Anyone Work Night Shift? (employees, job, career, full-time)

[Nameless]

I'm currently working night shift stocking at a local grocery store. I only do this on Friday and Saturday nights as I'm in college full time. I guess because I'm young it's easy for me to adjust but it really doesn't mess with my body too much

On Friday's I wake up at 6:30 for class, have classes until 1 and then have the whole rest of the day to hang out and or study. I usually go to work around 10-11 (I've been working there over 3 years and I come in before the rest of the crew at midnight so they don't really care) and then work until about 8am or so. Basically whenever the job is done. After getting off Saturday morning it's straight to bed. Then back to work again Saturday night. After that I've stayed up the whole day Sunday and have gone to bed early, about 9pm to wake up again at 6:30 Monday morning.

I just find it funny I'm wide awake and alert for work yet have no trouble waking up on the day side Monday mornings again. I plan to continue this shift as it makes a world of difference having no customers and upper management around.

[bayarea2010]

You said it...you are young. In my opinion, take advantage. If you are not being deprived of sleep, you have no children, no spouse, no other responsibility, other than college of course, then continue on. It's true, no customer and management to deal with, that is a good job don't ya think? ☺

[e_cuyler]

I did it for two or three years, full time. I always made the habit of sticking to the same sleep schedule on my days off, just because otherwise I'd have a really rough time through the first half of the work week. It kind of isolated me from "daytime" people, but I liked it. I've actually never gotten quite used to working normal hours again, even seven years later.

Supposedly, over long periods of time night shift workers have a greater incidence of certain health problems.

[tijlover]

I've been working the night shift (10-6) for 7 years now. I pity people stuck working the day shift.

I sleep from 9a-5p, while the day shifters are out there battling traffic jams and long lines at the stores. In the hot summer, they're out there in all that heat, and I'm waiting for the sun to set, waiting for things to cool down so I can take my very, very early morning walks and bicycle rides through the neighborhood, or shop at a 24 hour grocery store or Wal Mart with the aisles cleared of people.

I've become such a night owl, it hurts my eyes to go out during the daytime now and I find the experience totally disorientating, as I'm used to driving the streets with little or no traffic. When, beyond my control, I must venture out during the daytime, occasionally, I feel like an alien that's just landed from outer space on another planet.

Well, it's now 12:30AM, gotta check the air in my bicycle tires, before I take my lone bicycle ride through my utterly peaceful and quiet, traffic-free, neighborhood streets while pitying all the unfortunate day-trippers waiting for their alarms to go off in the morning.

[GypsySoul22]

My husband works evening to early am and it's hard on him and us. I remember I worked 4:30 pm-2 or whatever when I was in my mid 20s, unmarried, a piece of cake.

But with a family, this shift is very rough.
We did agree to it initially because I thought I'd get a day job and be home for our child at night. He's also off weekends which would be fine but I cannot get a new job and there is no point (except the shift differential) for him to do this job.

[yellowsnow]

I worked nights for years and I loved it.

I saw a lot of people come and go on that shift and I learned it's a great match for some and a living nightmare for others. If you are one of the lucky ones, great. Take advantage of it.

[tasmtairy]

I have decided after being on weird hours for a year, no week is the same and some overnights, that I could work second, but not third. It would be great for me 3-11 or something like that, but overnight is hard, my whole next day is a blurrrrrrrr......

[WhistlerMCMLV]

I've worked night shifts. I did night shifts every other week during my Air Force career in one assignment; I did night shifts in my early journalism career; I did night shifts working security during college years and between journalism or radio jobs; my first steady radio job was a Sunday overnight show in upstate New York; my first full-time radio job was afternoon-evening news anchoring and reporting five days a week; and I've been a cab driver on shifts that began at one in the morning.

I now have a once-a-week radio comedy show in Las Vegas, Monday nights at nine (I could be wrong but I think I'm the only one in Las Vegas radio who's doing this kind of show), done the old-time way (sketches, dialogues, sound for ambience) but without the old-time cliches or the nostalgia angle. But I still fantasise now and then about getting an overnight show, even once a week. Though the standard overnight shift is three to five hours, and nobody can write a good, tight comedy show that lasts that long.

[e_cuyler]

The best shift I ever had was 4 PM to 12:30 AM. You still had almost the entire day, and you could still have a semi-normal sleep routine.

At the job where I did night shift, the day shift was reserved for longtime employees. People with families usually preferred the night shift because it allowed them to see their kids in the morning, take them to school, spend a little time with them in the evening, etc.

Worst shift was the afternoon/evening, IMO. You'd wake up and basically only have a few hours before you had to start getting ready for work, then you'd get home and only have a couple of hours before it was time for bed. The only time you could really relax and enjoy yourself was on your days off.

[Bobble Toe]

I did 4pm-12am for a while and it was perfect.