[Spirit100]

Have obtained a new position to better provide for my family and have moved from a first shift lifestyle to a third.

Open to suggestions on how other third shifters have handled sleep schedule, and meals. Get a half hour lunch at 3am. Black out blinds will be purchased this weekend. So what has worked for you? And what hasn't worked?

Thanks in advance for the feedback and assistance!

[panther nation]

Well from working 3rd for the last 10 years get ready to start filling like crap. Your wife will notice that you are more Irritable than ever before,( that what mine says anyway !)

The first thing you need to do is figure out your sleep schedule:
1 go home and go straight to bed.
2 stay up half the day and go to sleep midday.
3 stay up til 3-4 then bed get up go to work.
Personally #1 works for me, I go to bed around 8am get up around 1-2 and start my day.
I don't eat anything usually until dinner with the wife. But I have a lunch at work at 3:30 but I eat my lunch during my 1st break around 1am. As does most of the guys I work with. It's what ever works for you.

I did at one time use the blackout blinds but I found myself sleeping 9-10 hours so I just stop using them. Over some time you will find out what works for you. But once you get yourself a pattern stick to it.

Now for your off days this can be tricky: some people will stay up all day on their first off day and go to bed with the family but you are for ring yourself to be up well over 24 hours. Me myself I will go home and sleep for about 2-3 hours then get up and can do whatever I need to do. Once agai. Figure what works for you. Then for your second off day I get up early with my wife and do what ever needs to be done. Then when everyone goes to bed I will stay up till atleast 3 am before I go to bed and sleep till I wakeup. Do what needs done then get ready for work.
Some of the guys I work with say the might take a nap before they go to work each night but I have done this long enough that I don't take naps anymore. Once again it's what ever works for you.
The best advise I can give you is find what works for you. It will take you sometime to find your groove but it will come.

Welcome to the night life!!!


[attachment=o3047]

[Granny Bear]

Vampires!!! LOL

My husband and daughter use ear plugs. That's okay if you don't have kids at school during the day and the changes of you needing to wake up are low.

Daughter also uses a fan on low speed.

My husband was on 24/7 call for so many years, he can now sleep at the drop of a hat - anywhere in the world.

Good luck to you spirit100!!!!

Oh, and panther nation, I am SURE your wife is correct!
nicker:

[panther nation]

One of the things you may have to get use to in the summer is that neighbor who like to mow his lawn at 10am every Thursday. But like everything else you will adapt to it.

[Jarons]

My wife works 7p-7a. She gets home between 7:30-8:30 (she is a nurse). She goes to bed about 30 minutes after getting home and sleeps until 4:30-5:00.
Off days she sleeps until about 2:00-3:00. She seems to function fine with that sleeping schedule. A little on the grouchy side sometimes, but not unbearable.

[LWC]

A lot of people that I know nap a lot that work 3rd shift and crash hard on off days.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Ive worked them all.
I will say this, 2nd shift is worse than 3rd. When I was working second shift, I literally woke up at 11, came to work, when home around 10 and watch tv until I fell asleep. It was almost impossible to have a life.

As for third shift, I would go to work from 9 until 6:30 the next morning. When I got home, I took a shower and went straight to bed, and then would wake up around 1 or 2 and have time to do something before going back in.

Personally, Im glad ive been on first for years, I feel better, weight stays down, and everything just flows more smoothly. I honestly don't think I would do it again. As PT said, I was hateful as crap and never wanted to do much. Now I feel pretty good all the time. Our bodies just aren't made for that.

[Do-double-gg]

I am on 3rd shift at work right now lol. I love this shift, and I think after you do it for a few years you just get used to it. My advice is this. Hang something on any windows where you sleep so it is 100% dark. They say that your body can still tell between night and day but it works for me. I also sleep with a fan. I think the noise and the slight breeze is good. When you get home go straight to be bed because if you do stuff and get all riled up (even if right before you get off work you feel dead tired) something about it being daylight will give your body like a 2nd wind and you will be wide awake..........right up to time to go back to work lol.

