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BS: So who else has pulled the night shift
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Subject: So who else has pulled the night shift> From: GUEST,DW at work Date: 12 Jun 02 - 01:07 AM Sitting here, only Mudcat keeping me awake... anyone else on the night shift out there? What effect does it have on your sleep patterns?? Any songs about it around? Keyboard is definately off limits tonight, no-one to talk to, need some serious cheering up.... DW |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift> From: Liz the Squeak Date: 12 Jun 02 - 01:22 AM Not exactly night shift, but a check in just before I leave for work, it's 6.20am GMT and been up for an hour, so can sympathise. It's horrid when you feel like you're the only one working and the rest of the world is asleep. Why is the keyboard off limits?? LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift> From: leprechaun Date: 12 Jun 02 - 01:29 AM Shhh. You'll wake the neighbors! |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Mudlark Date: 12 Jun 02 - 02:35 AM DW...I am a nightbird but it's a far different thing to choose to be up in the middle of the night, working or not. Can you at least give yourself some good music via earphones? Are you all alone? Can you sing out loud, for instance? (a great cheerer upper...) Hang in there...
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: mack/misophist Date: 12 Jun 02 - 10:45 AM I must have spent half my life on the night or graveyard shifts. If permitted, reading and music can make it not only possible, but good. Company can help. Otherwise, find another job. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Sorcha Date: 12 Jun 02 - 10:51 AM Mr. works nights; is doing so right now. 2 mos on night,2 mos on days, and 2 mos on swings. He just gets to drive all over town all night long. No time for reading, music, etc. Just bar fights and domestics. Fun, fun. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: gnu Date: 12 Jun 02 - 11:19 AM The worst part of it, when I worked a gas station 11 to 8 when I was fifteen, was those two days off. So, I managed to get the full seven nights by writing a bunch of letters to the Dept. of Labour, explaining that I was keen to make money for university and that I couldn't adjust to the two days off and that it was just for the summer months. 63h per week at $1.45 an hour (not to mention that back then the $Cdn was worth more than the $US).... I was rich !!!! I never found the nights long because I had so much to do besides pumping gas and it was all physical labour... and we always had the tunes on, inside, of course. And, there were often customers who were a hoot as you might expect in the wee hours, except the few assholes who tried to rob the place. Which reminds me of the closest I ever came to getting shot while working there. It wasn't during a robbery. A cop car pulled in and the officer asked me to clean the windows. While cleaning the rear window, his partner woke up in the back seat and drew down on me. I saw him take the safety off and put his finger on the trigger, which upset me greatly because I figured he must be half-asleep not to realize I was in an Econo Gas Station uniform and I was WASHING THE WINDOW. The other cop had a great laugh until I made him pay for his coffe and sandwich... I was a tad upset. Anyway, I hope this short story makes your next night shift a little shorter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Mrs Cobble Date: 12 Jun 02 - 04:39 PM I'm now retired but I worked the night shift full time for over thirty years, in hospitals, as a midwife and later as a manager in a General Hospital........ oh ! how I sleep now at night !!!!! Mrs C |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Phil Cooper Date: 12 Jun 02 - 06:30 PM I worked two summers as a college student at a printing plant from 12:30 AM to 7:30 am. I could go to bed as soon as I got home, wake up for supper, take a nap before heading in, and still be tired at night. We printed food can labels (libby's tomato juice, similac, etc). I preferred that shift to second shift (4:00 to 12:30) because at least you could see your friends in the early evening. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Celtic Soul Date: 12 Jun 02 - 08:54 PM Haven't had to work the "nightshift" since my kid was an infant with cholic. What I remember was that it definitely messed with the sleep cycle, and I was tired until she finally slept through the night some months later. Of course, my fatigue might have been from the stress of having a wailing infant that could not be consoled, so I dunno if my experience is of much value to your situation. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: artbrooks Date: 12 Jun 02 - 09:03 PM I worked night shift when in the army, sharing a 24x7 with another guy...ten days 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, an 18 hour shift to transition, then ten days 6:00 pm to 6:00am. The worst part was trying to sleep during the day-none of those opaque window coverings for us! |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: DancingMom Date: 12 Jun 02 - 09:32 PM I've worked many night shifts as a nurse, either midnight to 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. I thought it was a nice change of pace from the frantically busy day shift. it's quieter(most of the time.) But I never got enough sleep.I'm a light sleeper anyway. People who knew I was working nights and should know better still called on the phone and woke me all the time. ("oh, were you sleeping?") And telemarketers drove me crazy. I couldn't just take the phone off the hook because the kids might get sick at school or something. On and