10 ways to survive the night shift

As a former night shifter, I thought this would help some of you who work the night shift. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in nursing or in the healthcare field. I know there are plenty of jobs out there that have overnight shifts. These tips apply to anyone who stays awake while the rest of the world sleeps.

1. Drink water – Seriously, you need to drink as much water as you would during the day. I found it helpful to set a reminder on my phone every 1-2 hours to remind me to drink water, especially on those busy nights. I definitely slowed down after about 4 am because who wants to get up and use the bathroom two hours after falling asleep?

2. Blackout blinds – You need to sleep as long as you can during the day. I could not stand a sleeping mask or anything pushing on my face so I ended up buying blackout curtains and hanging a moving blanket over my very large bathroom window. It did wonders to improve my sleep. Because it was dark and I was comfortable.

3. Have a good relationship with your coworkers – it makes a difference in how enjoyable and how much help you get on your shift.

4. Eat overnight – snacks and/or meals. You NEED energy so bring some snacks or a lunch to eat overnight. If you don’t go that long during the day to eat, you shouldn’t go that long at night.

5. Have caffeine available – I am not a coffee drinker but I bought some sugar-free energy powder mix from Walmart and I ALWAYS had a few on hand (I often gave some to my coworkers who were struggling as well). Sometimes if you don’t get enough sleep or you are just tired, you need a little energy boost.

6. If you need a nap, go take one – have a friend/coworker cover you. If you need a nap, take one. Be safer in your work by not being too tired. Eat when you have a few minutes and then take a nap on your lunch break. It just might be the refresher you need to finish out your shift.

7. Have a little fun – find something enjoyable to do with your coworkers. My unit was oftentimes decorated for holidays, and it was always the night shift that did so. When we had a little downtime, we would talk with each other about things going on in our lives to keep our brains engaged and more awake while also building closer relationships with each other.

8. Walk – Sometimes you just can’t stay awake when sitting down.

9. Music is a must – I usually go to my Pandora country station to help fill the void of the night and also make my time charting more enjoyable.

10. Enjoy your job – You will not survive any shift (day or night) unless you like your job. Love what you do and do what you love and your attitude will be better making any shift worth it. It also doesn’t hurt that the night shift usually has a shift differential so you make more money by working while everyone else sleeps.

Let me know if there are more things that help you!