if I could sleep all day like that.

LikeAnOcean

singularity wrote:

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musicismylife78 wrote:

I worked nights 1030 pm to 7 am, for two months. It literally made me go crazy. humans arent meant to sleep during the day and be up all night, as much as we all would like to stay up all night! Its just not healthy. Those crazy hours mess with your equilibrium. And studies have shown that people who work graveyard/night shift hours, are at a higher risk for just about every disease and ailment you could think of, from cancer on down the line etc...

It also messes with any chance of having a normal life. I remember quite clearly, being pissed off to no end, walking to work at 10pm, and seeing people out at bars, and lining up to get into music venues, or just hanging out, while I was off to work. It really messed me up, emotionally, physically and mentally. There would be concerts I wanted to go to, or movies I wanted to see with friends, and it was almost impossible to pull off any of that. I could go to a concert, but most concerts dont even get good until 1030, which is when I had to be clocked in at work, and for movies, although I enjoy going to daytime movies, most people seem to want to go to night showings, and that was also out of the question.

I would say, get out of your work situation as fast as you can! Run like hell!

perfect response right here. i worked the graveyard shift at a hotel for about 10 months and i agree with everything here and had the same experiences. RUN!

Well its only for a month (I hope).. and probably a few more weeks to cover the guy who normally does its vacation.. If it goes beyond that, I'm hunting for another job.. I would think sleeping 9 AM to 5 PM would be better as it would leave my evening hours open to do stuff, no?

justam

LikeAnOcean wrote:

Well its only for a month (I hope).. and probably a few more weeks to cover the guy who normally does its vacation.. If it goes beyond that, I'm hunting for another job.. I would think sleeping 9 AM to 5 PM would be better as it would leave my evening hours open to do stuff, no?

That sounds like a good plan in theory. I think you'll just have to see if you can make it work for you.

A month isn't really that long anyway.

pjhawks

Well its only for a month (I hope).. and probably a few more weeks to cover the guy who normally does its vacation.. If it goes beyond that, I'm hunting for another job.. I would think sleeping 9 AM to 5 PM would be better as it would leave my evening hours open to do stuff, no?[/quote]

the tough part of sleeping 9 am to 5 pm though is what do you do on your days off. if you go back to a normal sleeping pattern you are looking at like a 10-12 hour difference in when you are sleeping. it can really screw you up. i guess it would be best to stay on the same schedule on the days off but realistically most people won't do that and will try and be awake for normal hours on non-workdays.

_

LikeAnOcean wrote:

I normally get about 7 hrs of sleep, usually between about Midnight and 7 AM.. but for my job I will be required to work night time hours for the month of August.

I have to be at my work between the hours of 3 AM and 8 AM to get what's done, done. Basically running order processing for the company I work for so people in production can start their shifts around 5 or 6 am.

The way I see it I have two options.. work 3 AM to 11 AM which means I would have to be in bed around 7 PM.. or work 12 AM to 8AM, in which I would probably just sleep from 9 AM to 4 PM.

I would rather sleep during the day so I can have an evening social life. I guess my real question is, is sleeping during the day bad for you???

I vote 3-11AM. Otherwise, if you wake up at 4 or 5 PM, you'll have some social time, but then you'll just be up all night by yourself. Plus, it seems best to keep it as close to normal as possible.

musicismylife78

pjhawks wrote:

Well its only for a month (I hope).. and probably a few more weeks to cover the guy who normally does its vacation.. If it goes beyond that, I'm hunting for another job.. I would think sleeping 9 AM to 5 PM would be better as it would leave my evening hours open to do stuff, no?

the tough part of sleeping 9 am to 5 pm though is what do you do on your days off. if you go back to a normal sleeping pattern you are looking at like a 10-12 hour difference in when you are sleeping. it can really screw you up. i guess it would be best to stay on the same schedule on the days off but realistically most people won't do that and will try and be awake for normal hours on non-workdays.[/quote]


Thats another thing. The days off part. It was mentally jarring and messed me up as well. Like I would be at the end of my work week, and had just worked my Friday and was all done after working from 1030pm to 7am. So I would be done, and it would be 7am, on my saturday in essense. I know alot of people maybe would want to spend saturday sleeping, but, it just felt like I was wasting my entire weekend and life. I would stay up all that day, from 7am on. And would be dead tired by like 7 or 8pm on my saturday.

I was tired the entire two months. And it felt like I never had time off, even though I always had two days off every week.

