Our candidates often talk to us about the struggles of flipping between day shifts and night shifts. As neonatal nurse practitioners, you will more than likely be asked to rotate your schedule.
There’s no nice way to say this: rotating from day to night has the potential to wreak havoc with your internal biological clock.
It may shake up your circadian rhythm and bring about body and brain burnout. Over time, it’s possible to become sleep-deprived, confused and emotional; you may find yourself easily prone to making mistakes, getting into accidents and, even, experiencing hallucinations! On top of that, these odd hours may adversely impact your relationships with family and friends.
Nevertheless, swing shifts aren’t unusual in the workforce. Flight attendants, firefighters, and restaurant workers are all known to juggle day and night shifts. And somehow, they manage.
So, how do they do it?
As it turns out, there are strategies you can use to improve your sleep and prepare your body for the change in cycles. Here are a few that can help you stay on schedule and keep yourself healthy.
1. Strategize with your manager
Ask your manager to see the shift rotations ahead of time; this way, you will be better mentally prepared and can begin planning your sleep schedule. Also ask if you can have as many of your day shifts clustered sequentially and same for your night shifts. And, definitely, try to get at least two days off in between flipped shifts.
2. Develop a military-like discipline with your schedule
Give your body a three-day warning
Since you aren’t able to keep a regular sleep schedule, you need to prepare your body for each schedule change. For example, let’s say you’re working night shifts this week, but next week you’ll be working days. Three days before your shift change, delay both the time you go to bed and the time you wake up by one hour. Do the same the next night, but now extend the delays by two hours at each end. Add another hour at each end on the third night, so that you gradually ease your body into the upcoming switch.
Sleeping on your days off
There may be some weeks when you will have the same shift hours in a row (all days or all nights). For times like these, keep to the same sleep schedule. This will train your body to understand when you need to be alert and when you need to sleep.
Fortunately, this is more the exception than the rule. Typically managers will schedule a few weeks of nights and then a few weeks of days, giving you more control and time to recover.
3. Get a little weird with “sleep props”
Prepare your room
Again, getting the proper amount and type of sleep will be your number one concern with a fluctuating schedule. So use anything that will help you fall to sleep, quickly and easily. Many NNPs like to “blackout” their bedrooms with light-blocking blinds.
Strangely enough, placing tin foil on your windows can also be an effective way to achieve total darkness. A “white noise” machine — or even just a fan—can help muffle any unpredictable noises from outside or inside the house. Earplugs are also handy. And last, but not least, make sure to turn off your phone before going to bed. Or, if you rely on your phone as an alarm, use something like this to use your alarm but prevent calls, texts, and harmful radiation from coming through while you’re sleeping
Sleep aids and stimulants
Night shift workers sometimes rely on sleeping pills to help them fall asleep during the day. But pills should not be seen as a long-term answer for getting to sleep. They become less effective when used for long durations, plus can actually deprive you of rapid eye movement (R.E.M.), which provides the deep, restorative sleep essential to a rested mind and body.
On the flip side, stimulants can temporarily increase alertness when you’re working on a night shift. The most common stimulant used is caffeine. As a practitioner, you know that whether you rely on coffee, prescribed or OTC stimulants, too much of a good thing can backfire on you. As they say, “everything in moderation.”
Napping
Naps are great. If you can take a nap during, or right before work, you’ll feel more productive and alert for the rest of your shift. Remember to budget time after you awake, to shake off that groggy feeling before resuming your duties.
Light therapy
Artificial bright light can affect the body clock in the same way that sunlight does. Light therapy is used to expose your eyes to intense but safe amounts of light. Exposure to this bright light helps to adjust your circadian rhythm and may help you adjust your sleeping patterns to better match your shift hours.
Schedule doses of outdoor time
Once you wake up, get outside. Take a walk and sit in the sun. The fresh air and sunlight will cue your biological clock that it’s time to be alert.
4. Train your family
Make sleep a family effort
Post a work calendar on the refrigerator and include the hours you will need to be sleeping, undisturbed. Discuss your sleep needs with your kids and ask them to help you by being mindful of their noise levels while you are at rest. Ask that they not enter your room unless it’s an emergency. And, be sure to specify precisely what qualifies and does not qualify as an emergency.
Get your partner on board
Shift work is tough on the entire family. Make sure your partner knows how it will affect your shared parental responsibilities and household tasks prior to accepting a rotating work schedule.
Outsource
Ask friends and nearby family members to help with daytime childcare and household tasks. Schedule home repairs and deliveries outside of your rotating work and sleep hours.
5. Eat well
Try to maintain normal meal times
Regular mealtimes are important for your body. They serve as time cues for your body clock. These cues help your body know when to make you sleepy. Many shift workers eat poorly and at odd times. Try to eat three regular meals, evenly spaced throughout your day.
Avoid alcohol
While alcohol may seem to relax you and help you fall asleep, it can actually disrupt your sleep later in the night. As a result, you get less sleep and less sleep that’s restorative.
6. Uber as-needed
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 28% of all drowsy drivers in the United States have admitted to falling asleep while driving. And, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving has been linked to 1,550 deaths per year . So, play it safe with your new sleeping patterns: take the bus, hire a cab, have someone pick you up after your shift ends.
7. Make time for laughter & love
Shift work stresses the body big time. It puts your health at risk and denies you time with your family and friends. Even if you need extra money, think twice before taking on overtime and extra shifts, especially if they interfere with outside activities, like meeting a friend for lunch, or taking a proper vacation. Self-care is worth far more than the added income.
Some researchers think that it may take as long as three years to adjust to a shift work schedule. Others believe that you will never fully adjust to an unusual sleep/wake pattern. Even if this is the case, you can make the best of a bad situation and find a better way to sleep. For more information about flipping shifts, talk to your health administrator or contact your trusted recruitment partners.
Do you have questions or swing shift tips of your own? Share them in the comments section below!
