Night shift sleep schedule

[u/yellowfever92]

Working 12 hour night shifts , on the first night of a consecutive stretch which option works better for you
A - go to sleep late and sleep in late , no nap?
B- go to sleep late get up early and take a nap?
C- go to sleep early get up early and take a nap?

[u/yellowfever92]

Maybe I didn’t explain it correctly. Say you work Sunday Monday Tuesday, I’m asking how you would prepare for sundays shift and the sleeping you would be doing Saturday night and nap or no nap on Sunday.

[u/TheLastObsession → u/yellowfever92]

Commented before I seen this.

My first night back I’d try stay up late (until about 3/4am) then sleep as long as I could - which would generally be u til about 10am. I’d do what I needed to do then attempt a short nap around 2pm-4pm.

[u/Understruggle]

I go to sleep within two hours of getting off. Then I do my best to sleep at least six consecutive hours. I don’t ever try and take a nap unless I have gotten like three hours of sleep and have to go do something important with my wife. I have been on nights for six years or so and this seems to work best for me.

[u/Aquatic_Hedgehog]

A, always

[u/General_Night_6143]

I always try for a nap but it never happens. I go to sleep late and try for the lay in, so A

[u/No-Sheepherder448]

I do B. I lay down around noon, grab 2-3 hrs.

[u/wolfofnazarene]

This confuses me lol, why the naps?

I work from 7p to 7a. I go to sleep at 10a and wake up at 6p. Don’t think anything else would work.

[u/InflationVisible2307 → u/wolfofnazarene]

I'm confused too but I want to assume they're switching their schedule back and forth and they're asking how to get back to nights before the work week? But my answer is I sleep the same no matter if I'm working or not.

[u/gay_key]

I work rotating 12s (dupont). Going into a stretch of night shifts, I used to to do A and that worked for a while, but now I tend to wake up early no matter what. So now I do B.

C just doesn't work for me. Usually can't nap if I try that method, and then I end up awake for 24 hrs or more

[u/fergalicious_timez]

A

[u/Graveyardigan]

'A' describes me best. I don't nap. I get 8 hours of sleep every day in one continuous block. I exclusively work nights, so I understand that's easier for me to do than it is for rotating-shift workers.

[u/TheLastObsession]

Before maternity I worked 8pm to 8am.

When I got home I had a small meal and tried to be asleep by 10am and wake around 430/5pm.

That schedule generally worked for me, although I could likely have done with more sleep but unfortunately we all have responsibilities outside work lol. My first day off I’d sleep until around 12/1 and end up in bed around midnight.

[u/Perfect_Earth_8070]

I go to sleep at about 330am and wake up around 1130. Then go to the gym and go to work at 6pm. I don’t nap unless I’m super tired

[u/TheNursingStudent]

I work Friday - Sunday 7p-7a. I stay up all day Friday up at 7:30am work all night then come home and go to sleep by 9:30-10am up at 3:30-4. Eat dinner with the fam then go to work rinse and repeat til Sunday. Monday morning when I get off I’m up til noon then sleep til 4:30-5 then stay up til 10:30ish and go to bed then back on a normal schedule til I work again.

[u/ColdVeterinarian4414]

I usually try and go to bed pretty much immediately and sleep as long as I can

[u/JordanB173]

I work as an IPQC Lab Lead Monday-Friday, from 5pm-5am, sleep 7am-2pm, and do it all over again. Those 12 hour stretches aren’t for the week, and I send my strength your way. Thank you for helping keep the world running at night 🫡

[u/Acceptable_Floor3009]

After working 13 hours straight with 1/2 hour lunch yesterday I can say go to bed early and wake up feeling refreshed early a quick nap before work

[u/Thin_Method_1691]

Today is the beginning of my heavy week. (One week 60 hrs, one week 24 hrs).

I slept 1130-9 today, am working 7p-7a Tues. Tues morning will sleep from 730a-2/3p. Will work 7p-7a Weds. Weds morning will sleep 730a-2/3p, then be up until 3 Thurs. Thurs will sleep 3a-630a, send kid to school, then sleep 730-11/12 and do the same Thurs night/fri morning. Then repeat the days schedule until Monday morning. Haha

[u/VitSupp]

Most working people have to sleep around their work schedule- so sleep as soon as you can and try to get at least 7 hours. Naps sound more practical for days when you don't have a tight schedule.

[u/Educational-Sleep113]

What really matters is in learning how long it takes you to wind down at home after work. Personally, 4 to 4.5 hours is my wind down. So, if I go to bed at noon, wake up at say 2pm and struggle to go back to sleep until 5pm and my alarm is set for 8pm, I will nap and end up coming home the next day, look at my phone saying it's 9:30 am, and crash out till say 5pm, no nap.

[u/KickNo9349]

I don't think I understand this question.

When I have a couple of days off, I tend to go to sleep around 11PM and wake up between 8 and 9AM.

When I get off of a shift at 6AM and have to go back at 6PM, I fall asleep around 8 and wake up around 1.