Any 12 hour night shift workers?

[Brunson84]

I’ve been working swing shift rotation for over 20 years, 12 hour rotation 4 on and 4 off. Just curious how anyone else is coping with these hours after a few years. Night shifts are getting harder to get through nowadays, it doesn’t matter how many hours of sleep I get during the day. I actually feel like I’m getting more sleep when on nights, but from 1am to 5am I’m google eyed trying to stay awake. My routine is normally straight to bed at 7, up for an hour or so at 11, then lay back down til 4 and this has worked well for years, feel great til 1am then it goes down hill from there. Drive home im fine, just curious how others are doing?


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[timekiller13]

I always seem to hit a wall around 3-4am. But that’s not really any different than when I worked day shift. I would hit the same wall around 4pm.

I generally sleep from 9-330. Get up and work out for 45-1 hr. Then have some time to just chill before I head to work.

Pretty much same routine I had when I worked day shift, just flipped.

 

[DiabeticKripple]

yup, been doing it for 10 years.

2 weeks of nights at a time, then I get 2 weeks off. Then 2 weeks of days and 2 weeks off.

I definitely get more sleep when I am on nights. I work 530pm-730am. Usually asleep by 830-9 and im up around 430-5.

I found taking sleeping pills to get onto nights way better, after 3-4 sleeps i stop taking them and sleep through the day. The key for me is to blackout my room. If im staying in camp I put garbage bags on the windows and if im home I have blackout curtains. I need a dark room to get a good sleep.

I too hit a wall around 3-4 but I find getting up and taking a walk outside for a few minutes helps big time. That and i generally have a coffee around 2am.

 

[Matt5266]

I work 4 on 3 off, 3 on 4 off. 1730 to 0530. We switch every 4 months, then go 0530 to 1730. Definitely rough on the body. I sleep like crap on night shift even with blackout curtains and background noise. From around 0330 to 0530 it gets pretty rough to stay awake most the time.

 

[Silveroddo]

In my old job I was on call for nights plowing snow seasonally. Once a storm rolled through we might be on midnight to 8 am for 4-5 days. I did that for 11 years, in my younger days it was no big deal but the last 2-3 years it was turning into a struggle. We’d get a call at 2am for initial work and have to go in, that was getting tough. I did energy drinks for awhile but cut those out completely and just relied on coffee to get through the 4-6am and going to sleep as soon as I got home from s shift. I never had trouble sleeping when I got home.
I really grew to hate it towards the end and it was a contributing factor in moving on from that job.

 

[Brunson84]

I work 4 on 3 off, 3 on 4 off. 1730 to 0530. We switch every 4 months, then go 0530 to 1730. Definitely rough on the body. I sleep like crap on night shift even with blackout curtains and background noise. From around 0330 to 0530 it gets pretty rough to stay awake most the time.

I work in a coal fired powerhouse. I’m glad I only have a set of nights every 12 days, that would suck to have off days in between consecutive nights and having to adjust for that. I keep a fan buzzing and eye covers and sleep pretty solid, but still feel like I’m in lala land between 1-5am, on the walk to the truck when the sun is coming up I feel brand new.


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[Jakeb]

I work 12’s rotating d/n on a 2-3-2 schedule. I handle it pretty decent until I work an OT day puts me getting off at 0400 to start back on days at 0400 the next day. I’ve tried everything and just can’t find an easy adjustment to get back on those days.

Nights always were easier for me, and it’s a little more laid back usually.

 

[Yoder]

The longest I worked nights was about 6 months. I worked 7-7. The worst time for me was always around 3-4am. I don't know how you guys can do it for years. I could never sleep. Right now, I could get a 15% raise if I transfer to night shift. I had an opportunity at Night shift lead a while ago which would have been 25%, 10% for lead and another 15% for NS differential. They can keep it, I don't think it's worth the money. Neither did any of the other guys I work with. I saw an article recently that they estimate working nights will take about 10 years off your life from all of the health issues. I don't know if that's true, but I know I feel like garbage working night shift.

 

[HoytHntr4]

I just got off of rotating shift after 10 years that included a 7 night straight stretch every rotation, did 2 years straight nights at another job before that. As others have said, no matter how good of sleep I got 2-4 am was usually always a struggle. No matter how tired I was I usually always refrained from any caffeine after 2am or I think it would effect my sleep that day. Being tired and being tired while on night shift are two completely different feelings. I’m relatively young at 32 and did okay with working the nights but every old timer I’ve worked with said it only got harder the older that they got. I thought I would miss the solitude of night shift and being left alone from management, but the more I’ve been on more of an 8-4 shift role I’ve found I’d prefer being busy during the day than sleep deprived and tired being left alone on nights.

 

[fisherman983]

Work the same type of schedulem 12 hr shifts 630-630. 4 on 4 off when there's no ot. 2 dayshifts, a swing day and then 2 graveyards.
The first night is brutal, and if my dog doesn't wake me up after the first one and get decent sleep I can function for a bit.
I take melatonin as soon as I get home, shower and get to sleep. Usually wake up once and then up by 3-4 ish. 10 years doing it and I hate the graveyards more and more.

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[Decker9]

Iv been on the 4-4 12hr rotation for about 12 years now, I much prefer it over the 3 8hr shifts. I’m not sure I could handle our management if I were straight days though, I always look forward to night shift, the plant runs so much smoother when the bigwigs are gone (only downside is missing family life).