Maybe you will find night hours to be suited for you. But I think, it will be most likely hard to fall asleep, especially in the summer, during the day. I was working nights in the winter. So I wasnt missing too much, or I could convince myself I wasnt missing much, as I would sleep when I got home, and it would be cold outside. But during the summer, how are you gonna psych yourself up for coming home from work, and sleeping during the day, when its sunny and warm and beautiful outside? Its one thing to sleep during the day in winter, its another to sleep during the day during the summer when its so nice outside. That would completely make me certifiable.

Its odd though how some people work that shift, the night/graveyard shift, for years. Maybe for their entire life. I know one guy who worked it for 7 or 8 years. And the people I was with, who I worked with during my 2 month stint working graveyard, they were nice, and kind, they werent mean, but you could tell, they were different. I think you become different working that shift. You have to. I mean, to work it for an extended amount of time, for years or decades would fundamentally alter you I think. I could immediately tell these people were different.

decides2dream

scb wrote:

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LikeAnOcean wrote:

I normally get about 7 hrs of sleep, usually between about Midnight and 7 AM.. but for my job I will be required to work night time hours for the month of August.

I have to be at my work between the hours of 3 AM and 8 AM to get what's done, done. Basically running order processing for the company I work for so people in production can start their shifts around 5 or 6 am.

The way I see it I have two options.. work 3 AM to 11 AM which means I would have to be in bed around 7 PM.. or work 12 AM to 8AM, in which I would probably just sleep from 9 AM to 4 PM.

I would rather sleep during the day so I can have an evening social life. I guess my real question is, is sleeping during the day bad for you???

I vote 3-11AM. Otherwise, if you wake up at 4 or 5 PM, you'll have some social time, but then you'll just be up all night by yourself. Plus, it seems best to keep it as close to normal as possible.

agreed, especially since it is not a long-term thing, keep yourself as much to 'norml' as possible.


my husband worked nights for a fe months and it was BRUTAL! he could never adjust, never slept well, it was so difficult to do things together and impossible to do anything around the house - how does one ever vacuum if their spouse is always sleeping when you are home? :P my brother in law did it for over 20 years. him and his GF, their social life sucked. he was always tired, they hardly had time together...and even when they did, difficult, b/c again....you never fully adjust.

we are not meant to be up all night. it's been discussed endlessly in medical reports that working nights does indeed effect your long-term health and more than likely shortens your lifespan. :shock: i do know lots of people who do so....simply b/c they have no choice. many, many professions require nighttime shifts, and there will always be people willing to do them. i think, at best, it's ok short-term....make a good impression, wait for a better shift, whatever.....but long-term, i think it's disastrous. personally, no extra $$$ is worth that, no job worth it.....but you gotta do what is best for you.

LikeAnOcean

You guys are right.. I'll probably just sleep 7 PM to 2 AM.. I suppose I could stay up until around 11 PM on weekends without going to far out of wack. Atleast I'd get a few hours in to socialize.

strummers

I used to work an evening shift - until 10.30 - 11pm and I loved the hours. Looking for work now (after taking redundancy) and I'm dreading having a 'regular' 9-5 type job - I'm normally up until 4am most days and can't seem to get into a pattern of going to bed earlier and getting up early. Give me a nightshift job any day (or night!).

DewieCox

Buck up and do it..... It'll take a little getting used to, though.

3rd shift weekends f'in rock....... I would always take a power nap when I got home friday morning and get it goin around noon, party my tits off, crash out, get up saturday afternoon and do it again, then sleep as much as you want/need on sunday.

TravisTheSky

I have the rare luxury of being able to sleep whatever hours I choose. Curiously, my body clock never finds a predictable schedule. For example, it's nearly 1:30 am Sunday morning. I got up to start my day at 7 pm last night. I will probably become sleepy before noon. I tend to have a 25 hour day, meaning that I go to bed a bit later each day... In another week, I'm likely to be sleeping at night, and being awake during the day. Even though the common diurnal routine is very productive, it doesn't last. I just wait for it to come around again.

Weird!

LikeAnOcean

TravisTheSky wrote:

I have the rare luxury of being able to sleep whatever hours I choose. Curiously, my body clock never finds a predictable schedule. For example, it's nearly 1:30 am Sunday morning. I got up to start my day at 7 pm last night. I will probably become sleepy before noon. I tend to have a 25 hour day, meaning that I go to bed a bit later each day... In another week, I'm likely to be sleeping at night, and being awake during the day. Even though the common diurnal routine is very productive, it doesn't last. I just wait for it to come around again.

Weird!

That is weird, although, if my job and sunlight weren't a factor I suppose I'd go to bed an hour later each night.. Its almost like I need 7 hours of sleep for every 18 up, which adds to 25 hours, not 24 hour cycles.

