3rd Shift

[GSXRFANN]

I have just started working on 3rd shift for a couple of weeks on a trial basis. I am just curious as to how many of you guys work 3rd and if you like it. How do you work your home life schedule to fit with your work schedule? How long did it take for you to get used to it?
What are your pro's and con's?

 

[semi]

I've been on 3rd shift for about 3 1/2 years this time. I love it and hope I never have to go back to working days! Of course, I've always been a night owl and not having any family really helps. I also work 7 on and 7 off from April until October. I don't think I would really like doing 5 on and 2 off. I am able to leave most errands for my week off instead of having to try to fit it in after I get off work in the morning. One of the most important things to me is starting out the work week fully rested, I find it is almost impossible to catch up on sleep if I start out tired. I haven't had very good luck with long-term relationships while working nights but I never had much luck before either so I'm ok with that I wish you the best of luck, it won't take long for you to figure out if it is for you or not. It tends to be a love it or hate it kind of thing.
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[Blazing-Saddle]

I worked a 3rd shift many years ago and it was a disaster for me. I never did get used to the hours and it played havoc with my home life. YMMV

 

[dadofthree]

Never worked 3rd shift so to speak. Been working 12 hour shifts since 1981. Currently working straight nights 1900 to 0700. The shifts have always been good, but I do miss out on weekends occasionally...........or sleep

 

[Bansh]

Been working 11pm - 8am for 6 years now. I still hate it, but my company pays me very well. I work Sunday night - Friday morning, I stay up all day on Friday and catch up with errands and family time. Sleep Friday night and Saturday night then I'm up from Sunday 7am - Monday 7am. I try to sleep as soon as I get home in the morning because I have to boys who get home from school at 3pm.
Anyway on the + side I'll take the Busa out on the sunny days and just not sleep

 

[Jay Willie]

Worked different variations of the night shift off and on for several years. I've got off in the morning, stayed up until 1-3pm or so, and slept until time to go to work. I've also hit the sack as soon as I got off and slept until 4-6pm. The day time sleep thing happened best for me in a totally dark room. When the kids were home in the evening while I was sleeping, I did best with regular family noise going on. When my wife ran a daycare, I actually did better with all the noise than if everyone was trying to be quiet (yea, right, a quiet day care, uh huh, sure). Whispering and trying to walk softly through the house seemed to keep me right on the edge, and I never slept well that way. I did try to split my sleep time, 3-4 hours in the morning and a 2-4 right in the evening. Totally bombed that. Sleep studies suggest a full 6-8 hour continuous sleep cycle brings the better rest. My best time to sleep was in the evening; not that I didn't do well sleeping during the day, especially when no one was home. It's just that trying to relax enough to get to sleep right after work was hard to do. This was also the same schedule my body was used to, only I did this at a different time in a 24 hour period.

Having said that though, my best schedule worked so that when I got off, I went directly home, hit the sack in the totally dark room and told myself, "You've got to go to sleep," and practice relax technics to do so. This way I still had family time in the evening. If I stayed up for even just an hour, the sun shine and activities of the day (errands, change the oil in the bike, good riding weather) put me in the evening sleep mode, screwing up my daytime sleep schedule.

Whatever you do, it does seem better to find a schedule to adapt to and stick with it. I would stay up for the day on the last day of my shift with a little afternoon siesta, and try and cat nap the evening before my shift started again. Good luck on the routine and I hope you find a good one to settle into. No matter what, family time is important and I hope your schedule will work for you to have your time with them.

 

[busa-saga]

did it and will never do it again..i was all screwed up

 

[chrisjp]

2nd and 3rd for me mostly 2nd... love it... no supervision... much more relaxed... and im a night owl

 

[Munchie]

Worked different variations of the night shift off and on for several years. I've got off in the morning, stayed up until 1-3pm or so, and slept until time to go to work. I've also hit the sack as soon as I got off and slept until 4-6pm. The day time sleep thing happened best for me in a totally dark room. When the kids were home in the evening while I was sleeping, I did best with regular family noise going on. When my wife ran a daycare, I actually did better with all the noise than if everyone was trying to be quiet (yea, right, a quiet day care, uh huh, sure). Whispering and trying to walk softly through the house seemed to keep me right on the edge, and I never slept well that way. I did try to split my sleep time, 3-4 hours in the morning and a 2-4 right in the evening. Totally bombed that. Sleep studies suggest a full 6-8 hour continuous sleep cycle brings the better rest. My best time to sleep was in the evening; not that I didn't do well sleeping during the day, especially when no one was home. It's just that trying to relax enough to get to sleep right after work was hard to do. This was also the same schedule my body was used to, only I did this at a different time in a 24 hour period.

Having said that though, my best schedule worked so that when I got off, I went directly home, hit the sack in the totally dark room and told myself, "You've got to go to sleep," and practice relax technics to do so. This way I still had family time in the evening. If I stayed up for even just an hour, the sun shine and activities of the day (errands, change the oil in the bike, good riding weather) put me in the evening sleep mode, screwing up my daytime sleep schedule.

Whatever you do, it does seem better to find a schedule to adapt to and stick with it. I would stay up for the day on the last day of my shift with a little afternoon siesta, and try and cat nap the evening before my shift started again. Good luck on the routine and I hope you find a good one to settle into. No matter what, family time is important and I hope your schedule will work for you to have your time with them.