[Westside]

My wife works 7p-7a. She gets home between 7:30-8:30 (she is a nurse). She goes to bed about 30 minutes after getting home and sleeps until 4:30-5:00.
Off days she sleeps until about 2:00-3:00. She seems to function fine with that sleeping schedule. A little on the grouchy side sometimes, but not unbearable.

nicker: Aren't all women.

[Granny Bear]

One of the things you may have to get use to in the summer is that neighbor who like to mow his lawn at 10am every Thursday. But like everything else you will adapt to it.

That's EXACTLY the reason that my husband used earplugs!! LOL

I am on 3rd shift at work right now lol. I love this shift, and I think after you do it for a few years you just get used to it. My advice is this. Hang something on any windows where you sleep so it is 100% dark. They say that your body can still tell between night and day but it works for me. I also sleep with a fan. I think the noise and the slight breeze is good. When you get home go straight to be bed because if you do stuff and get all riled up (even if right before you get off work you feel dead tired) something about it being daylight will give your body like a 2nd wind and you will be wide awake..........right up to time to go back to work lol.

Some (weird) folks are just cut out for 3rd shift. I call them vampires. My daughter is "chief" vampire!!

nicker: Aren't all women.

You're just asking for it, aren't you?

[Westside]

That's EXACTLY the reason that my husband used earplugs!! LOL




Some (weird) folks are just cut out for 3rd shift. I call them vampires. My daughter is "chief" vampire!!





You're just asking for it, aren't you?

Well Granny, I love being beat up by women. I especially like it when I don't have to pay for the experience.

[Granny Bear]

Scandalous!!!

You have just joint the perv group of this little group; right up there with Gut & Dusty!!

[Westside]

Scandalous!!!

You have just joint the perv group of this little group; right up there with Gut & Dusty!!

Thank you!

[RunItUpTheGut]

I don't know how some of you sleep with a fan on.
If I do that I wake up with a sore throat and stopped up nose.

Ive found the only way for me to be happy in life is to have central heat and air and the thermostat set on 67 year round lol. Call me picky, but its the perfect temp to go to bed with covers and all a fan does is blow hot air back on you. I despise fans.

[Westside]

I don't know how some of you sleep with a fan on.
If I do that I wake up with a sore throat and stopped up nose.

Ive found the only way for me to be happy in life is to have central heat and air and the thermostat set on 67 year round lol. Call me picky, but its the perfect temp to go to bed with covers and all a fan does is blow hot air back on you. I despise fans.

The colder the better for me. A few years ago we lost power during a snow storm. Temperatures dropped down to around zero for 3 night. My bedroom was on the other side of the house from our Buicke Stove. I slept like a baby. Any time I stay in a hotel I put the temperature on as low as it will go.

[panther nation]

I don't know how some of you sleep with a fan on.
If I do that I wake up with a sore throat and stopped up.

It's simple the fan blocks out the noise that goes on durning the day time hours. Unlike when you sleep at night there is a whole lot of diffenent types of noise during the daytime.

[Granny Bear]

I don't know how some of you sleep with a fan on.
If I do that I wake up with a sore throat and stopped up nose.

Ive found the only way for me to be happy in life is to have central heat and air and the thermostat set on 67 year round lol. Call me picky, but its the perfect temp to go to bed with covers and all a fan does is blow hot air back on you. I despise fans.

While I agree with you on the 67 degree range for being the comfort zone, the only thing you want to use the fan for is the consisstent noise. It don't need to blow ON you.......dumbass.

The colder the better for me. A few years ago we lost power during a snow storm. Temperatures dropped down to around zero for 3 night. My bedroom was on the other side of the house from our Buicke Stove. I slept like a baby. Any time I stay in a hotel I put the temperature on as low as it will go.

