Anyone Here Work "Grave Yard" Over Night Shift?

[goreds2]

I have been filling in for an open position here at work until it is filled. I don't mind it. Less stress and Less people to deal with etc.

I am a supervisor and when not working this shift works the 8am-5pm Monday - Friday schedule.


* If anyone works the grave yard shift or has in the past, how did you like it?

* What were your sleeping habits?

* What hours/days did you work? I am currently working 3 to 4 days a week depending on coverage from other workers. (Around 7:30pm to 6:30am.)

[MrCinatit]

Until a couple of months ago, I worked from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. I liked it a lot, and had no problem with sleeping at all - I put blankets over my windows and such. Basically, I lived my life in reverse.
I recently moved to mornings, but it was not my choice at all. Such is life.

[SunDeck]

I have been working sundown to sunrise for about six hundred years now. Works for me.

[OldRightHander]

I worked third shift for about six years straight at one time. I kind of got used to sleeping during the day and didn't have any trouble with it at all. I prefer to sleep at night, but nowadays I get the work when I can get it and sleep when I can. Sometimes I have to drive an all nighter and sometimes I get to deliver early enough to sleep at night. I have window screens that I put up that keep the inside of my sleeper fairly dim at all times, but I've pretty much conditioned myself to be able to sleep whenever I need and wherever I happen to be. There's not much that can keep me awake when I decide it's time to sleep.

[gonelong]

Black out cloth was essential to me when I worked a 3rd shift job. Loved it when I was a single man, decided I needed a new line of work when marriage and children were on the horizon.

I worked from 8pm to 6am.

GL

[TeamSelig]

My wife works 10pm-7am.... she got one of those sleeping masks and it seems to work pretty well

[Joseph]

I've done third shift before. I worked 3 jobs a while when I was just out of high school. Full time 1st, and part time on second and third [not on the same days].

I loved the 3rd shift part most of all. I was the only one in the building, running computer reports and such. I'd listen to sports talk all night, and do nothing. I mean I literally would start a program running, it would take an hour, or two, or 5 sometimes. So I would sit there and sleep if I wanted and they were ok with it.

[919191]

I've worked 7 PM t0 7 AM for almost 13 years. I work 4 on, 4 off, 3 on, 3 off, with odd turnaround weeks every 7 weeks becose I work7 weekends, then have 7 off. I like it. I like 12 hour shifts becauuse I like 3 or 4 days off every week. I have always been a night owl, so I am comfortable with it. I get home, grab a snack and a couple of beers, and hit the sack about 9 AM and get up at 3 or 4. The roughest part is the first day off. Sleep too little that day and your first night off feels miserable. Too long and it's hard to sleep that night, and your sleep pattern is screwed up the rest of the days off.

[Buckeye33]

I work at a state psychiatric hospital on 3rd shift and have for 3 1/2 years. I worked 2nd shift when I first started for about a year and it was miserable. 2nd shift is the worst shift by far.

Now that I'm on 3rd, the job is much much easier and less stressful. The patients sleep most of the night and we can watch movies, play cards, video games, etc as long as nothing is popping off on the unit.

As far as sleep goes, I work 10:30pm-7am, then when I get home I eat some breakfast and sleep from 7:30am-2:30pm.

I love 3rd shift currently because I don't have any kids and can watch pretty much any sports in the evenings, as well as play sports (softball, bowling, formerly basketball) and not have to worry about having the day off. The only sticking point with my job is I only get 1 weekend off every 3 so that gets annoying.

As long as you can sleep during the day, 3rd shift has a lot of advantages.

[redsfanmia]

I did it in two stints one lasting a year and a half and the other lasting 8 months and I hated it. I was single at the time and found that I slept all the time and yet was never rested.

[goreds2]

Thanks for the great posts! I have expressed to my boss's how interested I may be in working over nights as a shift supervisor.

They seem to be for this and my shift would be Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 7pm to 7am. I would then then work 1-5pm on Thursday to attend our department status meeting. This would still keep me "in the loop" with my group as I would not disappear.

This is not set in stone as yet but looking good.

The less stress on the job would be something money cannot buy.

[gilpdawg]

I used to work 12 hour night shifts, but they were 7p-7a, so I missed a lot of ballgames. I wouldn't mind a regular Monday-Friday 11-7 type shift.

[Hoosier Red]

When I joined Redszone, I worked the radio overnight shift from 10pm to 6 AM, I never did get used to it.

[goreds2]

Originally Posted by 919191

hit the sack about 9 AM and get up at 3 or 4. The roughest part is the first day off. Sleep too little that day and your first night off feels miserable. Too long and it's hard to sleep that night, and your sleep pattern is screwed up the rest of the days off.

I have been sleeping from around 10am to 3 or 4pm.

Yes, the first day off is tricky. I try to sleep a min. of 3 hours and try not to go over 5.

[GAC]

I've worked 3rd shift for almost 12 years now. I don't think your body, regardless of the amount of sleep you get,ever gets use to it, and I make sure I get 7-8 hours sleep everyday. I get off work at 7AM, and by the time I get home and unwind, I get to bed around 9AM. I then usually get up when the kids get home from school that afternoon. But I've been known to lay back down and take a nap before work.

They say working 3rd shift shortens your life span...... so I have that going for me.