Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Night Shift

When I was looking for a job as a new nurse I knew there would be some sacrifices to make. One of them being working nights. I've never worked a full night shift before. The latest I've ever worked was till about 3am. I don't think I'll have any trouble staying awake, my worry is getting enough sleep the next day to go back to work that night. So to prepare myself I have purchased a few items I think will help me.

This is a herbal supplement that claims to reduce stress hormones to support the body's relaxation response.

We have French doors and two windows in our bedroom. That makes for a lot of light during the daytime hours. I've though about getting black out shades/curtains, but then what do you do with them during the day? So I thought I'd try wearing a sleeping mask. I ordered this one online and it came in the mail today. I am anxiously awaiting to try it.



If anyone has worked nights and has any tips they would like to share with me, please do. I'll take any advise I can get.
signature small

5 comments:

LydiaAndPugs said...

Hi there! I am a pug lover myself, my name is Dawn. Cute blog you have! Come visit my blog at lydiaandpugs.blogspot or my etsy store lydiaandpugs.etsy.com. My blog/shop is dedicated to my first pug dog name Lydia. I create stationery and personalized paper goods. I am new to blogging, so let’s be friends :)

Anonymous said...

Hi! I have been a lurker for a long time .. lol since Molly.

My mom is a nurse and her advice on night shift is don't think about the sleep. The more you worry about it, the less sleep you will actually get. The first day is usually the worst.
Its not much in the way of advice... good luck!

Page said...

I love your new header pic! My closest friend in college was a nursing student so, naturally, she started on the night shift. She would take Tylenol PM to get to sleep during the day. Also, you might want to add ear plugs to the eye mask. This works really well for me since the sound of my breathing (which can be heard really well in ear plugs in) lulls me to sleep. Hope this helps!

Unknown said...

I have no tips for you....but that eye mask is adorable!!

lml said...

I don't work steady nights, but I do them often for clinical. It gets easier once your body is used to it. I get really shaky coming off of a night shift so I always eat and have a cup of coffee or pop before my drive home. I also take Benadryl before my shift so I'm sure to get a full 8 hours of sleep before I go in. I find myself hungrier when I'm on night shift so I come stocked with healthy treats and I drink a ton of water. Hope this helps!