I’m interviewing for a night shift position in a couple days and I’ve always worked 8-4 or 9-5. I’m a little scared of the idea though! I’m worried about seeing my family less because my sleep schedule will be totally different than theirs.
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<span style="color:#323232;"> So, night shift workers of the world, what has your experience been like and how do you manage being present in your family life?
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I've been working a night shift for a few years now. Last 2 of which have been from at home. The social isolation is real. The only people you'll ever really get to hang out with outside of work, are the people you work with, since most of your normal-sleep-schedule-having friends aren't gonna be available when you are. There also won't be anywhere good to hang out at because everything's closed by the time you're off work.
Most of the world isn't designed for people with our schedule, unfortunately. Need to go to the post office for something? You're gonna have to either get up early or stay up late to do it. Need to do something that can really take up some time, like go to the DMV? You might need to schedule some time off, because that'll ruin your sleep schedule for a few days.
Being able to retain your sanity on this schedule really does require a bit of self-sufficience. You'll need to rely less on services that aren't available at night. You'll need to get comfortable with losing sleep to get important stuff done. It's tough, and while a lot of companies pay a differential to hourly employees on the night shift, it's rarely enough to justify the toll it takes on you if you don't have the right mindset for it.
I personally love working nights. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. In fact I am actively worse at things the earlier I wake up. Conversely my brain feels clearer and more active after 10pm.
That being said, my social life is almost entirely online. I rarely go out IRL. I sleep like a rock and only need about 6 hours anyway.
If you are someone who needs to talk to people, has trouble sleeping during the day, or requires a lot of sleep, the night shift is likely not for you.
Your concerns are valid, you absolutely will see your family less. If you’re not okay with that, that’s okay! Also keep in mind that the world is not on a night shift. It’s significantly harder to sleep normal hours when everything is going on the regular day schedule. That might not matter where you are but where I live that means more noise, more sirens, more people coming and going and keeping me awake. I’m a naturally light sleeper so when I had to work nights I had to go an extra mile or two. Blackout curtains are essential, and you may want to shove a towel under the door if the sun angle is unfavorable and shines it there. I also needed a facemask and ear plugs until I discovered I preferred a nice white noise maker. I still sleep with a white noise machine to this day, love it.
There are good things to night shift too. Less bullshit all around generally. Depending on what you’re doing that can be good or bad. It can be mind numbingly boring if you don’t have a set amount of work to do.
I worked graveyard shifts at a gas station for a year or two. My general experience beyond what other people have said–good commute, fucking with your social life, taking its toll on your body, all that–is that working graveyard shifts is lonely. I cannot understate how lonely it got; there were stretches of multiple hours where there were no customers at all, and it was just me and the long list of nightly chores I had to do (mopping floors, prepping food for breakfast rush, restocking shelves, etc., etc.). Not having any human contact at all fucks with your head something fierce, especially when you mix in sleep deprivation and your body rebelling against the normal sleep rhythm into the mix.
My advise is that if you’re going to be working night shift all alone, get into podcasts. Having a radio that I could use to listen to NPR was the main thing that kept me sane, because I could at least have a human voice to listen to and keep my mind somewhat engaged.
I worked nights for fifteen straight years and honestly, it isn’t all bad… Provided you get the sleep sorted. The amount of people who rolled up thinking they could survive on 4 hours of sleep a day was pretty disturbing.
I did 4 years of nights. The real trick is being able to sleep during the day. So whatever ear plugs, face mask, blackout curtains you need, make sure they work for you. I generally would work up to it staying up until 2 AM, then 5 AM, then going to work. I believe that most people found that they had more time with their family because instead of being at work 8-12 hours during the day, they were only sleeping 6-7, and were home when their kids were getting up, going to school, coming home, etc.
I loved being able to sleep in, do what I felt like doing during the day, and then going to work. I also enjoyed being alone at night.
It was hard on my body, though. I don’t think my brain ever fully adjusted, because on the weekends it was like my body tried to switch me back to a normal schedule (because I was hanging out with family and friends), and I had to re-adjust on Monday. It also doesn’t really work with dating. And I wanted to kill the landscaping people who would trim the hedges at my apartment complex at 10am.
I did it for seven years. I recommend earplugs and a white noise machine when you sleep. Stick to a strict sleep schedule. Take lots of Vitamin D when you wake up. I was taking 5000 IUs a day when I was on overnights, it helped immensely.
Look up "night shift belly." I did night audit at a hotel for a year and a half. By the end, I could only really stomach eating the kale salad from Whole Foods and not much else.
It also wrecked my social life and when I got sick, I got really sick, so I think my immune system was out of whack in general.
Like others have said, the commute is a dream. The shift itself is quiet with plenty of time to have deep conversations with any coworkers you may have, read, listen to podcasts, etc. It's like living in a different world.
I say give it a try, but listen to your body and find something else soon if your health is affected.
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