on. But many of my co-workers who do night shift don't want any other shift. Sharon |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: GUEST,DW at work Date: 13 Jun 02 - 01:05 AM Geez, there's a lot of you out there, that's a comfort. I agree about the sleep patterns, I'm totally screwed at weekends - asuming I get the weekend off - or the first three days of normal hours. I don't have a set pattern, I have to work as and when, so I can't regulate anything around it. And regretably, I can't have any tunes on headphones. My work is of a "delicate" nature, and my headphones are tuned into something quite different. I only get to do this in my break, because the computer is supposed to be tracking something else. But it's great to know that I'm not the only one out here. DW |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Bat Goddess Date: 13 Jun 02 - 10:05 AM After 20 years of getting up between 4 & 5 in the morning, I worked the 3:30-midnight shift part time at a printing company 45 minutes from my home. I actually rather enjoyed the schedule while it lasted -- that shift seemed to go faster without interuptions/distractions or office/managerial politics, traffic on the commute was minimal (tho my car was totalled early one February morning on the drive home), and I got a lot accomplished in my freelance business during the day. I'd go to sleep IMMEDIATELY upon arriving home, and be up usually no later than 8:30-9 a.m. My body still really wanted to get up around 5 or 6 a.m. despite needing more sleep, darkened room, earplugs, sleep mask, etc. But then I'd go for a 3-4 mile walk and get a good 4 hours of work done before driving off to do it all again. The real downside, though, was that when Tom was working a project days and I was working nights, we didn't get to see each other (except asleep) from Sunday night to Thursday supper time. We communicated by e-mail, but it's not quite the same. I think I'm just as glad I'm back to getting up around 5 a.m. and working during the day (which, with a freelance, can extend to pretty late at night sometimes!). Linn |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: GUEST Date: 13 Jun 02 - 12:41 PM yeah, worked it for about 4 years. Never got adjusted to it. As has been mentioned previously, the worst was the two off days, because then one would fall back into the normal pattern of going to sleep at a decent hour. When time to return to work, the body had to once again readjust to staying up all night, the old biological clock always in a state of flux. It must be encoded in the genes for humans to be awake during daylight and asleep at night. I tried many things to lessen the toll on my body. I adjusted all the clocks to read 7:00am when it was 11:00pm, to try to psychologically fool myself into thinking it was day. And I never went to sleep directly after getting off work, trying to stay awake until 2pm in the afternoon. Actually, it was a good time to be awake, because one could make all the appointments for first thing in the morning when the offices and shops were least likely to be busy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: SharonA Date: 13 Jun 02 - 02:47 PM Back in the 1980's, I had a second-shift job (4 pm to midnight) for four years. Sometimes we had to work overtime till 2 am. The first year, I lived at home, and my schedule wreaked havoc in the household, especially since my brother in the next bedroom worked during the day. My parents, both retired by that time, didn't appreciate the schedule either; it upset my mother who stayed up and worried till I came home, and my father who was an early-to-bed-early-to-rise believer and didn't like me sleeping in. So I moved out during Year 2 of the job, and everybody was happy (except my mother, who didn't want to see me go!). I hated the lack of a "night-life" during the week, but I sure did love sleeping till noon or later! I also enjoyed taking weekend trips and coming back Monday morning, avoiding the end-of-weekend traffic returning from the seashore and the mountains! *sigh* Those were the days... |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Liz the Squeak Date: 13 Jun 02 - 05:37 PM I did work in a restaurant that closed at midnight so after all the jobs were done it was 1.00am and I'd be asleep on my feet... as soon as I hit the night air to walk home (and in December it's pretty bracing) I'd wake up, and if it had been a really good night, I'd be wired until about 3 or 4.00am. Getting up for the next shift at 11.00 wasn't always easy!! I've frequently pulled all nighters when working on a project, but they are getting harder and harder to recover from now... one all nighter will take as much as 5 days to get over... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: alison Date: 13 Jun 02 - 09:02 PM I've worked nigths as a midwife for the last 10 years...... would hate to go back to day shift now....... but then I can sleep anytime / anywhere.... it helps night duty for nurses in Oz is much better than in the UK... hospitals usually work 10 (or 11pm) 'til 7am.... much more civilised than the 8.45am to 8am shifts I used to do at home as a student nurse. slainte alison |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 14 Jun 02 - 01:16 PM In the late 50s, when I was about 28, I worked as a night watchman from 11:00 TO 7:00 for the Minneapolis Athletic Club. I'd get off, have breakfast on the club, and go to school (business school, to be a court reporter). I'd leave school about 2:15, go home and have a little lunch, fall into bed until about 10:00, and go back to the Athletic Club. As others have mentioned, my day off was messed up circadian-wise. (Incidentally, that's pronounced "sir-ka-DEE-an", not "sir-KAY-dee-an". Look it up.)
