Starting Grave Shift Hours?

I'm doing the same thing, after 2 weeks of training on 1st shift. I have worked garveyard before, for 6 years in the early 90s, and I can say it is tough to adjust.

The first thing you need to do is set a time for sleeping, and try to stick to it. Some people like to stay up most of the day, and go to bed around one, while others prefer to come home and go to bed after an hour or so.

Get blackout shades for your room (or put up something over the window) because the darker it is, the easier it is to fool your body that it's night. Try to get all your sleep in one chunk, it isn't as restful if you break it up.

Congratulations, and good luck. I finally found this job after 16 months of unemployment...so I am not complaining that it's nights!

My first thought was, you poor thing! I went from working normal days to working from 6 pm to 5 am. I had a really hard time adjusting at first and was sick for several months. Once I somewhat adjusted I was fine...at work. But I was always tired at home, even on the weekends (I went back to normal hours on weekends). There's really no perfect way to prepare. You can try, but some people's bodies just never get used to it. I did it for two years and when I was finally able to switch back to dayshift hours, I adjusted very quickly to that. My mood improved and I wasn't quite as tired. Even after two years, I never really did get used to the night shift.

I'm not trying to worry you. It's different for everyone. A lot of people who I worked with just loved it and didn't have any problems. The biggest thing I would suggest is to try to create a routine. Try to go to bed and get up at about the same time every day. This will help tremendously. Try to get plenty of rest on your days off and don't rely too much on energy drinks or highly caffienated beverages. This will create a crutch and you'll become dependant on them, plus they're not good for you...you want your body to adjust as naturally as possible.

I don't know what your hours are, but if it bothers you to sleep when it's light out, put up some dark curtains or a blanket over your windows. I would also suggest, if you don't already, for you to start taking a multi-vitamin and maybe a vitamin d supplement. You should probably talk to your doctor about this. I recently had my vitamin d levels tested and they were dangerously low (due to not getting enough from sunlight) and was put on a high dosage prescription.

Good luck and I hope you love your new job!

I have worked graveyard shifts in the past and it is tough at first. I tried to take a nap before my first day, but it didn't work for me. I just had to go through the staying up all night on my first shift and being SO tired that I collapsed my second day and went right to bed after getting home. After that, no problem for me. Good luck and congrats on the job.

hi you need to get as much sleep as possible prior to your shift. bring healthly snacks to work to keep your energy up, get enough sleep during the day. do not forget to get some fresh air every day and good luck..

its easy just start sleeping during the day...there is not actual way to prep yourself for it. You just have to do it and with time you will be fine.

the first couple of weeks are going to be tough, you'll feel like a zombie. eventually you'll get used to it.