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People who moved to a 3rd shift job, did you have problems adjusting your sleeping habit?

C

coolred

Diamond Member
I have found a job I am interested in, it is full time 3rd shift 10pm-7am. I assume thats 8 hours with a 1 hour lunch break, but am not totall sure, could just be a 9 hour shift, will find out later. I currently work a part time job, the time can vary a bit but are generally between 12pm-5pm. I currently sleep from between 1-2am and 8-10am.

As it is now I always seem to have trouble falling to sleep at night, probablyy due to too much caffine(Pepsi) intake during the day, I am trying to cut back. And then I always wake up tired. Knowing my luck that will definately change if I take this job. If not it would be great since I would be at work when I am normally having trouble falling asleep and then I would be home usually when I am tired.

But basiclly I was wondering if you had trouble adjusting to sleeping during the day as opposed to at night? Was it easy, did you have to block the light into the room with something more then a curtain or anything? Anything else that would be helpful?
 
First real job out of college started out on third shift. It took a week to adjust to it, but every Monday night sucked. The weekends will kill you unless you keep to your schedule. Unfortunately, I was one to automatically adjust to regular hours on the weekends which always fvcked me on Monday.

Additionally, you will quickly lose track of what day it really is.
 
I havent worked this shift but some of my friends have. If your sleeping schedule is a little mixed up anyway this shouldnt be any big problem for you. Just make sure your windows are blocked out pretty well. Also, hopefully you dont live in an apt. or somewhere where it will be very loud.
 
I've made the switch to 3rd shift a couple of times in my short working life, and I never liked it for one reason. It never seemed like I had time to do anything. It's always easier for working 1st shift because I can typically choose when I go to bed, and I have to make myself wake up to go to work. However, when I worked 3rd shift, I'd always go to sleep in the morning when I got off work, and it was hard to make myself wake up any decent amount of time before work. I'd typically only have an hour or two to do anything before I had to go back to work. Felt like I was always there.

But that's just me, YMMV.
 
Sleeping wasn't much of a problem. I had good neighbors so...

I then moved to a fourth shift that was really a pain.
 
i used to have my windows completely blocked out with blankets when i worked midnights. i also needed a fan running in the room to drown out ambient noise from the waking world. midnights can wreak havoc on your body's clock, trust me. i've worked a TON of midnights. the good thing about it is once you get used to it, you can choose to sleep either in the morning or the afternoon and use whichever part of the day you see fit for sleep time.
 
Originally posted by: blurredvision
I've made the switch to 3rd shift a couple of times in my short working life, and I never liked it for one reason. It never seemed like I had time to do anything. It's always easier for working 1st shift because I can typically choose when I go to bed, and I have to make myself wake up to go to work. However, when I worked 3rd shift, I'd always go to sleep in the morning when I got off work, and it was hard to make myself wake up any decent amount of time before work. I'd typically only have an hour or two to do anything before I had to go back to work. Felt like I was always there.

But that's just me, YMMV.
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I was in the same boat. I'd get home around 8:30-9am and go right to bed. Wake up around 9ish and off to work I had to go. My eating schedule was all fvcked up and I was physically drained all the time.
 
I have a hard time sleeping at night and staying awake during the day... instead, even when I'm tired, I have a hard time going to sleep at night. But even if I'm more awake than ever, I still always feel like I could fall asleep at any point during the day. I'm noctural, I suppose. I would be perfect for a graveyard position. I think I do my best work between 11 pm and 3 am.
 
Originally posted by: minendo
First real job out of college started out on third shift. It took a week to adjust to it, but every Monday night sucked. The weekends will kill you unless you keep to your schedule. Unfortunately, I was one to automatically adjust to regular hours on the weekends which always fvcked me on Monday.

Additionally, you will quickly lose track of what day it really is.
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Heck I hardly ever know what day it is now, so that won't be a big deal. I hadn't even considered the weekends, wonder how I will adjust to that.

I do live in an apartment for at least the next 8 months or so, then I plan to get a house. But its pretty quiet around here, except for the kids, but most of the time they would be at school, and as long as I keep my windows closded I shouldn't be able to hear them much. Plus maybe I can have my radio on. I like having some noise when i go to sleep anyhow.


I am kinda hoping I can convice my current employer to allow me to take a couple weeks off, so I can make sure I can adjust to this job before quitting, and if not I can just go back to my old job. I know they won't want to lose me, so they may do it in hopes that I will be back. But then again they may say the heck with you if you are planning to leave, then leave and don't come back. I am actually on vacation this coming week, so it would be great if I could just start Monday, but I doubt that will happen.