_Crazy_Mary_

I worked the graveyard shift, waiting tables, for two years. One year it was 5 nights a week, 10pm-6am. The next year it was 4 nights/week from 8pm-6am. I was much younger, so that probably made a difference, but it wasn't hard once I got used to it. I would sleep from 7am til 11 or 12 and then on my nights off I'd go to bed at 9 or 10 pm & wake up 12-14 hours later.

Vixen

Ive been going to bed around 7am and getting up for work around 1/2pm for 10 years..(with the exception of 5 years ago when for 18 mths i was starting 4am and finishing 8pm on a market garden..which i will NEVER do again)
Im a relatively normal healthy person other than the fact i smoke cigs!
I dont see the sun very often except for when im in my car driving to work which 'is' apparently enough to keep me healthy..too much sunlight, not enough sunlight..whats the bloody difference..how do you judge the 'perfect' amount of sunlight without accidentally going over or under and causing yourself cancer?
As long as you get a lil bit of sun everyday..20/30 min @ what ever time of day, eat properly, get 30 min exercise a minimum of 3 times a week, drink water and get atleast 6 hrs sleep a day..what ever hours you choose should be fine..well all that was according to my GP when i questioned her a couple years ago, but that being said..it may also have alot to do with your age, weight, blood pressure, BMI all that hoo har!
I guess in the end everyone is different and there is only one person who can really tell you how to approach this in a way that will keep you happy...and that is YOU, my friend!

PS: I forgot to add that amongst the sun, diet, exercise , water and sleep that you should mix in a good dose of Pearl Jam in there...i hear thats good for the soul

Arcticangel

I'm getting moved to night shift at the hospital in a couple weeks here... I work second shift (3-11) now.. and I'm getting moved to 11pm-7am. I'm not especially crazy about it.. especially because it's only part time so I know I'm never going to have a consistent sleep schedule. But.. the money is good and I know it's going to be a good experience for me. So I'll do what I gotta do for the next 9 months before I'm hopefully moving on to grad school.

decides2dream

Arcticangel wrote:

I'm getting moved to night shift at the hospital in a couple weeks here... I work second shift (3-11) now.. and I'm getting moved to 11pm-7am. I'm not especially crazy about it.. especially because it's only part time so I know I'm never going to have a consistent sleep schedule. But.. the money is good and I know it's going to be a good experience for me. So I'll do what I gotta do for the next 9 months before I'm hopefully moving on to grad school.

i actually think 2nd shift is the 'worst' of the choices, as much as i loathe the late night schedule. i have never had to work anything outside of 'normal' hours.....ure, occasionally until 8 pm, some weekends.....and nowadays, strickly M-F, 9:30-6, outside of our busy seasons, then all bets are off. seriously tho, my husband has worked regular hours or overnights, NEVER 2nd shift b/c sure, while your sleep schedule can remain rather 'normal'.....WHEN do you have a social life? 3 to 11 PM? you are covering the hours that most of the world does stuff. yikes. so yea, all trade-offs.



good luck!

spencer958

I've been working 3rd shift for almost 15 years(Fedex)and you never really get used to it. My sleep schedule goes like this: Get off at 9:30am, go to bed about 12:30pm, wake up at 5:30, go back to sleep at 11:00pm and get up for work at 1:15am(I have to be there at 1:30 and only live 6mins away). I sucks but if you don't break up your sleep the whole day is wasted.

blackredyellow

Growing up, my dad worked swing shifts for 10+ years... He worked 7 days of 8AM-4PM, 2 off, 7 days of 4PM-12AM, two off, 7 days of 12AM-8AM, three off, then start daylight again...

I honestly don't know how he did it... it's bad enough working 2nd or 3rd shift, but to rotate every week, your body would never get used to a sleep pattern.

LikeAnOcean

decides2dream wrote:

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Arcticangel wrote:

I'm getting moved to night shift at the hospital in a couple weeks here... I work second shift (3-11) now.. and I'm getting moved to 11pm-7am. I'm not especially crazy about it.. especially because it's only part time so I know I'm never going to have a consistent sleep schedule. But.. the money is good and I know it's going to be a good experience for me. So I'll do what I gotta do for the next 9 months before I'm hopefully moving on to grad school.

i actually think 2nd shift is the 'worst' of the choices, as much as i loathe the late night schedule. i have never had to work anything outside of 'normal' hours.....ure, occasionally until 8 pm, some weekends.....and nowadays, strickly M-F, 9:30-6, outside of our busy seasons, then all bets are off. seriously tho, my husband has worked regular hours or overnights, NEVER 2nd shift b/c sure, while your sleep schedule can remain rather 'normal'.....WHEN do you have a social life? 3 to 11 PM? you are covering the hours that most of the world does stuff. yikes. so yea, all trade-offs.



good luck!

