Overnight Shift Work

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 04:28 AM

im in an operations role and we do 12 hr shifts 1830-0630, im finding it hard to stay awake, its a quiet night tonight, so im keen to hear who else does overnighters and what do you do to keep your mind ticking over. I do the usuall sleep before my shift but sleeping during the day has its pitfalls (neighbour mowing lawn etc) Copious amounts of coffee and junk food dont seem to work anymore. I have resorted to "crunchy coffee" .... i now have the shakes lol

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 04:38 AM

p.s. a "crunchy coffee" is constructed as follows:-

1 heaped spoon coffee
2 heaped spoons raw sugar
1 heaped spoon milo

add hot water, stir and consume. its like octane booster !!

DOC · 08-05-2005, 04:42 AM

TX,
my work involves working through the night as well, lots of coffee yes, but try and get a good 8 hours sleep a day and i find swisse tranqn ( a multi that helps you sleep ) is the ticket for this.

Things to do are not really a problem you got to have somethig that keeps you moving forward, currently putting together a new business so getting lots of work done on that, and yep keeping in touch on the forum news, this forum is addictive, there are so many nice cars and lots of good advice here.

DOC

carratt · 08-05-2005, 04:43 AM

Hi there tx3dude.
I know exactly what your saying as I'm at work now aswell. I work from 11:30pm - 7:30am for a company called Media Monitors and there's really not much to do during these hours.
I usually take a book with and read for a little while when it gets quite. On weekends I might even sneak the xbox in and watch movies with my other workers.
It takes a bit of training to get the body to sleep during the day and it really sucks on weekends cause you go back to a normal sleep for two nights then back to the crap hours.
I've been doing it for over 4 years now so I'm pretty much used to it. I'm also pretty pale aswell lol.

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 04:53 AM

Media monitors??? sounds very similar to me... i work for a company that monitors tv and radio transmitters around Oz... can be really busy but winter months not so bad... money is a lot better that what i was getting in wollongong..

Hey DOC tell me more about swisse tranqn? its a multi vitamin?

DOC · 08-05-2005, 05:00 AM

TX,
yep Swisse make a range of multi V products ( they are supposed to one of the best ) but probably others out there just as good.

i use the multi V called ULTIVITE
the relaxation and sleep TRANQN
and the eye one called OPTICQ as doing a lot of PC work makes my eyes tired.

http://www.swisse.com.au/home.htm

DOC

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOC

TX,
yep Swisse make a range of multi V products ( they are supposed to one of the best ) but probably others out there just as good.

i use the multi V called ULTIVITE
the relaxation and sleep TRANQN
and the eye one called OPTICQ as doing a lot of PC work makes my eyes tired.

http://www.swisse.com.au/home.htm

DOC

ill check it out, ive always been apprehensive about taking potions and pills as my dad calls them...did you notice a difference?
is your job physical... mines not and thats what makes it bad... looking at computer screens all night .... YAWN

DOC · 08-05-2005, 05:12 AM

TX,
no it is not physical, i am a national systems manager for better words and i look after some 700 staff and all of thier pc needs and updates and make sure all company systems are running correct, a bloody pain sometimes as newby's come on board tell me they are well just so sh*t hot with thier PC's and i find they have troble sending a email and worse thier working with heaps of crap that should be in the bin, in saying that i do a lot of programing ( in excel ( visual basic )) and this even though seems easy really drains you mentally. and feels just as bad as doing 8 hours haed labour ( been and done that as well ),

as for the potions and pills yes they help me and i was like you and thought i did not need them but they are a bonus and good theese days with our lifestyles and food on the run and deadlines to meet they are for me a good thing but they will take a few weeks to take effect, and you will notice the differance if you stop taking them you just go flat.

i suppose if i ate well, slept regular hours and did not spend hours on a pc it would be ok

DOC

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DOC

TX,
i suppose if i ate well, slept regular hours and did not spend hours on a pc it would be ok
DOC

sux to be us! i think nearly every meal ive eaten in the last year has had melted cheese somewhere in it!
as for sleep... lets never speak of it again *yawn* LOL
I.T. its a thankless job but someone has to do it... when i was doing helpdesk/callcentre type work the most common question was "are you in india" LMFAO

Panda · 08-05-2005, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tx3dude

im finding it hard to stay awake, its a quiet night tonight, so im keen to hear who else does overnighters and what do you do to keep your mind ticking over

I work shift as well, sitting in front of a bunch of computers Homer Simpson style. Luckily, internet forums keep me busy, so on quiet nights I spend hours reading through them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tx3dude

I do the usuall sleep before my shift but sleeping during the day has its pitfalls

I try to avoid coffee from about 4:00am on, go home and have a big feed and a couple of beers (remember, it's the end of a long day at work, just so happens to be 7:00am), air-con on, curtains shut, ear plugs in (try to make it like night-time, cool quiet and dark). If you still can't get to sleep, ask the missus for a 'sleeping tablet'

Quote:

Originally Posted by tx3dude

is your job physical... mines not and thats what makes it bad... looking at computer screens all night ....

