Night shift

[KK005]

Need some advice.

I've recently started a new job where I work 3 nights on 1 off 3 on then 7 off.

I'll be honest I took the job so I could have every other week off and also for the huge pay rise.

What I'm struggling with is getting off night shift mode. So on my middle day off I tend to come home sleep for a couple hours then get on with my day (helps this falls on a Sunday so can have plans). That night I go to bed as normal 10/11 and sleep through until about lunch the next day which works for my next run of nights.

My problem lies on my week off, I struggle to get back into a normal daytime routine and find myself sleeping in until lunch and not being able to sleep at night (vicious circle I know).
I have tried only having a couple hrs sleep when I finish then an early night. The first night seems to go ok then I'm back to insomnia and then sleeping most of the day away again. I even tried setting an alarm which I just turned off and went back to sleep (assume this is the case as I don't even remember it going off). The only thing that seems to get me up and out is having plans which isn't always going to work.
I do try to work out as often as possible and get out with the dog etc but nothing seems to be working, I've even cut back on caffeine intake etc.

does anyone have any tips to help? I really don't want to resort to sleeping pills or changing my life to being awake at night and asleep through the day.

If I can't resolve this then I'm thinking I may have to give up the job and find something else.

Just give it time , I'm the same currently nearly finishing a 12 hour night shift.think of the money and more free time ...that's what I do haha.you will get use to it . I have to go food shopping soon after work but I'm so tired I really cba if I'm being honest haha.

That's what made me take the job but I now feel that all the spare time I have I'm just sleeping it away.

Both my husband and I worked nights for decades. The best answer we both found was to just stick to nights shift sleeping pattern even when on days off and holidays. Nights play havoc with your body, mind and lifestyle. Very few people can flip between day shift and night shift at will and for extended times.

This is what I'm worried about and that I'll end up extremely lonely

It’s easier than you think to socialise as you will be more alert if you stick to your normal night shift wake/sleep pattern. Whether you do day or night shifts loneliness is going to happen if you don’t get out and try things. Potential new friends will never knock on your door, you have to go out and find them.
The difficult part of night shifts was making daytime appointments and quality sleep. The former need to be either very early, or late in the day and for quality sleep, you need to be ruthlessly protective of your sleep schedule, peace and blackout blinds and curtains. Family and friends, unless they’ve done nights, never understand you do need to sleep during daylight hours.

If you find you can get into a pattern of not getting up till midday and then just staying up later till 3 am (or whenever) on your days off, which is what I took from your first post, I would've thought that was fine.

In the middle of the winter it's quite reasonable to be sleeping in and most other people are going to be at work so you aren't going to be doing much socialising between 9 am and midday why not go with that pattern? You can still go out every evening and socialise during your week off, and still do things in the afternoons.

I'm a bit of a night owl so I think that would work okay for me! I'd love to have a good justification for staying in bed all morning… But I certainly couldn't start flipping between dayshift and nightshift on on a weekly basis, and there is a lot of a research that finds that really isn't good for you and your circadian rhythms so perhaps accepting not getting up until midday with the plan of immediately getting out for a walk and being in the Sun(or what passes for sun at the moment!) and so in those hours of daylight you are definitely outside for a good chunk of it is best plan?

it will be much easier in the summer when it is lighter so much later (but you will need blackout blinds)