During times between building tours I could read, and luckily the Club had a not-too-bad library, which I could use. I remember it had the complete works of Dickens, and the complete Harvard Bookshelf (five running feet of Great Books) and lots more. I expanded my classical education considerably on that job. It was interesting that most of the books in the Harvard Bookshelf series, though they had been there for decades, had never been read--the pages weren't even cut! The books in the mysteries section, however, were pretty well thumbed and dogeared. Dave Oesterreich |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Pelrad Date: 14 Jun 02 - 01:46 PM I occasionally have to pull a night shift in the hospital where I work. I usually work the 4pm-midnight shift, which fits my rhythms perfectly. It's a nice shift; not half as busy as the daytime, and crazy things happen after 6pm to make it interesting. When I work all night, I start to fade around 4am. My friends who work the night shift (midnight to 8am here) on a regular basis usually go home in the morning and sleep until around 1pm. Then they're up for the afternoon, take a 2.5 hour nap at 9pm and come in for midnight. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Socorro Date: 14 Jun 02 - 07:31 PM I worked night shift as a nurse for about 1-1/2 yrs. It wreaked permanent havoc on my gastrointestinal system (& that was 20 yrs ago). Also, I was so sleep deprived that at times i was actually sleep-walking. I only learned that in retrospect, as i did & said some nutty things. Also, several times, i caught myself before making a medication error - which makes me wonder, were there any times when i didn't catch it, & made a mistake, unbeknowndst? I was also depressed the whole time. My whole world seemed gray; I could barely stay awake on the 1/2 hr. drive home; several times i pulled over, because my eyes would NOT stay open! Only people who are able to adjust, should work night shift, especially when there are important things at stake, like people's health!
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: GUEST,NH Dave Date: 14 Jun 02 - 09:37 PM I've pulled night shifts, both 8's and 12's, in the military and after. The good part is that the idiots usually stay on days and don't bug you, so you can get much more done. The bad part is either sleeping or doing the normal things that must be done, since they all have to be accomplished during what are your sleeping hours. Up until this last year I lived in the country where no one ever came by so I could sleep during the day. My old place got sold and I'm now on a main street in a small city, so I have loud motorcycles, ambulances, fire vehicles, and cop cars going loudly by all day. And my dorky neighbor decideds to have her house powerwashed by a contractor with inadequate silencing on his motorized spray apparatus. Dave |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Blues=Life Date: 15 Jun 02 - 08:26 AM Being a bit of a night owl, I've never really minded the times I've worked the graveyard shift... except for the last time. It was in 1990, we had just had our first son, and the income was worth the hassle, or so I thought. I would get up at 9 pm, shower and eat, be out the door by 9:30, and to work by 10 pm. I'd work til 7 am, drive home and take over the baby from my wife, (she'd leave immediately for work) and Daniel and I would hop in the car and drive to Buffalo State College where I was teaching a philosopy course part time. I had a student who would act as sitter while I taught, and that ungrateful little brat of mine would sleep like the baby he was FOR THE SITTER, and wake up as soon as I got back. He then would stay up ALL DAY, denying me the chance for a nap.(He thinks this is a funny story, rotten kid!) At 6 pm, my better half would come home, I'd hand off the kid, catch a fast 3 hours of sleep, and do it over again. Plus, we were working at least 6 days a week, sometimes 7. If I ever did get a Sunday off, I'd spend it sleeping. So let's recap... New baby, 3 hours sleep a day, 2 jobs, 4 meals a day (being up 21 hours straight requires sustenence, but I put on 30 pounds in 6 months) and almost no days off. At Easter, I actually got 3 days straight off, slept for 2, was clear-thinking on the 3rd...and quit the next day. Sleep is GOOD!!! Blues |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: RangerSteve Date: 15 Jun 02 - 10:24 AM I haven't had to do it in a while, but I found that AM radio can be pretty interesting and downright bizarre in the early hours. Since the signals travel farther at night, you can get stations from all over the US and Canada here in New Jersey. I can get the Wheeling Jamboree and with luck, the Grand Ole Opry on Sat. evenings. And the call-in shows, where people just as bored as me, but with access to phones, with nothing to say call to talk to a host who can't think of an interesting topic. It's a whole different world out there after midnight. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: allanwill Date: 15 Jun 02 - 01:06 PM I work a night shift (midnight to 8.00am) providing an outlet for all you foreiners who aren't allowed to bet on sporting events, i.e. a sports bookmaking agency. Love the work, love the hours. I can do what I like during the day, including having a sleep if we go and play at the local pub. Allan |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Jeremiah McCaw Date: 15 Jun 02 - 07:57 PM Cab. Driving, dispatching. 25 years. Screw that! So happy to be out. 4 years and I still haven't readjusted to a day schedule. Aaargh! Songs? "Lost her in the Sun" by John Stewart.
