Please help me Escapists

[Quiet Stranger]

So I've just started on night shift and I don't know how to keep my sanity, on my first shift I had thoughts of suicide, how do you stay awake during it? I can stay awake but I'm so bloody tired, what's a good sleeping routine? My shifts are from 10 to 6 in the morning. Any tips you can give me would help a lot.

Is water just as good as energy drinks in keeping you awake? It's what my mom says

 

[Quiet Stranger]

What is it you work with first of all?

Shelf stocking at my local grocery store, the hours feel like they drag on.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I work a lot of nights and have never really a lot of issue with it.. but then I've always been a night person.

Try to keep busy as much as possible. Obviously, do your job too but even if the only thing you can do is get up and walk around then do it. Assuming you're inside, get outside every once in a while to get that cool night air. It can really help if you're having trouble.

Water is great, as is eating. Obviously, don't scarf candy all night but keep snacks handy. Carrot/celery sticks, grapes, etc. Anything that's easy to munch on and will give you a shot of energy.

Another great use for (cold) water is to put some on the back of your neck or on your forehead. It's more of a shock to the system than anything else and won't really help you stay awake and alert, but if you know you're crashing and need to do something fast, it works wonders.

Sleeping during the days can be rough but it's really a pattern. Deciding whether to sleep as soon as you get home or to wait a bit and get better rested right before your next shift is up to you, but developing a regular routine is a good thing. Make sure where you're sleeping is as quiet and dark as possible (I know it's not always easy during the day, especially if you don't live alone) and just keep at it. Eventually your body will adjust itself, even if it takes a few days of almost no sleep for it to get the message.

Hope some of that helps.

 

[Solon_Mega]

Just a question. What does deprivation of sleep has to do with thoughs of suicide?

People seem to be worrying about the sleep part, but the suicide one is actualy kinda scary.

 

[Marik2]

Just a question. What does deprivation of sleep has to do with thoughs of suicide?

People seem to be worrying about the sleep part, but the suicide one is actualy kinda scary.

Yeah I would like to know that as well

 

[Urgh76]

Save your Tinderboxes and oil and avoid staring at the Gatherers

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I work a lot of nights and have never really a lot of issue with it.. but then I've always been a night person.

Try to keep busy as much as possible. Obviously, do your job too but even if the only thing you can do is get up and walk around then do it. Assuming you're inside, get outside every once in a while to get that cool night air. It can really help if you're having trouble.

Water is great, as is eating. Obviously, don't scarf candy all night but keep snacks handy. Carrot/celery sticks, grapes, etc. Anything that's easy to munch on and will give you a shot of energy.

Another great use for (cold) water is to put some on the back of your neck or on your forehead. It's more of a shock to the system than anything else and won't really help you stay awake and alert, but if you know you're crashing and need to do something fast, it works wonders.

Sleeping during the days can be rough but it's really a pattern. Deciding whether to sleep as soon as you get home or to wait a bit and get better rested right before your next shift is up to you, but developing a regular routine is a good thing. Make sure where you're sleeping is as quiet and dark as possible (I know it's not always easy during the day, especially if you don't live alone) and just keep at it. Eventually your body will adjust itself, even if it takes a few days of almost no sleep for it to get the message.

Hope some of that helps.

I've heard it also helps to listen to music softly or have the TV on low and trying to sleep in the day, is this true? I know I always put on soft ambient music when I go to bed before I got the job.

 

[Stammer]

Well, yeah, drink lots of water. I find it helps me wake up when I want to wake up and fall asleep when I want to fall asleep, and never the other way around. Seriously, my first few sips of water in the morning wake me up 10x more than my first cup of coffee.

Other than that, get yourself an MP3 player of some kind and listen to a whole bunch of songs. Don't just put your favourite songs on though. You want to keep variety in your music otherwise you'll just get tired of listening to the same like 10 songs over and over again. Alternatively, you could get yourself some kind of portable radio. They have those, right?

