This is slightly lighthearted and a bit of a whinge about it from a tired and grumpy arse at the moment. I'm interested to see if others experience this or if it's just those in my life that are ignorant!
I am feeling that despite knowing you have been awake all night, working a 10 hour shift, people still want to contact you over everything and anything, or even if they don't know, they call and you tell them, they plough on anyway, regardless of being told they've just woken you up.
I have just been shocked out of sleep by the dogs barking at the door, and it sounding like someone trying to bang it down. Throw on some shorts to under t-shirt I sleep in and stumble downstairs expecting to see a police officer or similar to find a charity worker. Explained that I have been night shift and this is not the time for me, and she just breezily replies that she won't take a minute of my time. Fair enough she didn't know before she knocked, but I basically had to say no, twice and shut the door in her face to get away! I have been asleep an hour.....and now I am wide awake because of the Adrenalin and because I am annoyed!
Do any other night workers feel like this? I work permanent nights and find people just don't seem to think you need to sleep at all! I'm not talking about the everyday noises that go with daytime life, they are to be expected and all part of working nights, and you can't expect the world to shut up because you're in bed. I have learned to sleep through most anything that you'd expect from a community during the day, sunny weekends can be more challenging, with lawnmowers and children playing, garden parties etc but it's all part of it. Windows closed and a good fan do the trick there.
It's the people that know I work nights, that I have been at work, and still insist on trying to get in touch with me during the day, and whinge when they can't!
Some of the reasons I have been woken for by people who know recently are -
School - clarify a small point that really could have waited, and been emailed, it didn't need an immediate answer. (DD told them I was nights) and teacher was audibly frustrated as I couldn't immediately answer the query because my brain wasn't at it's best having been shocked out of sleep.
Work (!!!!) - Do you know where X is, we can't find it. Again, not an essential item, could have sent a text asking me to ring when I got up.
Friends - can I borrow...? Do you have...? Are you coming on...?
Because of this I set up a do not disturb on my phone for certain numbers, and have had some stroppy texts and emails when I can't be contacted!
All these people are aware when I work, which nights, but the standard answer from them is "we thought you'd be up by now" or "you can go back to sleep" - why do they think it's acceptable though?! My days/nights are completely reversed, and when I get pissed off about a call at 2pm, that's not urgent, and suggest I call them at 2am to have the same conversation, suddenly that's not on!
WIBU to start doing it anyway? You know, because they can go back to sleep right?
There also seems to be an attitude that you should be up and about by 2.30/3pm anyway, I don't go to bed until 10ish after I have sorted dogs and horses, and usually get up about 5.30/6pm to eat and get ready. But I have actually been called lazy by colleagues because I 'sleep all day' - I don't call them lazy for sleeping all night!