Z-Zs --- how much are you getting? How do you do it?

Here's my work schedule for the month of March: March 1st 3P-9P March 2nd OFF March 3rd OFF March 4th 1:30P-7P March 5th 1:30P-7P March 6th 1:30P-8P March 7th 1:30P-8P March 8th 3P-8P March 9th OFF March 10th 1:30P-8P March 11th 2:30P-9P March 12th 1:30P-8P March 13th 1:30P-7P March 14th OFF March 15th 3P-9P March 16th OFF March 17th OFF March 18th 3:30P-10:30P March 19th 1:30P-7:30 March 20th 2P-8P March 21st Closed (Holiday) March 22nd 2:30P-9P March 23rd Closed (Holiday) March 24th OFF March 25th 1:30P-8P March 26th 3P-10P March 27th OFF March 28th 1:30P-7P March 29th 3:30P-9P March 30th OFF And April will be completely different! I find out the Wednesday prior my hours for the following week and as you can see I have a fair number of shifts but then you have put my special needs sons schedule on top of this and it is a wonder I ever sleep at all! On my late nights I can never just come home and go to bed and often I have not had dinner yet and so my schedule is thrown off all the time due to this varied schedule and I know it is not healthy but I have no choice! To add to this my son does not always sleep through the night and is often up between six and seven AM and then my husband leaves at 2:30AM every night for work and that disrupts me but often I am able to get right back to sleep after that as it has been five and a half years now for that and I have adjusted but I know I do not get enough sleep!! ~Heavens~

Wow.. my question to you would be how do you do it?? I think if I was used to a schedule like that, then it would be normal for me.. but I like to stick to a 9-5 schedule and my body does not like out of the ordinary routine. I usually fall asleep by 10PM and I get up at 4:30AM for work.

I don't see how you can get a decent sleep with those hours. You're on third shift, second and first and second. Your body must be so out of whack. When I was working changing shifts, I was tired all the time. I'm on a regular schedule now and that's the only way I can get decent sleep. Some things I've used with some success in the past were turkey sandwiches, milk, reading, and a really dark room. whit

i have a regular schedule but am on a graveyard shift, i work from 12am till 9am, travel time i alot everytime is two hours to and fro so i have to leave home at 10pm and i usually arrives 12pm (o.t. :( ) i have to take a warm bath and watch tv to unwind b4 going to sleep and usually its around 4pm already! and i have to wake up at 9pm, and that is on good days but when i am really wired up whew i only get 2 hours sleep. and on my days off i cant maximize my sleep time i still sleep that same time.....

You certainly have been working hard, and a long drive too to get there and back. I was going to bed at about 11.00pm and getting up at 7am a few weeks ago, but I was struggling to get a full nights sleep,I would wake up once I got in bed, my mind would just be constantly churning about things, I was having bad dreams and waking up sweating and just tossing and turning and although I was in bed for 8 hours I just was not sleeping properly. I have recently changed it, and now I go to bed at about midnight and by this time I am dropping on my feet and I still get up at 7am but I am sleeping right through and not waking up and I feel really rested when I get up the next day. So maybe I was just going to bed too soon and with being quite awake when going to bed, my mind was not tired enough and so would just keep churning, but with waiting until my mind is as tired as my body I seem to just get into bed and go straight to sleep. I know what the experts say, but I think they base it on an average person, and not everyone is average, so some people need more or less sleep than others.

I have had to deal with this too. When I worked for Wal-Mart, I had a similar schedule. Eventually, after about a year of having a schedule like this, it caught up to me and I was not able to sleep at all. I was too wound up, like you. I would come home and I just couldn't relax enough to get to sleep. Plus, I knew I had to get up early for an early shift and I would panic that I would not be able to fall asleep and get enough sleep. It got so bad that I had to go to the docter and he prescribed an anti-depressant anxiety medication for me. I know they can also prescribe sleeping pills but they usually prefer you to take the over counter kind because they are non addicting. However, if you are one who hates to be on meds, what they also suggest is that you take a nice hot bath or shower before bed or have something hot to drink. They also suggest that you don't go on the computer or do anything that will stimulate the mind and keep it going. Honestly, these helped a little but when I was that bad, I needed the meds and sometimes I still do LOL....

i usually have at least 6 hours sleep every night... that is the least i have... otherwise, i can't survive the next day at work... i had ever sleep only for 3 hours and the next day i feel so tired, sleepy and can't concentrate at all at work... so now i sleep at least 6 to 7 hours everyday... hardly have 8 hours sleep except on weekends... you take care of yourself... seems to me you work too much... your health is more important than money... take care and have a nice day...

Oh Deb, what a wreck. I do not work, generally past 8 or 8:30 pm. I drive thirteen miles to my day job. Leave the house around 7 a. m. I do not get the right kind of sleep, but it is more or less consistent. My regular schedule is 7:30am - 3:30 pm Mon-Fri. Mon., Tue, and Thurs. Alternate Saturdays 9 am to 7 pm. Sometimes I pick up a Friday, extra Saturday, I pick up some hours for the training I have to do. I have to get up at whatever hours that my hubby needs up. I am ready to have a long weekend.

I hope that you don't have to work double for much longer. I have only 6 hours of sleep, but I work for myself. It is much easier. I can work at night and sleep during the day if I have to. I try to manage my work time, so I don't have to feel like working when I am working. Please take it easy sometimes, can you? Take care, HUGS

well i don't get enough sleep..I don't work but i have insomina,and it stinks...I cannot get enough rest because i have problems falling asleep..After doing this for so long i find i will just get extreemly tired and sleep for a few days really good and finally began to sleep from being so tired...Then it just starts over again...I do not have any secrets for sleep other than taking a sleeping pill,which i choose not to do...Hopefully someone can help you..Sorry i could not do much as far as sharing any secrets of sleep..I used to go to bed and fall asleep fast,but for a long time now sleeping for me has been a problem....

you cant with those kind of hours i worked a similar schedule or 22 yrs and today my health is terrible and i still cant sleep due to my mixed up schedule all those years my advice find another job friend your health is not worth the money you may be making take it from one who knows

Wow that is a busy work schedule, I work doubles to and I think I have a harder time winding down after those, plus it feels like you have no time, so sleeping is not priority any more, when perhaps it should be. I average 6 hours a nite, I can never seem to sleep past that. Doesn't matter when I go to sleep, early, late, 6 hours and time to get up.

I don't really know. I would get up at nights several times for the trip to the bathroom.

I use to have a hard time sleeping, in the end i went to my GP, she started me off on a week's sleeping tablets. Then said i should develop a routine in which i go to bed at a certain time and wake up at a certain time. No afternoon naps, no big meal after nine and dont sit drinking cups of teas all day. It worked for me.

I usually strive for 7 hours a night. If I get 7 hours then I seem to function well. A couple of tips for getting to sleep. Don't eat before you go to bed. Eat a banana at supper. Bananas are known to make you drowsy. Or, a small glass of warm milk will also make you drowsy. I hope you sleep better.

on working days i sleep around 6-7 hours T___T ..wish i could sleep longer but what to do, gotta wake up in the morning to go to work. if i dont get enough sleep, at work i'll be so sleepy and restless. if i'm not working and on weekends i sleep really late and wake up late too, probably around 10 hours of sleep or more;)