Work is fast paced with heavy tools and lots of stairs / ladders, by the time I get home, I’m so beat, Im sleeping before I hit the pillow and usually get a solid 6-7 hours of sleep in the day, sometimes 8 if my kiddo stays over at the grandparents a night.

As I get older though it defiantly is getting tougher. I don’t believe there is an outfit in the province that pays trades the same and beats inflation with raises and bonuses though, and is only 20 minutes from home, so I’m riding it as long as my body lets me (43 feeling like 60 )

 

[Rob5589]

Been doing it for 20+ years. It's brutal, never found a way to avoid the fatigue and horrible sleep. We just weren't designed for being up all night, especially as we age. We're so short staffed I do 60 hrs one week, 48 the next. No breaks/lunch and constantly on the move. Thankfully August will be my change to days. I'm done with the night shift for good.

 

[Marbles]

I don't work those hours any longer, but have spend a few years working 12 hour nights. Light is important, dim lights an hour or two prior to going to sleep, very bright lights when you wake up. For me limiting coffee to the first half of the shift helped.

It takes an hour or so for caffeine to take effect after you consume it, but about 8 hours for it to wear off. Even if you can get to sleep, having caffeine in your system lowers the quality of your sleep.

Alcohol also destroys sleep quality (as does Benadryl), so avoid it within an hour or two of sleep.

In the end, night shift is just hard on humans, there is lots of data showing it increases health problems and shortens life. I think if we could manage light exposure perfectly, that would change, but short of a submarine, that simply is not realistic (and no one talks about a "night shift" on a sub, at least not if it runs on an 18 hour day like the one I was on).

 

[tony]

I did 24 hour shifts close to 30 years.
I do 12 hour nights now, 3 on 1 off 3 on and then 7 off.
I love the schedule but the last 2 nights are a killer. My GF is in the medical field as well and she travels so I’m at home with our Doberman son and his cat sister. So I’m up and down taking him out to do his business and play time.

I’m a nurse in a prison, so nights are slow. We play cards every night and that has kept all of us awake and alert. I don’t eat as much and drive home isn’t as bad compared to when we don’t get to play.

 

[49ereric]

Worked nights several times over the years at nuclear plant refueling outage’s & spent fuel campaigns as it was called. Sometimes 6-12’s or 7-12’s for a couple months or more and I got used to it but I was working away from home and nothing else happening to bother me.
I worked more day shifts cuz GF wouldn’t let me work nights or I would have work nothing but night shift cuz no big shots around the plant until @5am.

 

[Duh]

Did 5 12’s on nights for almost 3 years straight and then rotating for another 5 ish years after that. Had a 60 mile commute to go along with it. I’m grateful I didn’t have kids at that point of life because I don’t know what I would have done.

Adrenal glands were shot from all the caffeine and my testosterone took a big hit. Went from high 800’s to the 350 range over the course of 8 years. Cortisol levels definitely increased and it got harder to maintain strength and weight. Still worked out through that time but it was noticeable even in my 20’s.

I would not do it again. But I did get paid and saw a lot of wild stuff at night haha.

 

[william schmaltz]

Worked 12.5 hour night shifts back when I was a roughneck. Did mostly 7 day hitches, but several 14 day hitches and rode one out for 21. I loved working nights. No deliveries and the pusher, company man, and safety guy were all in bed! It would probably be much different on the body now days for this desk jockey! I loved coming off night on last day of hitch and getting back to Bismarck all the roughnecks, coal, and power plant guys also going on days off would be at one particular bar having beer and getting breakfast. Great times. Also goes without saying I watched a whole lot of marriages fall apart….

 

[Azone]

Working a rotating 5-5-4 12 hour shift with nights as needed now. Use to switch off every week between nights and days. With a 160 mile commute round trip to work and back home. Then a healthy shot of OT on my off days. Around midnight is my roughest time and then it gets a little better.
There’s rough days and then there are good days and there have been some zombie looking days. Blackout curtains and earplugs are my best friends. The lack of sleep you can learn to get by with is alarming. Definitely not working this schedule forever because it will probably kill me. As soon as my house is paid off a 10 hour job in town is definitely in the cards. The only way I’m able to pull this off is having a rock solid wife at home. Eating healthy and watching caffeine intake has made a giant difference. The guys that live off gas station food and slam energy drinks generally suffer more.
Pros: good money
Cons: definitely not healthy

 

[TaperPin]

It gets harder with age. One thing that really helps me is a beanie cap that can be pulled down over my eyes - for some reason it tells my body to zonk off and works better than blackout curtains. Wish I had figured this out when I was younger.

 

[Brunson84]

Working a rotating 5-5-4 12 hour shift with nights as needed now. Use to switch off every week between nights and days. With a 160 mile commute round trip to work and back home. Then a healthy shot of OT on my off days. Around midnight is my roughest time and then it gets a little better.
There’s rough days and then there are good days and there have been some zombie looking days. Blackout curtains and earplugs are my best friends. The lack of sleep you can learn to get by with is alarming. Definitely not working this schedule forever because it will probably kill me. As soon as my house is paid off a 10 hour job in town is definitely in the cards. The only way I’m able to pull this off is having a rock solid wife at home. Eating healthy and watching caffeine intake has made a giant difference. The guys that live off gas station food and slam energy drinks generally suffer more.
Pros: good money
Cons: definitely not healthy

Yeah having a good women at home makes a huge difference especially when she’s dealing with the “night shift monster” haha, I also try to eat well and limit coffee.


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