Rant: working the graveyard shift

[roadie gal]

I just have to rant. For 20+ years I worked the graveyard shift with no problems. In the last few years I've moved to working mostly the pm shift, which is much better for my training. This past week I did 3 graves' in a row. 4 days later, I'm still paying for it. I haven't been able to train all week. I'm still exhausted. What is the deal?? Am I a wus, or just getting old, or what??

[East Hill]

Wuss, and getting old both .

I'm just teasing, I've worked nothing but graveyard for almost 30 years. I love graveyard.

But, it sounds as if you are rotating shifts? That's a very, very tough thing to do. I don't think I'd enjoy that much, and I think I'd be suffering too.

East Hill

[mtkitchn]

I hear ya, roadie. I worked graveyard shifts for years, but now that I've gotten away from them, it kills me to work them! I think it's partly getting older and partly getting used to a more humane schedule.

[Pax]

I've heard (scientifically) that some folks can adapt to nights and others just can't. I worked nights for three years and it almost killed me, I never slept more than 3-4 hours at a time and was perpetually exhausted...I NEVER adapted. Once you've been off that shift, for even a short time, your body re-adjusts to normal hours, going back to nights can be really difficult...I wish you the best of luck. You're a better woman than me if you can manage it.

[run it, ride it]

I worked nights for two seasons. LOVED it, slept fine so long as I exhausted myself after my shift and crawled into bed around noon. It was the lack of sunlight that forced me onto days: the dark didn't do much for the mind's ten-twenty.

Perhaps the still-dark season is making the shift (pun intended) extra-rough.

[chickwhorips]

my bf works rotating shifts. 7 evenings of 16:00 to midnight, 6 days of 08:00 to 16:00 and then 7 nights of midnight to 08:00. it keeps getting harder for him to sleep and recover.

rotating shifts are the hardest. even if you work them once in a while. your body gets use to the one shift. i'm happy i'm on the same shift all the time.