I love to leave the bedroom windows opened on the coldest nights; it's GREAT for sleeping.

It's simple the fan blocks out the noise that goes on durning the day time hours. Unlike when you sleep at night there is a whole lot of diffenent types of noise during the daytime.

Exactly!!!

[Granny Bear]

Gut, you and I are reminding me of Sheldon and Leslie Winkle.

ROFL

[TheRealVille]

I am back on days now, but spent a long time last year on nights, getting off at 4 am. I tried it all, having my "evening" when I got home, meaning a couple of beers, and food and tv. Didn't like that. Going straight to bed, get up have a cup of coffee and food, then in about an hour, a couple of beers, then sit and watch some tv until work time. I hated it all. I hate night shift. I felt 15 years older while on nights. But, my easiest time was going home, relaxing with a couple of beers and tv, for about an hour and a half, then bed. With that, I got up about 4 hours before I had to leave for work again. Good luck.

[Spirit100]

Great insights folks and thanks.

Slept 4.5 hours yesterday. And am up to 7 hours today. Making good progress!

:Thumbs:

[Granny Bear]

Sounds to me like all you need are a couple of beers and a fan!!

:lmao:

[TheRealVille]

I don't know how some of you sleep with a fan on.
If I do that I wake up with a sore throat and stopped up nose.

Ive found the only way for me to be happy in life is to have central heat and air and the thermostat set on 67 year round lol. Call me picky, but its the perfect temp to go to bed with covers and all a fan does is blow hot air back on you. I despise fans.

I hate having a fan on also. But where I'm work camping in Richmond right now, this trailer park is close to some kind of metal manufacturing facility, that is noisy all night. I also keep the bedroom central air on 66-67. The fan helps deaden their nose, while still letting me hear the alarm in the morning, although I usually beat the clock up. LOL, getting old, I guess.

[Granny Bear]

^^
Certainly a sign of getting old! I beat the clock every morning. Think it may have something to do with habit!!

[panther nation]

That's the one good thing about 3rd shift. You really don't need an alarm clock. I know I don't.

[Spirit100]

I'm enjoying the lack of traffic on the way in. On the way home, not so much. Enjoying the new friends I'm making and the no nonsense, grounded, practical approach towards what the position expectations are.

A lot less bs on third than the politics on 1st!

[panther nation]

I'm enjoying the lack of traffic on the way in. On the way home, not so much. Enjoying the new friends I'm making and the no nonsense, grounded, practical approach towards what the position expectations are.

A lot less bs on third than the politics on 1st!

That is the truth!!! That's one thing I really like about 3rd also, it's just more laid back!!

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
I usually watched tv for the majority of my shift when I worked 3rd. Id always have my work done within the first 4 hours and still have 4 to go.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Gut, you and I are reminding me of Sheldon and Leslie Winkle.

ROFL

Thank God Leonard started banging Penny instead.

[RunItUpTheGut]

I hate having a fan on also. But where I'm work camping in Richmond right now, this trailer park is close to some kind of metal manufacturing facility, that is noisy all night. I also keep the bedroom central air on 66-67. The fan helps deaden their nose, while still letting me hear the alarm in the morning, although I usually beat the clock up. LOL, getting old, I guess.

Fans kill me. Im what you call a deep deep sleeper though. Unless its actually time for me to wake up, like after 7 or 8 hours, I will not wake up unless someone physically shakes me. I have found alarm clock do nothing for me if im too tired. If I go to bed knowing I got to be at work in the next 4 or 5 hours, im usually screwed.

[TheRealVille]

Fans kill me. Im what you call a deep deep sleeper though. Unless its actually time for me to wake up, like after 7 or 8 hours, I will not wake up unless someone physically shakes me. I have found alarm clock do nothing for me if im too tired. If I go to bed knowing I got to be at work in the next 4 or 5 hours, im usually screwed.

Wait until 50, then you'll be up every hour peeing. :biggrin: