Switching Work Schedules......................
Just curious how many have spent their entire life working during the day, and then had to switch to a night shift?
How long did it take you to get used to it?
And how long when you switched back again?
I have always worked 8 to 12 or more hours a day, but recently due to the changes I have made in my business, I have a 2 year contract with some huge Industrial companies.
We have been starting at about 8PM, and getting back to the house about 5AM. I jump in the shower, and into bed, and wake up around 10AM.
I'm really starting to drag my rear![xx(][:D]
How long did it take you to get used to it?
And how long when you switched back again?
I have always worked 8 to 12 or more hours a day, but recently due to the changes I have made in my business, I have a 2 year contract with some huge Industrial companies.
We have been starting at about 8PM, and getting back to the house about 5AM. I jump in the shower, and into bed, and wake up around 10AM.
I'm really starting to drag my rear![xx(][:D]
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I was on night shift (11-7) for 11 months. I never got used to it. 0 -
Try rotating 12hr shifts......[xx(] 0 -
I worked nights as an outage coordinator for 3 months. It took me about 3 weeks to get fully adjusted. I have also been traveling internationally alot this year, so have had to adjust to different time zones. A good rule of thumb is about a day for every hour of adjustment. 0 -
Well fortunately this will not last the full 2 years, but I have been doing roughly those same hours for a couple of months now.
We are installing a couple of large chillers in the plant, and what is taking all the time is running the chilled water piping, and returns. The place is huge needless to say.
It must be done at night when we can work in one section of the plant at a time, after it is shut down.
Big thing is I can't sleep much after I do get home, because I have never been used to sleeping during the day, nor really able to do it, even if I needed to![xx(]
My bags under my eyes, are getting bags![:D][8D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
Well fortunately this will not last the full 2 years, but I have been doing roughly those same hours for a couple of months now.
We are installing a couple of large chillers in the plant, and what is taking all the time is running the chilled water piping, and returns. The place is huge needless to say.
It must be done at night when we can work in one section of the plant at a time, after it is shut down.
Big thing is I can't sleep much after I do get home, because I have never been used to sleeping during the day, nor really able to do it, even if I needed to![xx(]
My bags under my eyes, are getting bags![:D][8D]
Marc, you might want to try some melatonin.
http://www.melatonin.com/
It is a supplement, not a drug, you can buy it OTC. And you don't get the drug/drowsy feeling from it.
Don0 -
Worked 13 years on night shifts - leave home around 1600, return around 0700, 4 or more nights a week. Nearly killed me. Totalled three cars cause getsleepy on the way home, gained over 100 pounds, lost touch with my immediate family, missed some of the precious moments of my Daughter's growing up.
Retired early due to injuries and general health, not cause I wanted to.
My council to my Daughter: "the night shift differential/better pay/less interruptions/bosses not there/phone not ringing, etc, is NOT WORTH THE HIT YOUR LIFE TAKES."
I would say the same to anyone.0 -
Don,.....yes, I have heard of Melatonin, but have never tried it before. Think I will pick up some!
Handload,......no way am I gonna do this any longer than necessary.
I'm not as young as I once was![:D]0 -
I worked 10yrs of a swing poop. 1week days, 1 week evenings, 1 of midnights. I don't believe a body could ever get used to that. Went from that to working 20hr days for 7yrs. Yes, this took ts toll, i'm now physically 178 @ 50.[:(][;)]
Whatever you do, don't abuse yourself to this extent.0 -
Worked graveyard for years.
Make the bedroom as dark as possible.
Tape black plastic bags over the windows if you have to.
Use some good ear plugs.
Not muffs, too much bulk on your head.
Something comfortable, that doesn't hurt your ears if you sleep on them.
Turn telephone ringers off, make it go straight to the answering machine.0 -
Go take a drive around during the day and see how many people are not working? 0 -
Worked midnights for several years. I loved it. FIL worked rotating 12's. That I would hate! Give me one or the other and let my body get used to it! 0 -
You never get use to it no matter what you do.
Worked 12 hour shifts 7 to 7 for over three years. Always felt tired and worn out.
Worse thing about it is, you miss everything going on if you have active kids or a wife that works days.
Been their, Done that and dont ever want to do it again.
The worse shift that I ever tried to work was the the 11pm to 7am shift. I dealt with it for about three months and quite a good job due to those hours.0 -
I've never worked the graveyard shift...as a matter of fact, I've been working the same schedule, M-F...7:30-4:00pm for over 20 years.