Lines like:
I learned to love the night cause the lights gonna getcha
Button up your heart for the wind is getting cold now: |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Liz the Squeak Date: 16 Jun 02 - 04:54 PM As I get older, it gets harder and harder to recover from an all nighter... could never go back to late evening working or shift work now.... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: ddw Date: 16 Jun 02 - 05:31 PM For most of the time I was in the USAF -- after tech school and a few other daytime things -- I worked rotating shifts. Three days, 72 hours off, three swings, 48 hours off, three mids, 72 hours off. Since we had three men on a team and it only took two to run the weather station on swings and mids, one of us would book off each night. The upshot was that we worked only 7 days out of a 16-day rotation. Wonderful life. Then came college -- I carried additional hours at school so I could finish in a hurry (4-year BA in 2 years, 8 months) and worked 30 hours a week in a wine store. Grad school was pretty crazy -- doing tutorials, teaching (one summer course for undergrads), playing in clubs and partying as hard as I could. First few years in journalism were also crazy -- often working 60 hours a week for the paper and running a small free-lance photography business. Then I landed a straight day job. Three years of 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. WORST TIME OF MY LIFE!! Hated it! Finally had a heart attack, then started working as an editor. At the first opportunity I took a spot on the midnight shift and stayed there for 12-1/2 years, until we switched from being an afternoon paper to a morning one and I had to go in sort of swing shifts (6 p.m. to 1 a.m.) I'm working up to partial retirement in about 13 months (I can take a half-pay option, work two days a week and make the same I'm making working five) and I'll be out of the loop a good part of the time, but I would love to go back to midnights for the rest of the time I have. I loved not having to put up with all the dayside politics, backstabbing and general nastiness, plus being able to do any shopping or whatever early in the morning before things got crowded and having evenings at home with the Yorkshire Tornado. Life was good then. cheers, david
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Mooh Date: 17 Jun 02 - 08:49 AM I love that Steve Earl song "Graveyard Shift". I've worked just a few graveyard shifts, my first ones back in the 70s cleaning a courthouse. All kinds of shinanigans all night long. Visiting girlfriends, boozing, games of hide and seek in the dark, floor hockey in the cellar, kept us occupied as there wasn't much actual work to do. Normally I worked in another building on an evening (4-12) shift which was so boring it would put me to sleep. I kept a stack of novels,a guitar and a girl handy to relieve the boredom. (Btw, all the down time was entirely institutionalized and stystemic...I quickly moved on to a more productive workplace.) As a musician I've had my share of all-nighters, but that's not so much like work, though it screws up my sleep the same way. Nowadays I don't have the stamina I had at 20 even if I do have the will. I used to be able to miss a night's sleep and just shake it off. Now if I miss a night's sleep I'm messed up for a week. My friends down at the salt mine (literally, my town's biggest employer) work rotating shifts and a drummer I worked with for a while would be truly hostile while on midnights, completely unapproachable, but much more inspired musically. Maybe there's a connection between musical inspiration and not sleeping at night... Peace, Mooh. |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Liz the Squeak Date: 17 Jun 02 - 05:08 PM Hmm you may be right there..... some of my best lines have come whilst too tired to even look straight.... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: GUEST,DW at work Date: 18 Jun 02 - 12:04 AM One theme seems common in most of these posts, you guys all stopped doing it! I think it might not be so bad if I didn't have to be on call during the day as well. Ah well, it's a buck. DW |
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Subject: RE: BS: So who else has pulled the night shift From: Blues=Life Date: 18 Jun 02 - 12:31 AM DW, you are so right, it's a buck, and then we stopped doing it. It took me a while, but I finally found the perfect job. I travel all over the S.E. USA, (lots of good guitar stores to visit), I work out of my house with a guitar under my desk, I schedule my own trips, and my boss lives 1000 miles away. Oh, did I mention that they pay me nicely too? It's a damn shame I didn't have this job right out of college, but then again, it only took me 20 years to get here, and I ain't going back! Hang in there, DW, your day will come. Blues |