Graveyard Shifts

[Naeton]

Hello everyone!
I decided to make this thread so I can get tips about sleep.
If you ever worked graveyard shifts you probably know that sleep is a major issue.
Why? because your biological clock is going mad at you for not having a ''normal'' life.

However, I'd like to know how do you get yourself to sleep once home?
I tried ear plugs, bandage on my eyes, a good curtain but nothing seems to work... Once the sun is out here, I... just... can't... sleep.
The only thing that is working is Marijuana which is okay sometimes but I don't want to develop an addiction (too late ).

Anyways, I'm waiting for your tips and all.
Ah, also, if you just wanna chat while you're at work on this thread it's fine, I am often on MMO during nights.
Have a great night.

[obdigore]

Do you work changing shifts, or graveyard shift all the time?

Changing/Swing shifts are hard.

Graveyard is easy. Put some music on and go to sleep. I prefer to hit the gym when I get home from work, then eat dinner and read for about half an hour, then fall asleep. My biggest problem is sunday nights when I've been up during the day on the weekend, and then I have to shift back to the night shift for the week, so I've stopped doing that.

[Elegiac]

There are a number of over the counter options; my personal preference is ZZQuil, though if you're into a more 'natural' alternative, Valerian capsules tend to do the trick.

Otherwise you might need to visit your GP and have them prescribe a sleep aid. Or do what I do and take codeine. Yeah, it's an opiate, but I love it.

[Naeton]

Do you work changing shifts, or graveyard shift all the time?

Changing/Swing shifts are hard.

Graveyard is easy. Put some music on and go to sleep. I prefer to hit the gym when I get home from work, then eat dinner and read for about half an hour, then fall asleep. My biggest problem is sunday nights when I've been up during the day on the weekend, and then I have to shift back to the night shift for the week, so I've stopped doing that.

It always depends. Sometimes I swing a lot, sometimes I dont. It fucks me up even more.
I'm considering to change job.

---------- Post added 2012-10-16 at 02:23 AM ----------

There are a number of over the counter options; my personal preference is ZZQuil, though if you're into a more 'natural' alternative, Valerian capsules tend to do the trick.

Otherwise you might need to visit your GP and have them prescribe a sleep aid. Or do what I do and take codeine. Yeah, it's an opiate, but I love it.

Do I need a prescription to get ZZQuil or even codeine? Sorry for stupid questions I don't really know much about pills and all.

[obdigore]

It always depends. Sometimes I swing a lot, sometimes I dont. It fucks me up even more.
I'm considering to change job.

Did this move into a sexual partners thread?

I don't know what you mean by sometimes you swing a lot... do you mean the times of your shift changes?

[Itisamuh]

On the contrary, I love graveyard shifts. I feel better when I'm up at night and sleep in the day. I've always been this way too, even when I was in school and usually had to have a "normal" schedule, so I don't buy the bit about the biological clock one bit. But I guess everyone's different when it comes to that. Until you get used to it though, about the only way for me to go to sleep is to do something repetitive and boring. Laying down to go to sleep won't work if your body isn't wanting to sleep, so you have to bore yourself to sleep. It's always worked for me. Level an alt, play solitaire, anything that strikes you as boring, and you'll pass out. If you're a "sleep before work" type of person rather than "sleep after work" and you still want your afternoons for your social life and whatnot, then you'll probably have trouble no matter what you do. Also, this is a very liberal board, so don't suggest that weed is addicting here. They'll fight you to the death that it's not.

[Elegiac]

Do I need a prescription to get ZZQuil or even codeine? Sorry for stupid questions I don't really know much about pills and all.

ZZquil is over the counter and non-habit forming given that it's just an antihistamine. Codeine is tougher to get because it's addictive.

[Naeton]

Did this move into a sexual partners thread?

I don't know what you mean by sometimes you swing a lot... do you mean the times of your shift changes?

Oops haha! Sorry for bad english I do not practice often.
I work Monday - Friday 00:00 - 08:00 am but on weekends I have to be up during daylight so it's pretty hard when my week starts again.

[FatRastafarian]

I never had trouble staying awake 9pm-6:30am but coming home was a different story. I just played WoW till like midday then woke up just before work. Are you one of those people who loves to sleep when they get home? I tried that but the sun was coming out so I was waking up again. In the end I just preferred to sleep whenever and now I love going to work first thing as soon as I wake up.

[obdigore]

Oops haha! Sorry for bad english I do not practice often.
I work Monday - Friday 00:00 - 08:00 am but on weekends I have to be up during daylight so it's pretty hard when my week starts again.

Yea that is what I was doing. I stopped having to be up during my normal sleep times on the weekends and it really helps a lot. Your problem is you are shifting your sleeping times every couple of days.

Your only options are tons of caffiene that monday morning, then passing out and making sure you only sleep for 8 hours so you can sleep the next day, or just not sleeping much and crashing on tuesday/wednesday.

[FuxieDK]

Pro tip for sleeping:
1: Get proper blinds and used them!
2: Get undressed.
3: Get in bed.
4: Close your eyes.
5: Sleep!

Works every time...
And lay off the drugs....

[Naeton]

On the contrary, I love graveyard shifts. I feel better when I'm up at night and sleep in the day. I've always been this way too, even when I was in school and usually had to have a "normal" schedule, so I don't buy the bit about the biological clock one bit. But I guess everyone's different when it comes to that. Until you get used to it though, about the only way for me to go to sleep is to do something repetitive and boring. Laying down to go to sleep won't work if your body isn't wanting to sleep, so you have to bore yourself to sleep. It's always worked for me. Level an alt, play solitaire, anything that strikes you as boring, and you'll pass out. If you're a "sleep before work" type of person rather than "sleep after work" and you still want your afternoons for your social life and whatnot, then you'll probably have trouble no matter what you do. Also, this is a very liberal board, so don't suggest that weed is addicting here. They'll fight you to the death that it's not.

