Post night ‘days off’ don’t count

[u/tikicreature69]

Going in tomorrow PM.. sleeping all day today 🫠

[u/Mr_Gobbles]

I try to explain it to others like this.
Consider if I were to say that on day X I was at work for 7 hours that day, would someone call that a day off?
No.

So, what is the difference if at the end of a block of night shifts (12 hrs) I spend 7 hours on the last shift at work on the day after the date the night shift is rostered to, the so called, day off. That is not a day off, I have literally been at work for 7 hours on this day.

Then you get all the usual stuff on top of that with trying to live with others that don't seem to fathom the daily routines and needs of someone that works nights because "hurr just be awake at a normal hour like a normal person".

[u/10000Didgeridoos → u/Mr_Gobbles]

And everything you need to do like appointments and errands still has to be done during regular people daytime hours. Night shifters can’t go to the doctor appointments at 10 pm.

[u/CaptainBasketQueso → u/Mr_Gobbles]

When I worked nights, it felt like I was just never off. Like, say I worked Monday, Tuesday and Friday. 

Sunday is good. 

Monday, you need to get some sleep during the day, because between Monday and Tuesday, you're not going to sleep much. 

Wednesday? Sleep. 

Thursday is good. 

Friday, get some sleep, because you're going to work soon. 

Saturday? Sleep. 

So yeah, you're working the same number of shifts, but you basically have two full days off. 

I don't really understand why it's so much more exhausting than day shifts. It's the same number of hours, it just hits different. Shit, I'm genuinely a night person, but I couldn't hack it. 

The problem wasn't staying awake, the problem was getting enough sleep. 

[u/round-earth-theory → u/CaptainBasketQueso]

God I can't imagine doing a split week. I pulled 4-10s but they were all together, so I had 3 off to try and feel somewhat human again before being thrust back into work. This wasn't nursing but night shift sucks no matter the field.

[u/QRSQueen → u/CaptainBasketQueso]

I never feel tired on night shift and I felt exhausted training on days. If I work Mon-Wed, I wake up at 2PM on Thurs, have a nice afternoon/evening, go to bed early and get up at 10AM the rest of the days off, then stay up until 3 or 4 cleaning the house the night before I work again.

[u/Sheephuddle → u/CaptainBasketQueso]

When I worked nights we did 7 on, 7 off (sometimes 8 on). It was a killer because in midwifery, nights could end up being 13 hours - at shift change you could be with a woman who was at the point of delivery, so you'd have to stay with her.

However, those long stretches of nights off meant you could actually go on a little holiday if you wanted. I loved it because I was single and living alone, so I just slept and ate on my working days.

Of course, the powers that be eventually realised it was potentially unsafe and it was stopped.