Endeavor Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 Hey guys, I'm currently working night shift(11pm-8am) and will be switching to a day schedule when I start PA school in a few weeks. I realize on my days off I can fall asleep at midnight but end up waking up around 4 am, while other days I just stay up until 4am and wake up at noon. Any advice or tips on how to get my internal clock back on track? Trying to aim for sleeping at 11pm and waking up at 6am. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsman89 Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 Do you just live on a night shift schedule right now? Back before PA school I would work for 7 days (Night shift) and then had 7 days off, and since I have a wife and two kids I would obviously switch back to days. There really is no magic trick, you're just going to have to make the switch and eventually your body will adjust. If you are talking about a quick transition from nights to days, you can help your self by trying to stay up after your last night shift and go to bed around a normal day shift night time, it's difficult but doable. Lastly, there is a specific medication called Modafinil that can help you stay alert and awake after the first couple days of switching from night to day or day to night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted April 15, 2018 Moderator Share Posted April 15, 2018 4 years of nights in air force. Just skip Kip sleeping for a day. Then go to bed at the time you should (no napping or early to bed). Reset in 1 to 2 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 I agree with ventana. I use to work offshore, 12hrs a day 7 days a week; the last two weeks of the rotation were 6pm to 6am. For me I would just stay up after my last shift until about 7pm (didn't really have a choice, travel home took that long anyway), take a sleep aid and sleep a solid 12 hours, then keep to the schedule of going to bed by 8 or 9 at the latest for a couple days (sleep aid assisted) and it took 2 or 3 days to reset the clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endeavor Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 On 4/15/2018 at 9:40 AM, corpsman89 said: Do you just live on a night shift schedule right now? Back before PA school I would work for 7 days (Night shift) and then had 7 days off, and since I have a wife and two kids I would obviously switch back to days. There really is no magic trick, you're just going to have to make the switch and eventually your body will adjust. If you are talking about a quick transition from nights to days, you can help your self by trying to stay up after your last night shift and go to bed around a normal day shift night time, it's difficult but doable. Lastly, there is a specific medication called Modafinil that can help you stay alert and awake after the first couple days of switching from night to day or day to night. I'm on a mixed schedule and some days I don't get enough sleep and other days I over sleep. It's weird idk how it works out lol. But thanks for the recommendation, I've also heard of Melatonin helping with resetting internal clock/ increasing quality of sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camoman1234 Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 40 minutes ago, OneDayPA-C said: I'm on a mixed schedule and some days I don't get enough sleep and other days I over sleep. It's weird idk how it works out lol. But thanks for the recommendation, I've also heard of Melatonin helping with resetting internal clock/ increasing quality of sleep. Melatonin is fine and you can use other herbs/oils/amino acids, etc such as valerian root, chamomile oil, L-tryptophan, passion flower, lavender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.