 

[Kpt._Rob]

It might be that a normal sleep schedule won't work for you anymore. You could look into alternate sleep schedules like polyphasic sleeping, and to help adjust to your new schedule you can use melatonin. Exercising will help you a lot. Even if you just exercise 15-30 minutes a day you'll be surprised how much energy it'll give you, eating healthy will help too. If you have breaks at work you could actually use them to exercise, take a jog around the parking lot or something. When you start exercising a lot then you start to feel super pumped after you finish exercising, so it'll actually help a lot for keeping energized and staying awake.

Caffeine and other energy supplements can be very helpful short term tools, but they tend to build tolerance and can even be legitimately addictive (especially if you're drinking energy drinks like NOS or something). Use them at first if they help, but don't let them become a crutch.

Anyways, best of luck at your new job, I'm sure you'll figure out how to manage with it.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Just a question. What does deprivation of sleep has to do with thoughs of suicide?

People seem to be worrying about the sleep part, but the suicide one is actualy kinda scary.

I don't know, I think I might have random spots of depression, in the first couple of hours I was thinking it was hopeless and that I'd never keep the job because I was so tired and not use to being up so late, I don't know why thoughts like that would enter my head but they did and when I got into my bed after wards, well I cried my eyes out, again, no idea why, but I just did.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Your first concern is that it's your first day.

First day on the night shift is always the worst day on the night shift. Don't think that you're actually suicidal just because of the first day.

 

[floppylobster]

Sleep is good for keeping you awake. Energy drinks will lead to depression and thoughts of suicide. It's not worth putting your body and brain through the stress of dealing with energy drinks for a job you don't care about. If you'e working from 10pm. Wake up around 2pm at 4pm. Try to go to sleep when you get home.

 

[Solon_Mega]

Just a question. What does deprivation of sleep has to do with thoughs of suicide?

People seem to be worrying about the sleep part, but the suicide one is actualy kinda scary.

I don't know, I think I might have random spots of depression, in the first couple of hours I was thinking it was hopeless and that I'd never keep the job because I was so tired and not use to being up so late, I don't know why thoughts like that would enter my head but they did and when I got into my bed after wards, well I cried my eyes out, again, no idea why, but I just did.

Such thoughs are probably not born from your lack of sleep, but most probably from a lack of self confidence.

You can mantain the job if you want. Want to know how I know? Becouse every person has the power to do what he wants. Learn that the confidence does not come from having power, but instead power comes from having confidence.

Don't know if its gibberish to you, but its what I learned from life. It served me well.

edit: english. harder than it looks.

 

[liveslowdiefast]

stay away from creepers, thats all i can say.

 

[velcrokidneyz]

ive done that job, man up its not that bad.

 

[BENZOOKA]

I've done a lot of night shifts, usually 12 hours. Sometimes even had a week starting with 17h at day, both shifts for 22hrs, and then 14hr night shifts for the next nine days.

You just have to control your sleeping rhythm. Caffeine is good help at that. Also, if you're having suicidal thoughts on your first work shift, you might have to solve some other issues first.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I don't know if this is from nerves or what but my stomach hurts. I don't know if it's from not getting something to eat (so hunger pains) or I'm gonna puke, I'm actually afraid to eat just in case i will puke

 

[2xDouble]

Just a question. What does deprivation of sleep has to do with thoughs of suicide?

People seem to be worrying about the sleep part, but the suicide one is actualy kinda scary.

Sleep deprivation can cause thoughts of suicide. Remove one and the other disappears.

OT: I've worked night shifts before, they're not so bad. Music helps. Having someone else to talk to helps. Being able to sleep during the day is a big one. No, water does NOT work as well as an energy drink, but sports drinks are good, as is remembering to eat a meal during any "lunch" break you may get.

Most importantly: keep busy. If you're still in school, use the dead space time to work on your homework. Try to make the aisles as straight and pretty as you can, that's always a bit of a challenge. Exercise, clean, bring an iPod or something if you have one (with permission from your boss of course). You'd be amazed how amusing you can make a duster or broom.

If you absolutely must go mad (as we all do from time to time), I suggest destroying boxes in as fun and creative a manner as possible (the shipping boxes, not the boxed product). I made a game out of seeing how flat I could stomp a bleach bottle box in a single strike, without getting it stuck on my foot (it's not as easy as you think).

Believe it or not, you do get used to it. Just be sure to maintain a healthy diet and seriously, get some sleep. Deprivation will kill you.