Working nights as a nurse? Here are some of the ways I try to stay awake and productive during those long, 12-hour shift during nights!

Tip #1 Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Drink lots of water (and lay off the caffeine!)

It's so easy to get dehydrated working as a nurse. You're in between med passes, transferring patients, responding to calls, charting, making phone calls-- it's hard to find a break-- even to use the restroom! The good thing is that nights usually have a good amount of downtime, and I suggest always drinking as much water as possible. If you're not a big water drinker, try to pop in some cut-up fruits (cucumbers, lemon, oranges), or even good ol' crystal light, prime IV hydration- you can get packs of these at Costco. I find that coffee or energy drinks make me crash at those God-awful hours of 3:00 - 5:00 a.m.

Tip #2 Walks

Walk around! (No, rounding down the halls doesn't count!)

I did some physical therapy post-partum, and usually, when I'm sitting in my chair for too long, I'll get stiff, so I'll usually take a night stroll for 5 minutes. You can even workout before or after a shift! I know some nurses go to the gym before starting their night or they go the morning after :)

Tip #3 What I eat

Snack small, not heavy. Big meals make you sleepy! My shift starts at 6:45 p.m., so I usually have an earlier dinner beforehand (with a cup of coffee), and then around 10 p.m., I snack on an apple. Then, at midnight to one for "lunch," it's usually something light. 3 a.m., mixed nuts, or a protein bar. Usually, that holds me over until I can eat breakfast in the morning when I get home around 7:30 a.m.!

Tip #4 Relaxing before a shift

Day 2 is always the hardest for me. I usually take a hot bath to relax after a shift, do morning cuddles with my son, and sleep in until noon. My body naturally wakes up at this time... especially with a rambunctious little one. After I get up to eat lunch, play with my son, and do whatever I need to do around the house, I nap from 3-4:30/5ish. Dinner, and back to work! Something that helps before a shift is I like to take a shower... it refreshes me and wakes me up!

Tip #5 Going back to your daytime schedule!

When I transitioned back to days, I tried staying up for the day, but it never worked because, after a night shift, I tap out at 10 a.m. But by then, I'm so tired I can still sleep through the night so long as I wake up no later than 3 p.m.

I hope this offers some helpful tips on surviving a night shift! It's not so bad once you have a good routine; nights are pretty calm with low stimulation since patients are going to bed and you're more of monitoring them and focusing on meds. The key for me is finding ways not to fall asleep!

Good luck! You got this!

Blessings,

Regine