Working night shift?

Frozen300
Frozen300 Posts: 223 Member
in Motivation and Support
For six months I was on a great run, diet/exercise routine was perfect. Now for the past month, I've been working the midnight to 8am shift and its completely ruined me. Snacking during the night, lethargic in the afternoon, poor sleep....I've gained 10lbs in the past month! I got this night shift for the next 5 months!

Anyone else struggling with the night shift? Any tips or tricks?

Replies

  • Frozen300
    Frozen300 Posts: 223 Member
    Bump! Maybe there is someone awake right now!
  • bigcle82
    bigcle82 Posts: 134 Member
    I work 10p-830a. I'm actually a night owl. I continue to make sure that I'm drinking plenty of water. I keep the veggies, fruit and yogurt on hand. I get an hour lunch so my first 30mins is in the fitness center working out. If you can find time to get some excercise in throughout the night and keep your snacks and lunch healthy. Maybe that can help. Hope this helps some.
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    I work completely alone so I get no breaks -_-
  • bigcle82
    bigcle82 Posts: 134 Member
    sorry to hear that.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    11pm-7am for 3+ years. I make sleep my #1 priority. I tried broken up sleep chunks of sleep and found it doesn't work for me. Typical day for me:
    Wake up 10:30pm
    Go to work 11pm-7am I eat my 1st meal of the day here. I don't have a set time, it's just when I can
    Get off work and hit the gym 8am-10am
    Shower change, go do errands, shopping, 10am-2pm I also fit in my 2nd meal at this point.
    3pm In bed and asleep for the following work night. There are days I will only have time for 1 meal so I will eat all of my calories in 1 sitting. I do this especially on days I know I will be super busy and I don't want to cut into my sleep.
    I go to the gym 4-5x a week and I also make it a point to walk at least 30 mins everyday. Drink tons of water and plenty of sleep!
  • timberowl
    timberowl Posts: 331 Member
    I've worked 11pm - 9am since October 2011. I feel your pain; you have to eat to give yourself energy, because you're not getting it from sleep like you would sleeping a full 8 hours at night.

    All I can say is stock up on 5 hr energy and wear yourself the hell out as soon as you get home so you can sleep.

    My usual routine:

    Come home @ 9. Go directly to bed. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to bed. Sleep as long as my body allows. If that's only 2 hours so be it.

    As soon as I wake up naturally, force my @$$ up, no matter how tired/groggy I am. Make myself work out--usually a nice long run.

    Get my hygiene done, then run all my errands for the day.

    As soon as the sun starts setting (yay darkness!!!) I lay down for a nice nap until I have to get up and go to work. I usually sleep a good 2-4 hours during this time.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    tl;dr: pre-packing and pre-logging food, and working out either immediately after getting home from work or immediately after waking up in the evening have worked fairly well for me.



    I work split shifts, so work 12 hour daytime shifts on weekends, and 8 hour overnight shifts midweek (t minus 90 minutes until I am done for the night!) and my schedule has definitely made getting fit more complicated.

    The main thing that I have found handy is to pre-pack my meals to take to work and, most importantly, to pre-log them. I have found that if I pre-log food, I am less likely to get off track with my eating, because then I know exactly how much damage I will be doing by eating that candy bar from the vending machine, or those Little Debbie snack cakes that are currently in the break room. I usually bring one meal's worth of food and at least one snack. I try to bring food that is high in protein, since that helps keep me full.

    In terms of exercise, I am fortunate in that I have an elliptical and a barbell set and bench at home, and have access to a treadmill at work that I can use when there is downtime. I also sometimes go to the gym immediately after getting off work in the morning, when all the day shift people are getting in their pre-work exercise. The major problem is that it is difficult to attend classes at the gym, since none of the classes are early enough for me to attend right after getting off work, nor are there any classes later in the evening. The classes I prefer tend to be scheduled at 11:30am and 5:30pm, both of which are in my prime sleeping hours. I basically just suck it up and either stay up really late to attend the 11:30am class, like I will be doing today (yay bodypump) or suck it up and get up really early to attend the 5:30pm classes.