Jay probably has covered most of what I tried. Worked 3rd almost 12 years...freaking terrible dude. There are those that could actually stay up as Jay mentions to change oil, run errands, etc. Not for me...I was always in a fog. Too tired to do anything when I got off in the mornings (7am) but to "awake" to go to sleep. I would usually watch tv till 10-11am, then go to bed. Wake up around 7pm or whatever the day required. The best schedule for me was to stay up till 2-3pm then sleep till time to go to work - felt better, but still never got anything done and rough on relationships...always being tired, never wanting to do anything - just wanna sleep . (BTW - not married - no kids)

After all that, I finally got to a weekend shift job 5am-5pm Fri, Sat, Sun - and man I am fractured from all those years on 3rd. When I get off on Sundays at 5pm, I have nothing to get up for on Monday - so I stay up till ~1am? Then Monday, I sleep late, Monday night, I stay up later - then sleep later. By Wednesday, I'm going to bed at 4am and on Thursdays, I have to be up at 4am to get ready for work.

Some people love the convienence of planning for the day...I hated it (but not as much as 2nd ).

My advice, blacken the room by covering your window or window panes with posterboard wrapped in tin foil - completely blocks the light (paint it black if you want so it doesn't look like you're hiding a spaceship). Get a fan - louder the better to drown out noise for all the real humans known as "The Daywalkers"

Disable your doorbell - you will not get back to sleep when the neighborhood (sign this petition, would you like to buy some popcorn, etc) people ring your bell. Fan helps with blocking out door knocking. A window unit works really well for keeping the room cold as a meatlocker - you'll be under the covers and the "white noise" will help. Get some Tylenol PM's or equivalent - if you haven't gotten to sleep and have less than 5 hours to naturally dose off, pop a couple (I am not a Dr. BTW - use at your own discretion/risk). Your frustration with not being asleep yet, will keep you up. You can also get a cheap espresso machine from Target for around $40 - best $40 bucks you'll spend for a head start on your night (legally). Careful though...when it says do not open under pressure - they mean it...guess that's why its written at the bottom of every page in the manual.

Medicate to hit the sack, caffinate to rise from the dead!

 

[carlsbadbusa]

Just got done with a long graveyard shift stint due to operational commitments and all I can say is FINALLY

 

[pack mule]

I've worked all three at different times in the past 20 years. I liked second until my kids started school, then went to first, then to third for awhile. If you can sleep during the day its a good shift, if not your in trouble. I was always tired on third but I could still see my family. All in all I would go back to third before I went to second.

 

[Jay Willie]

My advice, blacken the room by covering your window or window panes with posterboard wrapped in tin foil - completely blocks the light (paint it black if you want so it doesn't look like you're hiding a spaceship). Get a fan - louder the better to drown out noise for all the real humans known as "The Daywalkers"

Disable your doorbell - you will not get back to sleep when the neighborhood (sign this petition, would you like to buy some popcorn, etc) people ring your bell. Fan helps with blocking out door knocking. A window unit works really well for keeping the room cold as a meatlocker - you'll be under the covers and the "white noise" will help. Get some Tylenol PM's or equivalent - if you haven't gotten to sleep and have less than 5 hours to naturally dose off, pop a couple (I am not a Dr. BTW - use at your own discretion/risk). Your frustration with not being asleep yet, will keep you up. You can also get a cheap espresso machine from Target for around $40 - best $40 bucks you'll spend for a head start on your night (legally). Careful though...when it says do not open under pressure - they mean it...guess that's why its written at the bottom of every page in the manual.

Medicate to hit the sack, caffinate to rise from the dead!

Excellent advice with the fan and window a/c, Munchie! I'd forgot about the window a/c in the summer time. Sure worked well for me and the 'white' noise works like a charm, especially in a totally darkened room. Good words for Mr. GSXRFANN. Again, good luck and have a good 'un!

 

[NIGHTFLIGHT]

I did it 8 years and drove night shift 6 years get your sleep dont shortchange yourself on sleep or it catches up with you.

 

[GSXRFANN]

Some very good advise. Thanks guys. I am trying to sleep as soon as I can in the mornings and then I still have my evenings with my family. I do like the "no supervision" part of it. I just have to get my schedule adjusted. I am a night owl, so this may be a permanent move if I can get adjusted.

 

[Munchie]

One final word...be careful driving home if you're tired. Had a fellow tech that worked with me for years...always falling asleep if he sat still too long. He would make a few "entertainment laps" on occasion to find someone to talk to when he was getting sleepy. We used to find the most boring subjects to talk about when he walked up and he would literally fall asleep looking at you. Soon as he was out, we would all run off and hide waiting for him to realize the talking stopped, then he had the surprised/bewildered look on his face when he tried to figure out how long he'd been out!

Sad part, he had an hour commute and totalled 3 cars in two years from falling asleep at the wheel driving home. The last one went really bad...he ran off the road and hit a big concrete culvert (the concrete pipe that runs under driveways along the ditchline for water drainage). His car flipped end over end...bad ordeal.

He made it with no permanent damage but do not underestimate how quickly "a blink" can send you three lanes across traffic or through a red-light at an intersection. lease:

 

[Fastfrog007]

I did it for 3 yrs, it seemed like i needed more sleep when it was daytime sleep. I do recommend getting some black posterboard for the windows, make a big difference

 

[bigfootatplay]

I've been working shift work for the last 10yrs. 4am to 4pm and 4pm to 4am??? gotta get up at 3 to get there by 4am. If i work mon-tues days I get wed-thurs off and come back fr-sat-sun nights.Good thing is I get everyother weekend off. But I do miss CHRISTMAS,birthdays,anniversarys etc.. if I cant manage to schedule off. Dont see my kids alot but hey... as with anything else there is sacrifice and trade-offs. But the $$$ is good. I need everyone to keep buying gas guzzlers and buy plenty of gasoline... at least until alll my kids finish college