Anyone work night shifts?

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ktbia
ktbia Posts: 118 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If so, how do you do your meals? My husband and I are both RNs. I work days, he works night weekends (friday, sat, sun 7pm to 7a).
I am just wondering how others do it, I think sometimes he gets confused. Do you continue to eat meals around the same time?

Replies

  • NordenJenn
    NordenJenn Posts: 82
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    my boyfriend works midnights (10:30-7:30 sun thru thurs), and I work days (9-6). We will usually eat dinner together, very late, usually like 8 or so. Then when he gets home in the morning we'll eat breakfast together before I go to work. So I guess besides eating dinner super late our eating habits aren't any different than people who work regular hours.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I work 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off, 7 - 7. On my swing day, the day of my first backshift, I will have a small meal and maybe a protein shake (I usually go to the gym, so I do the shake after). I have my first meal between 6 and 8 pm. Something at midnight -1am, 3 - 4 am, and a snack before bed if I need it. I log all that food on the same day.
  • LisaRN9
    LisaRN9 Posts: 75 Member
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    Hi. I am an RN. I work 12 hour nights. On the nights I go into work I eat a small dinner at home before going in and then pack another small meal to eat around 10 pm. Then I eat a piece of fruit and a yogurt around 2 am and have breakfast at 05. Usually oatmeal or even an egg wrap or egg sandwich. I make a scrambled egg at home and put it in a small baggy then I toast a low fat english muffin and put a piece of low fat cheese on the egg and microwave it for 30 seconds to heat it back up. Works for me. SOme nights when it is too busy I don't eat at all! which is not good!
  • ctalimenti
    ctalimenti Posts: 865 Member
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    I do private duty 7p-7a. I just flip flop meals. I eat during the night, come home and sleep, then have a breakfast type meal when I wake up around 3pm.
  • ahersh00
    ahersh00 Posts: 85
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    I'm a nurse working three night shifts per week (7p-7a). On days off I eat at normal meal times, but when I am working it all gets a little funny I suppose. I eat at 5 p before I go in....eat again around 12 a.... and then eat at 8 a..... sleep....get up around 4 p and do it all over again. I get confused as to what should count as what. I've basically decided that I should just log food for the day it was eaten. Therefore, some days I'll eat more than others (which is what I'm doing anyways).
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
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    Hi. I am an RN. I work 12 hour nights. On the nights I go into work I eat a small dinner at home before going in and then pack another small meal to eat around 10 pm. Then I eat a piece of fruit and a yogurt around 2 am and have breakfast at 05. Usually oatmeal or even an egg wrap or egg sandwich. I make a scrambled egg at home and put it in a small baggy then I toast a low fat english muffin and put a piece of low fat cheese on the egg and microwave it for 30 seconds to heat it back up. Works for me. SOme nights when it is too busy I don't eat at all! which is not good!

    I also work 12 hour night shifts and this is almost exactly what I do.
  • SparksFly460
    SparksFly460 Posts: 258
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    I work daytime 12s and 8hr overnights. I shift meals as much as I can but my day ends when I go to sleep not when the clock strikes midnight. So I log the previous day even if its 5 am the next day :-)
  • wpc317
    wpc317 Posts: 1
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    I work overnights (9 -7) 4 nights a week. I eat three evenly spread meals between waking up and going back to sleep. I try to maintain the same sleep and meal patterns on my nights off. I just don't think it's very good for the body to constantly change when it receives it's nutrients.
  • ashlee_g
    ashlee_g Posts: 20 Member
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    Me and my partner live on afternoon/night shift. 2pm -12pm We have breakfast when we get up and dinner when he gets home. Just like normal. But i do take vitamin d as we don't see alot of sunlight. I eat when i am hungry. But now instead of a block of chocolate i have watermelon or apples.
  • Alissa_RN
    Alissa_RN Posts: 14 Member
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    I work 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off, 7 - 7. On my swing day, the day of my first backshift, I will have a small meal and maybe a protein shake (I usually go to the gym, so I do the shake after). I have my first meal between 6 and 8 pm. Something at midnight -1am, 3 - 4 am, and a snack before bed if I need it. I log all that food on the same day.

    I'm an RN working graves also, and this is almost exactly how I do it. I did some research and could not get a straight answer. I also drink a lot of water to keep my stomach happy at night so I'm not tempted to eat all the junk that is always at work.

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