Ade Eyemond Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 After 25 year or so of being a 9-5 mon - fri type worker in the main, have been offered a job which is constant nightshift, 4 on, 4 off type work - it's the same type of work - telephone, call centre type work - so not physical job.Just wondering if anyone who does work / has worked nightshift in the past could offer any advice / tips on how best to deal with the hours / shift pattern ?I've looked on line and most comments seem to be very generic and / or predominantly aimed at Doctors ....looking for folks own experiences please, what works / doesn't work.....Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gullane No 4 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 My ex SIL's father used to work two weeks days one weeks nights. He hated nights. But loved his job and salary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
energyzone Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 A physical job would have probably been better at keeping you awake to be honest. Sitting down during nightshift for me leads to tiredness. Everyone adapts to it differently so you'd probably need to find what suits you best. What works best for me is getting a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon before my first one. Drink plenty of water before it and during the first half of the shift, but not too late otherwise I'll need the toilet during the day. Once I'm up, I'm up, even at 10am after 2 hours sleep. I've never really noticed eating habits to have much of an effect for me, but other people do and eating properly during it seems to be recommended. Nightshift was a breeze when I was 21, is a bit harder now I'm 31 and I'm not looking forward to them in 10 years time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamond_for_life Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 You'll learn to adapt in your own time mate. Even after 2 years there is nights I cope fine and nights I struggle doesn't really matter what I do. Shifts I do is 8pm-8am. 6 on 8 off. I got to bed at 9:30ish in the morning and get up about 4:30-5:00 usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugster Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 4 on 4 off nightshift was the best time of my working life, fucking brilliant. I would get home and stay up for a couple of hours then go to bed rather than go straight to bed when I got home. Downside is you work over the weekend for a few weeks in a row, but then you get a few off in a row so depending on how often you go out at the weekends you could be rich one month then skint the next. The way mine worked was great for holidays too. Four days annual leave got you twelve in a row off, the four you were off anyway, then the four you were meant to be on, then the next four. I would recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.A.F.C Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Good money, workplace free of needless clipboard type people so less hassle but ultimately it's hard to keep a healthy lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Wilson Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 After 25 year or so of being a 9-5 mon - fri type worker in the main, have been offered a job which is constant nightshift, 4 on, 4 off type work - it's the same type of work - telephone, call centre type work - so not physical job. Just wondering if anyone who does work / has worked nightshift in the past could offer any advice / tips on how best to deal with the hours / shift pattern ? I've looked on line and most comments seem to be very generic and / or predominantly aimed at Doctors ....looking for folks own experiences please, what works / doesn't work..... Thanks in advance You've never worked a day in your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev23 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Enjoyed nightshift 100 times more than day shift at my work. However I found it really hard to have an active life outside of work and my days off were spent feeling tired and then sleeping for ridiculous amounts of time. I'm only 20 and live at home so the drop in pay wasn't as bad as I expected however it's something I'd like to give a try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1320Lichtie Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 have been offered a job which is constant nightshift, 4 on, 4 off type work - it's the same type of work - telephone, call centre type work - so not physical Babestation babe getting a promotion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Black out blinds and ear plugs and remember to silence any phones because the PPI c***s don't work nights.You need to watch your eating as well, it's frightening how quick you can put weight on when you're on nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeboy Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 You need to watch your eating as well, it's frightening how quick you can put weight on when you're on nights. This. You end up having two teas and a dinner, then breakfast before your bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyarabnuts Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 A physical job would have probably been better at keeping you awake to be honest. Sitting down during nightshift for me leads to tiredness. Everyone adapts to it differently so you'd probably need to find what suits you best. What works best for me is getting a couple of hours sleep in the afternoon before my first one. Drink plenty of water before it and during the first half of the shift, but not too late otherwise I'll need the toilet during the day. Once I'm up, I'm up, even at 10am after 2 hours sleep. I've never really noticed eating habits to have much of an effect for me, but other people do and eating properly during it seems to be recommended. Nightshift was a breeze when I was 21, is a bit harder now I'm 31 and I'm not looking forward to them in 10 years time. I'm in my 40's and yep it is a bit of a struggle. I only do (usually) one set of nights on each monthly roster but this month I'm doing 2 sets of 3 , tonight being my last one and I'm feckin knackered, I find it difficult getting more than 4 hours unbroken sleep but my advice would be to try to get at least a couple of hours kip before each run of nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gav-ffc Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Crate of red will help you along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Malkmus Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Saw this the other day, might put you off accepting the job though. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33638905 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzle Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I hate nightshift, constantly tired and have next too no social life through the week. Money is too big a step back to go back now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebanda's Handyman Services Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I do nights one week out of seven. Go to bed sharpish when you get home and get an hour or two in the evening before you go out. I get seven off after my week of nights and five off after back shift. Planned right, I can have a month off at the expense of 14 days holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 4 on nights and four days off might be ok. Switching from working days to nights every week or so is a killer, your immune system goes to pot. I quite like working nights, supping a can of lager on the bus home when everyone else is going to work is fun. Big tip, drink loads of water rather than coffee to stay awake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musketeer Gripweed Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I did night shift about 20 years ago. I discovered the only way to get a sleep when I got home was drinking about 6 beers quickly. Thank goodness it didn't last too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throbber Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I did nightshift when travelling and fucking hated it. Brought on all forms of every sort of unhappiness and anxiety i had ever experienced which i assumed were all down to drug taking, a truly awful place for me at the time and something i hope to never do again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kincardine Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Saw this the other day, might put you off accepting the job though. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33638905 I was going to post about that. There was a radio programme about it on Monday: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0639jpl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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