Jamal
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Joined on: Nov 24, 2005 14:53:44 GMT -5
Posts: 4,877
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Post by Jamal on May 15, 2013 0:19:32 GMT -5
For the first time in my life, I am working the graveyard shift (for the entire summer might I add). My body is still not used to it at this point so it sucks.
Anybody else on here working the night shift? Any tips/advice?
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Post by A Flair for the Gold on May 15, 2013 0:28:38 GMT -5
i used to work a night shift at a gas station back in 2007-08. best thing i can think of, is adjust your sleep schedule. being the night shift guy, it's gunna suck to have to sleep most of the time durring the day. my hours were 9PM to 6AM. what i used to do was come home and play a bit of halo 3 and eat breakfast back then, or watch a movie or something. then i would go to sleep. some days, like when i had off, i stayed awake longer and woke up when the sun was already down. now, to stay awake at work, maybe energy drink/pills, or even something as simple as having ice cold water to drink when you feel you are drifting off. and yes, ice cold water does work, i have over 6 years in the US army reserve that says it does! LOL. good luck, and stay safe my friend!
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Post by Yeezy's Mullet: Team X Blades on May 15, 2013 0:59:41 GMT -5
Night shift sucks. I worked it for a period of time and never got used to it. Absolutely hated everything about it.
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Post by HHH316 on May 15, 2013 1:12:24 GMT -5
I've never had that shift, but I often wonder how well I'd do with it. Naturally, I'm a night owl.
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Deleted
Joined on: May 20, 2024 12:16:43 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 2:05:31 GMT -5
I have been working the overnight shift 11pm-5am for about 9 months, you will probably never get use to it as I always have problems with energy at work even after 9 months.Sleep is never as good for me during the day as night time sleep seems to be. Stock up on energy drinks or coffee and you should be fine. Taking a nap just before work seems to help as well.
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Post by A Flair for the Gold on May 15, 2013 2:19:51 GMT -5
where you guys couldn't get used to it, i haven't been able to shake being used to it! like i said, 07-08 was when i worked 3rd shift, it's 2013 and i'm still a night owl. maybe i have insomnia? LOL
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Jamal
Main Eventer
Joined on: Nov 24, 2005 14:53:44 GMT -5
Posts: 4,877
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Post by Jamal on May 15, 2013 3:32:14 GMT -5
i used to work a night shift at a gas station back in 2007-08. best thing i can think of, is adjust your sleep schedule. being the night shift guy, it's gunna suck to have to sleep most of the time durring the day. my hours were 9PM to 6AM. what i used to do was come home and play a bit of halo 3 and eat breakfast back then, or watch a movie or something. then i would go to sleep. some days, like when i had off, i stayed awake longer and woke up when the sun was already down. now, to stay awake at work, maybe energy drink/pills, or even something as simple as having ice cold water to drink when you feel you are drifting off. and yes, ice cold water does work, i have over 6 years in the US army reserve that says it does! LOL. good luck, and stay safe my friend! This seems like the worst part to me. Its almost like I'm living in a different planet from my friends and family. As for energy, 5 hour energy is doing the trick so far.
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Post by AdamBomb on May 15, 2013 5:04:45 GMT -5
Well, for starters you're going to have to stop having much of a social life. I've worked graveyards for 2 and a half years now. I usually do anywhere from 40-60 hours (I take all of the overtime they will give me). When I first started I took 5 Hour Energy's all the time for two months... Until it started giving me heart palpitations, cold sweats, and making me feel light headed. Haven't touched anything "energy" related since. My best advice, is that you NEED to keep a regular sleep schedule. I usually go to bed at 1pm or 2pm and wake up at 10pm. Where I see people mess up the most is when they have days off. For some goofy reason they try staying up all day to see friends, then they think that they can just sleep at night like they used to. Doesn't work. Either find some friends to hang with at night, or get a hobby... Because nights off are incredibly boring. The worst thing you can do, is try and have all the time in the world with friends, and royally yourself on sleep. I dated one girl who thought she could handle the hours, and I thought she could too. After a month of getting 4 or 5 hours of sleep a day, I broke it off. It isn't for everyone.
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Cameron Stone
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Joined on: Jan 16, 2013 18:16:15 GMT -5
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Post by Cameron Stone on May 15, 2013 5:16:56 GMT -5
I feel better from sleeping during the day lol. Ive been trying to get a graveyard shift job for years with no luck
Sent from my GT-I5500M using proboards
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Post by Hulkamaniac on May 15, 2013 7:25:47 GMT -5
I worked 3rd (10pm - 6 am) for six years so I've got more experience doing it than most people who've posted. Here's my best advice:
1. Don't think you can work all night and then play all day like you've got a day off. You don't. Days are for sleeping. 2. Don't think you can change your schedule on the weekend and be a day person again. You can't. It'll kill you. 3. If you're the guy who needs the energy drinks and coffee to stay awake every shift it's almost certain you are not following #1 or #2.
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Deleted
Joined on: May 20, 2024 12:16:43 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2013 9:26:11 GMT -5
I did it for about 6 months before I called it quits. I hated that I couldn't ever hang out with my friends, and I was starting to get depressed. It is pretty funny seeing the look on people's face though when you go into 7-11 at 7 in the morning to get beer.