    If I don't go to the gym, I try to get in a workout either immediately after work when I get home (I have to change directly into my workout clothes when I get home, and NOT sit down on the couch or start doing anything else, because then the battle is lost and the workout does not happen) or when I first wake up in the evening. I used to hate working out right after waking up, but now I really enjoy it and I feel like it helps me keep my day on track. It also helps me wake up quickly, which I often need because of my weird schedule. If you have access to a gym that is open late, that might work for you, or if you can exercise at home. I know that can be complicated if you live with people who are on a day shift schedule, and it can be dangerous to run outside late in the evening, but there are probably some options that will work for you!

    Good luck to you!
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
    I do a rotating shift which normally means a 12 hour night shift once a week. For me, the important things are to;

    Eat your meals according to your sleep cycle. Breakfast when you get up, dinner before bed- regardless of the time
    Plan and prepare- have pre cooked chicken, cut vegetables, portioned nuts etc pre packed in the fridge for work
    Keep busy/distracted so you aren't boredom eating
    Make room for your workout before your shift starts
    Get enough sleep. Put dark sheets over your windows and invest in some ear plugs if need be
  • Frozen300
    Frozen300 Posts: 223 Member
    OK, I'll do better with the preplanned meals and it is a good idea to add them in my calorie count in advance. The gym is still going to be a trick, but I think I'm going to try as soon as I wake up, maybe set my alarm for 2:30 and be at the gym by 3. Thanks!

    Let's try to keep the thread alive, nightshift employees have unique problems.
  • apittmanrn
    apittmanrn Posts: 200 Member
    I'm an ER nurse, I work 7p-7a. The last time I lost 80 lbs, I lost it on nights. Now losing consistently, on nights again.
    My schedule:
    Home by 8am, play with dog, bed by 9.
    Sleep till 4pm (Hopefully)
    Get my workout done by 5.
    Food prep, shower, and dress to leave the house at 6.

    Somedays, I just throw something in the oven and let it cook while I'm working out. Sometimes its a flat bread pizza or tuna. The hardest part is the exercising. Hell, it took me 4 months to start working out.
  • FittyFitFitFit
    FittyFitFitFit Posts: 25
    Yes indeed I feel your pain - I do 12 hour shifts rotating days and nights. Thankfully I have four days off in between so I can spend time cooking and working out then The pre-preparing meals works for me. I do workout dvds at home before I go to work and then get longer/more intense training in on my days off.

    Planning and staying focused on what I need to do to keep fit and healthy is key for me. Although I will admit to gaining about 7 pounds in 6 months because seemingly no matter how hard I try I can't resist eating sugary stuff on the last shift - not to mention the fantastic urge to get hideously drunk at the end of my "working week"!:drinker:
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    Although I will admit to gaining about 7 pounds in 6 months because seemingly no matter how hard I try I can't resist eating sugary stuff on the last shift - not to mention the fantastic urge to get hideously drunk at the end of my "working week"!:drinker:

    Oh man, I can relate to this!! I have Mondays and Fridays off, but get off work at 7am on Thursdays (t minus 30 minutes now....!!) and the temptation to go boozing as soon as I get off work Thursday mornings is dire. Fortunately (unfortunately?) I have no one around who wants to drink with me before they go to work :sad:
  • FittyFitFitFit
    FittyFitFitFit Posts: 25
    Although I will admit to gaining about 7 pounds in 6 months because seemingly no matter how hard I try I can't resist eating sugary stuff on the last shift - not to mention the fantastic urge to get hideously drunk at the end of my "working week"!:drinker:

    Oh man, I can relate to this!! I have Mondays and Fridays off, but get off work at 7am on Thursdays (t minus 30 minutes now....!!) and the temptation to go boozing as soon as I get off work Thursday mornings is dire. Fortunately (unfortunately?) I have no one around who wants to drink with me before they go to work :sad:

    Ha, yup, that was me this morning. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) no booze shops are open at 7 am where I live... *sigh*... suppose one should really just go to sleep at that point... or pre-plan and make sure liquor is pre-purchased. :wink: Oops, sorry, we're supposed to be discussing HEALTHY lifestyle tips for shift-workers!
  • workaholic_nurse
    workaholic_nurse Posts: 727 Member
    My weekly schedule is as follows:
    Mon morning - Thurs day shift: I work out before work, and carry on my normal schedule.-day shifts
    Thur afternoon/NOC-Mon morning I eat my meals according to what time of day it is(i.e. Breakfast @ 7:30am Lunch 5:30 pm Dinner 11:30pm) always asleep by 10am, try to sleep until alarm goes off @ 5pm, Run when I get up. lunch cooks while I shower, snack foods are already on-site(homecare). At work by 7pm, 12hours later repeat.

    Thursdays day-NOC and Sunday NOC-days are usually 26-28 hours by the time I get to sleep. been following this routine since I started MFP, and have been working this schedule since 10/2011.
  • Vyshness8699
    Vyshness8699 Posts: 390 Member
    Yep working nights is super hard especially on your off days you have to adjust to being back on normal schedule .. I work 7:30p- 8am ( most of the time I'm always leaving 1/2 to an hr later ) I'm a nurse so just because my hours are 7:30-8 doesn't mean I will be leaving on time...

    My schedule on a GR8 day lol
    Reach home around 8:35-8:40am
    Shower And be in bed at 9am
    Wake up -4:45-5pm
    Excerise-.5-5:45 pm ( the max 6pm)
    6pm -6:50pm - shower, eat dinner , pack food for work , leave for work)

    I bring alot of heathy snacks and 1 meal which is breakfast ( usually a bowl of fruit , yogurt and flax seed muffin)
    Snacks
    Carrots with hummus
    Lara bars
    Pop chips
    Mixed nuts
    But that doesn't mean I dnt get tempted with the candy the unit secretary brings everyday sometimes I can't resist and I keep eating it grrrr or when the other nurses order takeout Chinese , pizza pretty much the same thing every week since I'm trying to lose weight I try my hardest to not give into temptation ... I was able to lose 5lbs since starting night shift a year ago but I'm up 3 lbs and I'm stuck. ....
  • brencklea
    brencklea Posts: 7 Member
    I'm an ER nurse, I work 7p-7a. The last time I lost 80 lbs, I lost it on nights. Now losing consistently, on nights again.
    My schedule:
    Home by 8am, play with dog, bed by 9.
    Sleep till 4pm (Hopefully)
    Get my workout done by 5.
    Food prep, shower, and dress to leave the house at 6.

    Somedays, I just throw something in the oven and let it cook while I'm working out. Sometimes its a flat bread pizza or tuna. The hardest part is the exercising. Hell, it took me 4 months to start working out.

    That's me...ER nurse here too and I just switched to nights. Really having a hard time adjusting and the switch is wearing on my body. Tired all the time even when I'm not at work. My schedule is nearly the same except I pick up kids at 3:30. Working on my 0430 M&M habit now.
  • robdel302
    robdel302 Posts: 292 Member
    Working 8 hour nights as well but I'm deployment to the Middle East so I rarely get a day off. I also get a 12 hour shift thrown in every now and then like tonight. I usually work from 2300-0700 so I try to plan eating and training around that. I "try" to go straight to sleep when I get off work so I can get up and go straight to the gym. Drink/eat a mix if slow/fast burning carbs and protein, wait about 30 minutes to an hour and go train. By the time I finish, I have maybe 45 minutes to get cleaned up, eat a quick post workout meal and run to work. I eat another small meal at 1230am, 0400, and something really small at maybe 0600, casein protein before bed.

    The key here is to manage your food intake because the human body naturally burns less calories at night, regardless of your shift and training regimen. Hope this helps.

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