How about your family life, I have a fiancee and a child, how does the differant hours affect all that? I think mine would be okay since I would be at work while they sleep and they would be at work/babysitter for most of the time I am asleep. Then assuming I sleep 8-9 hours, I would still have like 4-5 hours of time with them.

How is it that you guys canget home and go to sleep at like 9 and then wake up at 9. Thats 12 hours of sleep. Granted I can sleep that long, and sometimes I do and its great. But its definately not soemthing I would want to do every day.

I am also wondering how I will adjust to a FT job. I currently work about 5 hours max, except during the month or so before Christma, but even thenits still only about 6-7. Assuming the 9 hour shift includes a 1 hour lunch break, I think that would help to make it seem shorter actually. Heck its close enough to where I live I could come home during that hour, but there wouldn't be much point if everybody was sleeping, LOL.
 
Also kinda included with the whole family thing, how did you adjust to eating. Normally when I wake up I eat a bowl of cereal. I suppose I could still do this, but it would be about the time for dinner. How many of you wake up and eat dinner. I am just wondering if I would be in the mood for steak or chicken or whatever right after I woke up.
 
I work really crazy hours. Something that no human would ever get *used* to, but I survive. If nothing else works and you cant get to sleep, Jim Beam is your friend. 😀
 
nope because third shift was a joke where I worked and got alot of sleep there untill I got used to it and even after that I still snuck in about 1 or a bit of sleep.
 
How about your family life, I have a fiancee and a child, how does the differant hours affect all that? I think mine would be okay since I would be at work while they sleep and they would be at work/babysitter for most of the time I am asleep. Then assuming I sleep 8-9 hours, I would still have like 4-5 hours of time with them.
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I thought it would be the same way for myself, but I was always tired. She'd come home ready for dinner, errands, etc and I was still trying to catch some extra sleep. I survived thirds, but it definitely is not for everyone and takes a lot of adjusting. I spent roughly 6 months on thirds (several swing shifts in there like moving to firsts or seconds for a week or two) before moving to firsts permanently. I'll quit before I go back to thirds for good.
 
I worked third shift for about 9 months... the adjustment was hard at first, but I settled into it pretty nicely after the first couple weeks.

I slept from 10 am - 6 pm. waking up at 6 pm even on the weekends gives me plenty of time if I want to go out with friends later that night. early afternoon activies (doctor's appointments and such) required some juggling, but for the most part, could be scheduled during those few morning hours after work before I went to sleep. for meals, I generally learned to eat when I'm hungry and not worry so much about whether or not it was considered a breakfast or dinner food.

one necessary trick to sleeping is to totally black out your bedroom. for me, that made sleeping during the middle of the day 110% easier.

How about your family life, I have a fiancee and a child, how does the differant hours affect all that? I think mine would be okay since I would be at work while they sleep and they would be at work/babysitter for most of the time I am asleep. Then assuming I sleep 8-9 hours, I would still have like 4-5 hours of time with them.
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it took a month or two for my family/friends/so to really adjust, but after that, it wasn't that big of a deal. they just need to get in the habit of thinking you're on a 12 hour time difference... ie: "4 pm for you is like 4 am for me, so no, I can't wake up in the middle of the night to pick up your dry cleaning."
 
Originally posted by: coolred
Also kinda included with the whole family thing, how did you adjust to eating. Normally when I wake up I eat a bowl of cereal. I suppose I could still do this, but it would be about the time for dinner. How many of you wake up and eat dinner. I am just wondering if I would be in the mood for steak or chicken or whatever right after I woke up.
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As I said earlier my eating habits went to hell. I was only eating once a day and that was usually when I got off of work. I'd maybe grab a snack at work, but that was it.
 
You will feel like killing yourself and everyone around you about the time you hit your third week. This will continue indefinitely. 😛

Honestly, it's no way to live. It's subsistance. If you need it, it's do-able. If there are other options, take them.

ZV
 
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
You will feel like killing yourself and everyone around you about the time you hit your third week. This will continue indefinitely. 😛

Honestly, it's no way to live. It's subsistance. If you need it, it's do-able. If there are other options, take them.

ZV
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^ That's the perspective of someone that doesn't handle working at night very well 😉 ^
 
I know it can be done, my uncle ha sbeen doing it for many many years now. I will have to talk to him about it, next time I see him, just thought I would get ATOT's opinion, which as expected, is varied.
 
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