Thank you very much.
I know what to do now... going to level a mage since I find it so boring.

---------- Post added 2012-10-16 at 02:31 AM ----------

Pro tip for sleeping:
1: Get proper blinds and used them!
2: Get undressed.
3: Get in bed.
4: Close your eyes.
5: Sleep!

Works every time...
And lay off the drugs....

Doesn't work for me :/

[Elegiac]

Pro tip for sleeping:
1: Get proper blinds and used them!
2: Get undressed.
3: Get in bed.
4: Close your eyes.
5: Sleep!

Works every time...
And lay off the drugs....

Psh, please. If god didn't want us to take pharmalogical sleep-aids he wouldn't have made opiates so addictive.

[Sixgun Gorgon Dynamo]

Been working night shifts for about 12 years, 27 years if you count the ones spent playing in bands. Best tips, you know a few already. Earplugs, foil over the windows AND blackout curtains. Couple of fans in the room for white noise and keep the temp around 68 - 72. Also if you get home before sunlight actually hits you, triggering the diurnal hormone dump that says Time to Start the Day, get in your dark room before the rest of the house is light. Avoid video screens right before sleeping. Best I can offer but it works for me. Oh, and my running Rx for Ambien 10mg po prn.

Cheers and Sweet Dreamly!

[Deleted]

You need your sleep hours no matter what... if you don't, you'll end up tired sooner or later. Personally, I've found that you can try all sorts of managing sleeping times, but at the end of the day, it's best to sleep when you're tired, not to mention easier. If you aren't tired coming home in the morning after work and you don't got enough time to sleep in the afternoon or vice versa and you wanna be up in the day on weekends, then I'd really only recommend you to do as you do, remove stressors, clutters, things that wake you up needlessly, drapers down, cut sound in the room, but only sleep when you are tired.

The only way to persistently be in good enough energy/restoration whatever you get after you have slept is to only sleep when you are tired, but you must sleep when you body calls for it otherwise you will burn out sooner or later. I've had all kinds of sleeping schedules, no sleep, much sleep, very active, not very active, high pressure, low pressure, night, day with fixed schedule and no fixed schedule, the only way to get your sleep hours is to sleep when you are tired or are getting that sleepy time feeling, but you have to prioritize sleep otherwise you will get behind the curve. You must sacrifice some things to sleep well or move your schedule and prioritize sleep. You can stay awake a couple of days, so it's not because you necessarily need full sleep every day, but if you don't prioritize sleep then you will get behind the curve and slug along or burn out. If you sleep when you are tired and take the time you need to sleep and do whatever you want in the rest of the time, then your body will get the sleep it needs, but if you stay up too much when tired over a long period, you will get behind the curve and suffer the results.

[Vouksh89]

1. For the love of god, please learn the difference between a Habit and an Addiction. It angers me to no end people saying weed is addictive. Habit forming, yes, Addictive, not in one nano-ounce of the slightest bit. If you stop smoking, you don't suffer withdrawls. You might 'crave' it, but your body isn't dependant on it in any way. You can get into the habit of, say, smoking when you're with friends, playing video games, etc, but, as I said, It doesn't cause 'physical trauma' when you stop.

2. I actually do 'swing' my sleeping schedule a bit. I work 10pm-7am, go to bed around 8 or 9, get 6 hours of sleep (if I get more, I feel more tired than if I get 6), but when I have consecutive nights off I try to sleep at night a bit more, going to bed around 3-4 'til the night before when I go to bed around 5-6. Personally, I get more rest that way. Everyone's body is different though. Some people simply can not handle 3rd shift. Personally, I can't do 2nd shift. I could do 1st, but I don't think I'd be happy doing so.

[Elegiac]

1. For the love of god, please learn the difference between a Habit and an Addiction. It angers me to no end people saying weed is addictive. Habit forming, yes, Addictive, not in one nano-ounce of the slightest bit. If you stop smoking, you don't suffer withdrawls. You might 'crave' it, but your body isn't dependant on it in any way. You can get into the habit of, say, smoking when you're with friends, playing video games, etc, but, as I said, It doesn't cause 'physical trauma' when you stop.

In pharmalogical terms a habit refers to physiological or psychological dependence. Which is strangely also the definition of an addiction.

Weed is psychologically addictive, not physically.

[kivipää]

Good earplugs and a curtain that blocks out all the light. Sleep twice a day; when you get back in the morning, then a 2-3 hour nap in the evening. If you can't handle it, then you can't. It's a known fact that everybody aren't physically capable of adapting to graveyard shifts.

[Naeton]

@Sixgun Gorgon Dynamo

Thank you very much I will try the fans and the foil.
I've been playing in bands too but we were not sleeping at all, party and bullshit errrrrrrrrrday.

---------- Post added 2012-10-16 at 02:55 AM ----------

Weed is psychologically addictive, not physically.

Thank you for pointing this out so we can stop this debate right now.

[Vouksh89]

In pharmalogical terms a habit refers to physiological or psychological dependence. Which is strangely also the definition of an addiction.

Weed is psychologically addictive, not physically.

The definition also includes

to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

And I'm going to stop on that subject before I get warned/banned for going off topic. I've stated my opinion, going to leave it there.

As for the OP, I thought of something else. Have you tried listening to something soothing like Trance? DI.FM has some good stations to relax to. Especially if you're a pot smoker, you can really just space out and eventually fall asleep listening to certain types of electronica.