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1st March 2008, 09:03 PM #1SENIOR MEMBER
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Shift Work Advice Required Please
Hi,
I landed (pardon the pun) a new job in the aircraft industry a fortnight ago and I found out I will be working nights rather than days as I was led to believe. I was interested to know from experienced shift workers here, are there any tips (do's & don'ts) you could give me e.g. sleeping patterns.
You see I have never worked shift work previously let alone just nights so it is a new ball game for me. At least the pay goes a some way for the changes to my social life. I start tomorrow night (Sun) so the wife has suggested that I go to better later tonight (Sat) and get up later in the morning? Is this a good idea, or does it depend on the make up of the individual as to trying alternate things?
Thanking those in advance for their replies.
Regards
MH
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1st March 2008, 09:17 PM #2Senior Member
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- Jan 2008
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- Australia
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Getting short naps whenever you can has been benefictial for many. For example, an hour or two just before you go to work in addition to whatever you got in the morning.
Getting home at 6am, and drinking 6-8 beers is what some people do...Probably not the best thing though..
Shift work is not too bad, but rotating shifts is a real pita. I used to do day, night, arvo rotating weeks, that sucks.
You should ensure your bedroom is very dark and quite for when you sleep during the day. If it gets very hot during the day, then A/C might be needed in the bedroom.
I would aim to get up late tomorrow, and possibly have a nap in the afternoon if you can manage it. The first night is often the worst.
Be careful, shift work can be a big strain on marriages.
Caffein can help, but be careful when you have it as it is really annoying if you get home at 6am and can't sleep.
Afternoon shift is good. You can still get to bed just after midnight, and have most of the day to yourself.
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1st March 2008, 09:45 PM #3SENIOR MEMBER
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1st March 2008, 10:06 PM #4Senior Member
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- Jan 2008
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- Australia
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I worked at the Tooheys bottling plant in Sydney. I don't know if there was anyone there who wasn't divorced, some 2 or 3 times!
A combination of high comparable incomes, and not seeing their husbands very often, seemed to make many of the wifes stray...
Getting sleep when you can is the key. Even cat naps in the afternoon help.
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1st March 2008, 11:53 PM #5Skwair2rownd
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Shift work
Brother does shift work. Lots of nights.
Darkens room with ouside curtains, has air conditioning. We tryto avoid phoning and let him phone us.
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2nd March 2008, 05:55 AM #6
I did nights for a while, hated it but then I hated the job anyway.
Weekends were the hardest as Id slip back into my more natural diurnal cycle. I can only other advice, learn to nap (you will). Protect your sleep times so you get into a rhythm, ie dont think you can spend the day watching test cricket and expect to catch up the next day, you cant. Create an environment for sleeping dark room, cool etc."We must never become callous. When we experience the conflicts ever more deeply we are living in truth. The quiet conscience is an invention of the devil." - Albert Schweizer
My blog. http://theupanddownblog.blogspot.com
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2nd March 2008, 07:36 AM #7
Night SHIFTS
Yep!!!!
Yep!!!!
Dark Bedroom,
Sound deadening Curtains
Air-conditioned.
KILL the F PHONE Big time, when sleeping.
give them your email address.
I used to get 1/2 Hour to an Hours SLEEP IMMEDIATELY before leaving for work, worked for me.
You might have to experiment with you sleep and Wake patterns before you get what suits you best.
Where I work, Some stay awake until 6-8 hours before going to work.
Though they work 2 Days, then 2 Nights, 12 Hour Shifts.
Me?
Days, 7:00 - 3:30 M-F..............Miss the Arvo Shifts.Navvi
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2nd March 2008, 10:04 AM #8
Hey
I did twelve years shift work and this worked for me.
After night shift wear sunglasses as soon as the sun starts to come up.
Have a light breakfast when you get home (or before you leave work if thats possible, no stimulants but some water or juice.
Sleep in the darkest possible place. We had a large cupboard under the stairs that was as dark as night and I slept in there. Quite and dark. Set the alarm for 8 hours or whatever you normally sleep. Dont oversleep and get up once you wake.
good luck
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2nd March 2008, 10:58 AM #9
This is really important as your body resets its internal clock when you are exposed to strong light after being in darkness for a number of hours. Just like battery chooks are fooled into thinking that they are experiencing a new dawn and thus lay an egg via artificially regulated periods of light and dark your body clock is regulated by dark and light.
Mick"If you need a machine today and don't buy it,
tomorrow you will have paid for it and not have it."
- Henry Ford 1938
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2nd March 2008, 07:53 PM #10
If your doing straight night shifts you need to wake up late as possible, then eat like its breakfast time... eating throughout the shift as if its a normal day.
Then after knock off go home and stay up for a few hours(good time to be here on the forum...)in a darkened room or under artificial light, this will help you sleep for 7~8hrs, if you sleep soon as you get home you will get a low quality sleep of only several hours. This will compound by the end of the week(been there done that)and leave you burnt out.
Moral of the story is treat it like your working day work... just starting at a later hour.
For your first night shift, the night before stay up late as you possibly can dont be scared of exersizing up late either(this helps to get a long sleep), then sleep till at least 3~4pm.
Oh and stay away from coffee only have it around the time you get up... otherwise you will repeat "will" become an addict.
I've been a shifty for 14yrs now....................................................................
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2nd March 2008, 08:43 PM #11Senior Member
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2nd March 2008, 09:00 PM #12
G'day.
I did 18 years of rotating shiftwork.
All the above apply.
I would get home at 8am and stay awake until 11 or noon. then sleep until 6 or 7pm. get and have tea with the family. watch TV until 10. get an hours sleep then get ready for work.
A/C is an absolute Must in summer.Hooroo.
Regards, Trevor
Grafton
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2nd March 2008, 09:02 PM #13Awaiting Email Confirmation
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Metal Head,
Like nearly everyone says. Treat it like a day job. When you get home, stay up ..do things...have dinner at 9 to 10am then get to sleep around 3 to 4pm...get up at 9 to 10pm and have breakfast.
Get into this routine and don't for a minute think you do someting else and it will be alright. This is the routine (lifestyle) you will have to have. After a while you will get used to it.
You didn't say whether you were marrired/girlfriend or not.
I did shift work for 25 years and I was married at the time (since divorced twice - don't let that put you off though) just do more with your partner on weekends as you will have a lot of time during daylight hours to do quite a bit.
Steve
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2nd March 2008, 09:07 PM #14
all it was on ships until the 90's for engineers was shiftwork , mate its all in the head get over that and you can sleep on a barbed wire fence at noon , mind you it takes several years to get use to it .
Now I can catch 10 - 20 -60- minutes whenever just switch off and it doesn't matter what the light or noise is .
But as this is your first go at shiftwork go with the darkend room , ear plugs ( foam ) and a quick 6 pack or that other thing you and the misses do . before retireingAshore
The trouble with life is there's no background music.
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2nd March 2008, 09:26 PM #15
MetalHead
This is all spot-on advice. Six years permanent night shift for me. Get used to feeling tired pretty much all of the time.
I used to have breakfast at work as late as I could and go to bed as soon as I got home, just couldn't stay awake any longer. Wake about 1pm and then another couple of hours prior to going to work.
Be real careful driving home, tired drivers apparently have slower reaction times than drunk drivers, I found myself nodding off at the wheel more than once
Also, heartburn.... Mylanta or Quick-eze may become your friend, something to do with your body clock being turned upside down.
You will either fall into it easily or do battle with it to the end, I know blokes who have worked nights for decades and are quite happy with it.
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