I work in a control room with 3 other guys. We asked the company to buy a walking machine for us, and it works great. When we're feeling tired, just get up and go for a walk on it, gets the heart pumping and certainly wakes you up.

Panda

rag top · 08-05-2005, 07:41 AM

Also, neglecting exercise can add to the problem as well. helped with my sleep after night shift.

have you modified your room to help with sleeping during the day??

Yaw · 08-05-2005, 07:53 AM

TX I used to do graveyard shift at service stations, so I know the problem well. I have a couple of suggestions for you.
1. Get a window aircon for your room. Even a elcheapo about $300-$400 add maybe $100 to install it. Forget room size vs HP of air con. It does cool the room regarless and if it gets too cold use a nice thick dooner, its nice to get cosy in a crisp cool room and the other thing it does is gives off a nice relaxing humming noise that drowns out things like negibours mowing etc.

2. If your ever really tired before work drink 3 red bull's I gaurantee you'll be bouncing off the walls.

iCat · 08-05-2005, 08:14 AM

I do rotating shifts. Nights I keep going with a product called (get ready to laugh) "Fatblaster" which another shift worker put me on to. It's meant to help you lose weight but I use it to keep awake. I take a couple at the start of the evening and it keeps me going through the night. It's a herbal concoction available at chemists.

On nightshift I count my blessings if I get 4-5 hours sleep. I don't fret over it - if I sleep I sleep if I don't I don't. I'm up by lunchtime with the rest of the day to do what I want. I know by the end of 7 days I'll feel like crap and sleep for 10 hours in one hit and make it up.

outside · 08-05-2005, 08:32 AM

i work a 7 day , 12 hour shift roster .7am till 7pm for two days then 7pm till 7am for two days then have 4 days off. been doing shift work now for near 26 years, . i try to get some sleep in the afternoon before i go in for my first night shift [3.30 till 5.00] ,
as for staying awake at work , i work a control room that runs a reheat furnace so the plant is a 24 hour deal , so its TV over night for me , and some of the overnight shows are crap. i dont drink anything more the water or pepsi max. after i get home in the morning its have to kids in the shower, feed and dressed for school, and then my wife takes them . so im in bed at around 8.45 and sleep till 1.30/2.00pm.
the only saving thing is that the plant is just 5 day 24 hour so on the weekend there is no one there , and i can sit back and take it eazy on the weekends

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 08:50 AM

i work in a room with two other guys and let me tell ya the smell at the end of the night is enough to knock you out!!!!

paul7v7 · 08-05-2005, 09:58 AM

I work a rotating roster as well. Have done the 12 hr weekend shifts as well. I usually just do my assignments during those night shifts. If I have none I usually bring in my own pc and play games, maybe bring in some dvds to watch. After these shifts i like to head to the gym and do a workout, come home and sleep. Can't say I have ever had a problem sleeping during the day.

Panda · 08-05-2005, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul7v7

...After these shifts i like to head to the gym and do a workout, come home and sleep....

Bloody good tip that. A quick workout will work wonders for sleeping.

Helps with stress relief too.

Panda

SpoolMan · 08-05-2005, 03:36 PM

i do night shift every 2nd week and I love it, no boss just cruise thru the night on AFF.

EFFalcon · 08-05-2005, 03:45 PM

i did a 3 month stint doing shift work at bluescope steel, 19:00 to 07:00 was a killer, but managed to get through it with only a few stomach upsets :P
For me it was all a matter of reading the paper or anything else i could find, that and the radio, but the music got so repedative i wanted to break the damn radio.

Ghiadude · 08-05-2005, 08:02 PM

why was this thread moved?.... never mind

**Captain Stubing** · 08-05-2005, 09:33 PM

Hey, Tx3dude, I will endorse the air-con unit installed in the room you sleep in. It really does drown out all the background noises... even a couple of energetic kids!

