So OH has started his new job and he's training at the moment so regular 9-5 shifts, but from next week he goes on to night shifts. Just wondered if anyone who works night shifts/has OHs who work night shifts had any advice?

He'll work 21:00 - 07:30 plus about 1 and a half hour commute. The tricky bit is, it's 7 days on, 7 days off. On his days off would he be better to stick to the same waking/sleeping routine as he would if he was working? I think having a week of nights then a week of "normal" days then back to nights would be really tough but I could be wrong!

And if you work nights, do you usually sleep as soon as you come in, or have an "evening" in the morning and sleep until you leave for work? I have to figure out how to fit my work in around OH's work/sleep (and 2 different time zones!) as i can't get a regular babysitter and we can't afford nursery.. *and breathe!!*

Hey Kat

Ive worked nights for years mostly 13 hours 730pm to 830am and some weeks I do splits and some weeks I do 3 together.

Before my first one I try and get an hours sleep when the kids sleep just to freshen me up for the night. Then between the shifts I get home about 840 and shower before having something for breakfast. That is usually toast or weetabix but after years of oddly timed meals I can just as easily eat a cooked meal with a bottle of something alcoholic at 9am. Ive answered the phone to the postie before now with a bottle of smirnoff ice in my hand at 8am. Got me some odd looks, basically im sayig dont be surprised if he eats odd things, essentially your body doesnt know which wa is up anymore. Im better these days and do stick to breakfast at breakfast time and dinner at dinnertime but i tend to crave stodge on nights.

Once ive showered and eaten I tend to need a little downtime before sleep esp if its been a rough shift so i tend to potter til about 930 using computer or reading. I then go to bed and am usually unconscious in minutes. If i am doing 2 together i try for about 6 hours though if its been a really rough night i may crash out a but longer but then I get up for some family time before work. If its my last night or I am doing a single I then sleep about 3 hours before getting up for the day. My sleep can be hit and miss for a day or so after hence why its 2330 and im answering this not even remotely ready for bed yet despite the fact i was dying on my arse at 7pm. I wouldnt reccomend he tried to keep his days and nights flipped on his weeks off though he needs to get back to normal in between. Some people need full blackout to sleep in the day or dont sleep well some like me actually prefer the curtains open so they can sleep with some sun on them. Guess its what works best for you. But basically its not as simple as flipping nights and days as I will sometimes get up for an hour during the day then go back which of course you wouldnt do normally in the night.

I dont think ive given you much useful there have I other than Taka needs to try it out and work out what his body needs once he starts, generally once he comes in you will probs find he wants to fall asleep asap and get up earlier for a while though. And he may eat odd things lol!

Hope thats of some help.

Your shifts sound like a nightmare! I would be a zombie if I tried that.
Thanks for that advice, I guess at least it's regular so hopefully he'll find a rhythm. I'm nervous about being on my own overnight, but on the other hand I get the TV to myself the whole night, can have friends over for coffee, can hog the bed..

when my OH was on nights my biggest issue was keeping the house as quiet as possible in the mornings while he slept , sometimes he would sleep through anything and other times , the phone ringing , postie at door , kids having a breakdown moment and that was him up wide awake and knackered for work that night

Yeah, that's tough isn't it My OH can generally sleep through anything, but I'm going to try and take the kids out in the morning so he can have some quiet time. Although between the getting ready tantrums and the coming home tantrums we'd probably irritate him even more He can always sleep in the shed!

My OH works 2 nights 6pm-8am i love it haha. Sometimes he will sleep when he gets in but majority of the time doesnt. Sometimes he will have an hour b4 he goes to work on his second night.

Quite a few times as soon as he comes in at 8am he has noah as i start work at 8am

Char

hay!!

i've worked nights for a couple of years, about 12 hour shifts then an hours commute

i dont sleep before my first one, then when i get home i chill with a cuppa n a laptop for an hour or so and if possible (babysitter allowing) i sleep for about 3-4 hours.

As for staying nocternal i dont think its necessary, after the last nightshift ofthe row i would come home and not go to bed, or go to bed for 2 hours and then go to bed at around 9pm that night and wake up ready for a normal day, so you would get 6 normal days out of the 7 nights off if ya get me?

asfor keeping quiet, after a nightshift there really is nothing that can get between me and my sleep, and im not even a heavy sleeper!

x

I use to do overnight shifts use to do 9pm till 8am with 45mins travel i use go straight to bed and sleep till lunchtimeish but then when i was bk in at 9 i was shattered.
Have to say i have a big family younger sisters and everyone was running aroudng ettin ready for school and work etc and they didnt wake me x