I would probably do it again, though. Lol
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Post by Brad on May 15, 2013 10:57:17 GMT -5
I worked 3rd (10pm - 6 am) for six years so I've got more experience doing it than most people who've posted. Here's my best advice: 1. Don't think you can work all night and then play all day like you've got a day off. You don't. Days are for sleeping. 2. Don't think you can change your schedule on the weekend and be a day person again. You can't. It'll kill you. 3. If you're the guy who needs the energy drinks and coffee to stay awake every shift it's almost certain you are not following #1 or #2. Number 3 made me smirk. Lol I've never had to work graveyard, thank God.
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Post by Hulkamaniac on May 15, 2013 11:51:44 GMT -5
I did it for about 6 months before I called it quits. I hated that I couldn't ever hang out with my friends, and I was starting to get depressed. It is pretty funny seeing the look on people's face though when you go into 7-11 at 7 in the morning to get beer. I would probably do it again, though. Lol To this day I sometimes go to Sonic at 7 am and buy a burger. I get weird looks. Sent from my XT907 using proboards
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Post by Nick the Quick on May 15, 2013 12:19:34 GMT -5
At my job, I currently work 6:30pm-3:00am, I don't know if that is technically considered the "graveyard shift" but close. I hate it and am I desperate need of finding a different job with a much more favorable shift. Social life is gone, enjoying the day is gone. It sucks. My belief is that it's not a shift that everyone can handle. Some can, but many people, myself included, aren't the right cut for it.
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Post by IRS on May 15, 2013 12:35:31 GMT -5
I honestly think I'd be perfect working a graveyard shift, I usually go to bed at 4am or 5am already.
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Jamal
Main Eventer
Joined on: Nov 24, 2005 14:53:44 GMT -5
Posts: 4,877
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Post by Jamal on May 15, 2013 15:44:22 GMT -5
I worked 3rd (10pm - 6 am) for six years so I've got more experience doing it than most people who've posted. Here's my best advice: 1. Don't think you can work all night and then play all day like you've got a day off. You don't. Days are for sleeping. 2. Don't think you can change your schedule on the weekend and be a day person again. You can't. It'll kill you. 3. If you're the guy who needs the energy drinks and coffee to stay awake every shift it's almost certain you are not following #1 or #2. It's only been a couple days so far and I avoided enery drinks til last nights shift, and it turned out to be the hardest night yet. #3 is spot on. If I don't get 8 hours it s up my entire system, so ill just kill off my social life till the fall.
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Post by fallbrawl on May 15, 2013 17:32:21 GMT -5
I work 3rd shift at a cold storage warehouse. It was very easy for me to adjust my sleep because i stay up at night anyway (might as well make money while i am up).
I had to turn off my phone for the first couple days because my family kept calling me and waking me up asking how my job was. The only thing i can tell you is that you won't have social life. I spend my down time watching wrestling dvds and sleeping.
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Post by TurboEddie on May 15, 2013 17:58:17 GMT -5
I worked the graveyard shift at my old job for a week straight while the regular employee was on vacation. Worst. Week. Ever.
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Post by A Flair for the Gold on May 15, 2013 21:06:06 GMT -5
I work 3rd shift at a cold storage warehouse. It was very easy for me to adjust my sleep because i stay up at night anyway (might as well make money while i am up). I had to turn off my phone for the first couple days because my family kept calling me and waking me up asking how my job was. The only thing i can tell you is that you won't have social life. I spend my down time watching wrestling dvds and sleeping. i didn't have much of a social life either, and i was the one always stuck working hollidays. went to cali for month long army training, and guess what? put me on third shift duty. try sleeping durring the day when it's 136 degrees out at fort hunter ligget, haha. without as in a big smelly as tent on top of it!
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Post by Halloween King on May 16, 2013 2:09:20 GMT -5
I worked third shift for about 4 years 11 to 7 am. I have to say I hate that shift. We were meant to sleep at night. For me it was crazy, I would work all night and then when I got off I always had things to do. And just when I thought I would get some sleep I would always have someone call me up and invite me somewhere. So I would go for 36hr periods where I wouldnt sleep. I'd wake up today at 10pm work till 7am the next day, go out till I had to go back to work, work another 8 or 9 hrs and then sleep. It really wore me out. I ended up chugging energy drinks all the time, popping energy pills, taking whatever was aimed at keeping you awake, it was horrible.
I remember I'd go out and look at a bench or chair and just want to sleep. I'd be out in a public place daydreaming that I pulled out a blanket, laid down on a bench, reguardless of people being around me or not. There was times I'd be talking to someone and just doze off. Then the worst part was I'd wake up and not remember when I went to bed. Or how I got to where I was sleeping. I would just remember being at the store only to wake up in my basement, attic, car, and not remember how I got there. The worst occasion like this was when I was at a party. I remember being very tired. And then I woke up in my car. Some guy was tapping on my window. Apprently I fell asleep while waiting at a rail road crossing. I dont remember leaving the party, I dont remember getting in my car, I dont remember a train. I just remember some guy tapping on my window cause I was holding up traffic.
Night shift taught me something very important. And that is that sleeping at night is like super charging your batterys. I can sleep 3 or 4 hrs as long as it's at night and feel great. Where as if I sleep that same amount of time but during the day its not nearly half as good/energizing.
I would suggest you not stay on nightshift too long.
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