Not if you have cool coworkers.. working the second shift in retail can be fun! When I lived in the city we used to get off around 10 pm and head straight to the bars for a few hours. It was a blast! I'd rather work really late than really early, myself.

justam

Let us know how you're managing this next week.

strummers

blackredyellow wrote:

Growing up, my dad worked swing shifts for 10+ years... He worked 7 days of 8AM-4PM, 2 off, 7 days of 4PM-12AM, two off, 7 days of 12AM-8AM, three off, then start daylight again...

I honestly don't know how he did it... it's bad enough working 2nd or 3rd shift, but to rotate every week, your body would never get used to a sleep pattern.

I could never do that! When I tried working different shifts only for a few days my body would resist and I'd get seriously bad migraines. As long as I stick to the same hours every week I think I could adjust to working any hours of the day/night (although I'd prefer night).

decides2dream

LikeAnOcean wrote:

show previous quotes

decides2dream wrote:

Arcticangel wrote:

I'm getting moved to night shift at the hospital in a couple weeks here... I work second shift (3-11) now.. and I'm getting moved to 11pm-7am. I'm not especially crazy about it.. especially because it's only part time so I know I'm never going to have a consistent sleep schedule. But.. the money is good and I know it's going to be a good experience for me. So I'll do what I gotta do for the next 9 months before I'm hopefully moving on to grad school.

i actually think 2nd shift is the 'worst' of the choices, as much as i loathe the late night schedule. i have never had to work anything outside of 'normal' hours.....ure, occasionally until 8 pm, some weekends.....and nowadays, strickly M-F, 9:30-6, outside of our busy seasons, then all bets are off. seriously tho, my husband has worked regular hours or overnights, NEVER 2nd shift b/c sure, while your sleep schedule can remain rather 'normal'.....WHEN do you have a social life? 3 to 11 PM? you are covering the hours that most of the world does stuff. yikes. so yea, all trade-offs.



good luck!

Not if you have cool coworkers.. working the second shift in retail can be fun! When I lived in the city we used to get off around 10 pm and head straight to the bars for a few hours. It was a blast! I'd rather work really late than really early, myself.

yes, that's the one exception...and not just the 'cool coworkers'...but more like, the utterly free and single lifestyle. that's who my husband has said always chooses that shift in his line of work, and it does absolutely make sense. but the minute you get into a serious relationship, with someone who works regular hours...then it sucks, except perhaps if you have shared days off. then again, it still all depends on your relationship. sure, i can handle time apart from my husband, no problem, but for regular day-to-day living, i like to see and spend a few hours together, share dinner, etc. not being able to do so would seriously infringe on our wants and quality of life. so really, that was/is my focus.....balancing your life with those outside your work shifts. and even outside of that, whenever you want to do things with the rest of the world, it becomes problematic as well. ANY shift is bearable/doable for a certain period of time, or time period in your life. i am merely focused on long-term.



about 4 weeks a year, broken up into 2 week increments months apart, i work INSANE hours, at least for me...16-18 hour days and i basically never see my husband during that time. it sucks, we both are miserable through it. we also both know it won't last long, is imperative for my job, so we deal. but if that were the case long term? i'd seriously have to look for other work. same thing when he worked nights. you've got to find the balance that works for you, and that will be different for everyone and their current life situation.

LikeAnOcean

So.. is it unhealthy to live in Alaska during the winter months when there's little to no sunlight??? Or northern Europe???

Maybe my body wouldn't be so effected by sleeping during the day, since I'm fair skinned of northern European decent anyways????

IrishJam

12-8 is definately the best shift.
I have worked all sorts of shifts and at leat you will have the evenings
free to do what you want.
You won't feel like you are missing out on much.

i can also sleep anytime i want regardless of shift pattern so i am lucky,

South of Seattle

It'll mess with you, but it's not too bad, especially if you're not doing it for awhile.

For the last 7 years I've worked 12 hour days. The last 4 years I've been working from 6pm to 6:30am. During my days off my body just re-adjusts back to normal time (kind of a night owl anyways)

LikeAnOcean

South of Seattle wrote:

It'll mess with you, but it's not too bad, especially if you're not doing it for awhile.

For the last 7 years I've worked 12 hour days. The last 4 years I've been working from 6pm to 6:30am. During my days off my body just re-adjusts back to normal time (kind of a night owl anyways)

I'm definitely a night owl. If I could I'd be up until 3 am every night I would.

I think working midnight to 8 will be the best option.. I just hope I get used to sleeping during the day.

Arcticangel

Well.. I survived night one. Only time and a little vampire like sleep in the middle of the day will tell me how I really feel about this...