I don't know what it's like to work a weekend, holiday or late evening.[:D] BTW, I work for a city government.
I heard on the radio news a few days ago that studies of graveyarders in England and other European countries showed higher than normal cancer rates. Just something to think about.0 -
Ive been working 7p to 7a for a year and a half now. I work 7 days straight then get 7 days off. Its ok but I would still like to join the living one of these days so I could be home at night. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
Go take a drive around during the day and see how many people are not working?
No need for that, as a lot of the population around here are retirees!
They have already done their time.
Just wish they would stay off the roads at peak traffic times![xx(]0 -
There have been a lot of studies done on how night shift and swing shift affect people. I worked a swing shift for nine years and I never got used to it. It did have it's advantages, however. You could do some things during the day that you couldn't do if you got off, say, at 4:00 PM everyday. I have a small farm and I would put up hay the week I was working night shift. I know a lot of people who retired after many years of working swing shift. If I run into them now, they look better than they did 10 years ago. 0 -
My situation is relatively short term,........no way do I want to work these hours for long.
After this project is done, I will go back to training in house maintenance staff during normal hours, and for only about 3 days a week.
My contractors license covers all of the permitting, and EPA regs for refrigerants, etc.
Most of the "projects" of any size though, require night, or weekend work, and I still must be there for that, so this will not be the end of the "night shifts" I'm sure.
I am on call also over the Christmas holidays, as the only maintenance employee that has been trained well enough to date, to cover anything remotely technical is on vacation![xx(]
Thanks for all of the tips though.
Gotta get ready to leave in a bit, and I sure don't feel like it![;)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
My situation is relatively short term,........no way do I want to work these hours for long.
After this project is done, I will go back to training in house maintenance staff during normal hours, and for only about 3 days a week.
My contractors license covers all of the permitting, and EPA regs for refrigerants, etc.
Most of the "projects" of any size though, require night, or weekend work, and I still must be there for that, so this will not be the end of the "night shifts" I'm sure.
I am on call also over the Christmas holidays, as the only maintenance employee that has been trained well enough to date, to cover anything remotely technical is on vacation![xx(]
Thanks for all of the tips though.
Gotta get ready to leave in a bit, and I sure don't feel like it![;)]
That's why you make the big money![8D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
Just curious how many have spent their entire life working during the day, and then had to switch to a night shift?
How long did it take you to get used to it?
And how long when you switched back again?
I have always worked 8 to 12 or more hours a day, but recently due to the changes I have made in my business, I have a 2 year contract with some huge Industrial companies.
We have been starting at about 8PM, and getting back to the house about 5AM. I jump in the shower, and into bed, and wake up around 10AM.
I'm really starting to drag my rear![xx(][:D]
ive never worked during the day in 3 years. Ive always been third shift. I usually get home at 615 am and sleep till 10-11, and then catch a nap before leaving at 9pm, but for the last couple months i get up at ten AM and stay up for work at 10pm and get home again at 6am. Ive been running on a couple hours of sleep a day for a while now, i think its messing with me.0 -
I have been working can to can't for 14 years. Sometimes I have to work a little longer. Yall are a bunch of little old ladies. Nothing personal. Don 0 -
I spent most of my working life in four section duty in port and three section underway, except when we got short handed and went into three section in port and port and starboard underway. I worked nights for the Prudential for a while, average sixty to sixty-five hours a week.
Trust me, when you get tired enough, you'll sleep. [;)] [:D]0 -
I go to work at 1:30 AM and get off whenever my (trucking) route is done. Usually 12-1 PM'ish.
Took about a year to get used to it. The sleeping part was the worst. Trying to sleep during the time of day (evening) when wife & kids are home and active. Neighbors are mowing/making noise etc. all the best TV programs are on.
Then there's the weekends/holidays when my schedule switches back to normal hours. And the switching back to work schedule again.
We've discussed at work how individual employee's work it out. The solutions are all different. Everyone handles it in his way to meet the requirements of his work/family situation. And we've had alot of new hires that quit because they just can't adjust.0 -
I've never worked during the day shift. Until 5 years ago or so I'd always had jobs where you worked whenever you were needed like offshore and commercial fishing. Alot of times with those jobs I worked day, swing, and night shift all in one day for a few days in a row. [;)]
Now I work swing shift and love it! No bosses to speak of unless they stay over to get drunk at the shop. No pressure, I do what I want. [:D]0
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