I spent 300 bucks on mine, you can have it set with aircon on or off, but mostly it's just the fan sound that keeps out the noise.

gtfpv · 08-05-2005, 11:39 PM

im a shift worker too 24/7 for 13 yrs now rotating 8 hr shifts i find it hard to be in bed before 1 or 2 oclock on my days off . even when i'm on leave thats why om on here. i'm used to driving home on auto pilot and sometimes have no recollection of the drive home. what does one do it pays double a day shift job. it wont change for me i'm over it and live with it but worry about when i get o;der . i'm 36 . when i'm 50 hopefully i will get a less stressfull easier dayshift job.

Dez · 09-05-2005, 01:00 AM

i love how all you guys working involves watching movies, playing games and browsing the net....i wish i got paid for doing shit like that.

my work is very physical, and very repetitive. this makes the hours seem like days. and a shift feels like forever...If i dont get sleep (insomniac) i'll struggle to drive to work without dying, then once there, i'll be constantly dying on my feet....after a shift ill once again struggle home with the half hour drive, and after all that, once i get home, I wont be able to sleep until later that night....

gtfpv · 09-05-2005, 01:13 AM

wrong call for me dude you try hanging from a crane covered in grease trying to find a problem, 50m up at 3am on a saturday night in the rain in the middle of winter . and yes sometimes i get to watch tv. fair trade off dont ya think?

Dez · 09-05-2005, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

wrong call for me dude you try hanging from a crane covered in grease trying to find a problem, 50m up at 3am on a saturday night in the rain in the middle of winter . and yes sometimes i get to watch tv. fair trade off dont ya think?

i think you'll find i was referring to the majority of people that replied in the thread, the ones that said they did what i mentioned in my post....

and i'm sure your pay is a rather nice compensation....but at the end of the day, as much as we think we're all owed time to watch TV or whatever, if you work an 8 hour shift, and your work involves hanging from a crane etc etc, then i'd expect to be hanging from that crane for 8 hours. but thats just me

XXRR-50 · 09-05-2005, 01:33 AM

I actually have trouble sleeping during nights as I'm use to working night shifts and sleeping during the day. However at the moment I'm on 12 hr night shifts, fridays and saturdays 1900-0700, then mondays and tuesdays 0700-1500. My secret to stay awake? Well let's just say dealing with drunk/drugged d#$%heads all night is more than enough to keep me awake(I'm working in a huge gambling complex as a "Security and Service Officer")

Dez · 09-05-2005, 01:36 AM

forgot to mention that i exceed the reccomended red bull intake on a daily basis....thats the only thing i can say is keeping me going

loxxr6 · 09-05-2005, 03:45 AM

Well I do a graveyard shift, 10:30pm - 6:30am (sometimes 2.30am finish) one or twice a week at my 2nd job. I normally do a sat 9-5 in my first job, go home, bum round on the pc/ps2 for a while and then go straight to my 2nd job for the graveyard shift with no prior rest before hand.

I think from my time spent clubbing and the associated lifestyle, I'm quite used to having sleeping periods that would kill a normal person.

These days as the going out slows down I may try and get sleep before hand but 99% of the time I just can't do it.

On nights where I figure I'll be really shagged for a shift I'll bring along a V drink in case. What I had at one stage been taking was a tablet that you take before doing a workout at the gym...opti-something maybe ? It apparently kicked your metabolism into gear or something. It's prob not sound advice to take but it may help lol....

: The stuff is called Hyrdoxycut. http://www.vitaminking.com.au/page/s...roduct_id/4211

At the moment while I'm doing the graveyard, I'm sticking to a single can of V and plenty of water (1800ml's so far). Oh and most importantly I try and keep any catching up of emails and forum reading til now to keep me going.

I think tho for most people the best bet is to get make sure you've had a decent healthy meal (Mens health mag has a section -page 70 - with info on various meals for people in different jobs eg shift workers) and plenty of rest before hand.

Ghiadude · 09-05-2005, 05:09 AM

well its nice to see that no-one really likes doing over night shifts. they are a pain but the pay is usually better. An interesting point somone made was the long term health effects... i can personally feel it having a bad effect on me and dont look forward to doing it all my life. interestingly, a few friends that i know that own small busineses struggle more than me - both in terms of sleep deprivation and income. sux to be middle class!!

loxxr6 · 09-05-2005, 05:12 AM

Quote:

well its nice to see that no-one really likes doing over night shifts. they are a pain but the pay is usually better. An interesting point somone made was the long term health effects... i can personally feel it having a bad effect on me and dont look forward to doing it all my life. interestingly, a few friends that i know that own small busineses struggle more than me - both in terms of sleep deprivation and income. sux to be middle class!!

I don't mind them personally but I guess in my case they're optional as it's my second job (casual).

I don't know how they could have a bad effect on your health if you're sleeping adequately. Your body should adjust after time.