View Full Version : Shift Work Schedule Can Be Pretty Grueling
Well, I finally broke down and made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow on my day off about some sleep problems I am having. If I thought my schedule at WF was a little hard before with its inconsistencies, as of late it has been even harder. In any given week lately I have worked at least two 6am to 2:30 shifts, then some closing shifts which are 2:30 to 10:30pm, and then with regular daytime shift thrown into the mix somewhere. Every once in a while I have a "clo-pen" which is when you are a closer one night and you have to open at 6:30 am the next day. Not fun...
Anyway, with the new roomie moving in (so far so good; I like him a lot but it's still a disruption in my home life) and trying to have at least a little bit of a social life, my whole body rythym has been thrown in complete disarray once again. I've been having insomnia lately, especially the night before last. I actually finally fell asleep at about 5:30 am (after going to bed by midnight or so) which is when I got up for work the day before to do the early shift. Meals are at crazy times; it's hard to know what meal I am eating and I am often too tired to make something when I get home so dinner sometimes is a few nibbles of whatever is handy. Then I end up relying on caffeine and cigarettes for the stimulation to get moving (no wonder it has been so hard to quit)!
I would like to discuss how to deal with this with my doctor. I have no control over how they schedule me because I gave them open availability when I started, and in some ways, there are things about each shift that I really like to do and it also keeps the monotony at bay. However, my physical body is having a hard time coping. I would like to get a small prescription for a sleep aid just to get me on track somehow because drinking Sleepytime Tea and taking a Bendryl isn't working anymore. I have tried some other natural sleep aids as well with little success, and found Melatonin to be pretty much useless in the past.
Being an un-medicated Bipolar II, I really have to be careful about getting enough sleep because I can go on like this but I can get very out of whack with decision-making and bad judgement creeps in, etc. So this is all part of self-care, but I feel like I need some help figuring out how to control the things I have no control over (scheduling).
Has anyone else dealt with a schedule like this? How did you cope and still have a life?
That's a really poor schedule they are giving you. It means that other people have the same abrupt changes. Is there any way management would at least let you do the same shift for an entire week? I know you probably have no control over this but it seems doubtful you don't have co-workers who feel the same way. Are you allowed to trade shifts at all?
I don't know if the doctor would be able to help much, unless he would write a note to management that for your condition, you NEED more consistent schedules. It's the changing around that is the problem. Seems wrong to medicate because of a controllable (by somebody) environmental factor.
As far as how to cope, my husband is dealing with something similar - he's a 12 hour shift worker, so he works either 6am to 6pm or the reverse. Luckily this does result in more days off than a 8 hour a day person gets, which helps make it tolerable. He's never been a good sleeper so it is definitely hard on him. He usually does 3 or 4 of the same shift in a row, then has either 1.5 days or 2.5 days to reverse and do the opposite schedule for 3-4 days. Basically, when he is working these shifts, he has no life at all. He is either working, sleeping or resting. He doesn't do errands or socialize (we don't do much of that anyhow) or even do much around the house. I take care of most things or he puts them off until his full days off.
As far as food, you have to eat more. I batch cook so there is usually something healthy in the fridge. My husband eats a lot of canned soup when he is too tired for anything else. You should try to keep some easy to make food always in the house. Also, don't worry about what meal you are eating. There's nothing wrong with eating traditional breakfast foods at any time of the day, if that is what you feel like. Try not to not just eat carbs though, since that's what the body craves when it's tired. Still protein etc. I think DH does have a small bowl of cereal when he comes home at 6AM, which helps him sleep.
For sleeping during the day, luckily we live in a quiet apartment. We have our windows blocked for light and he uses a white noise generator machine to block out noises. I make sure to be as quiet as possible and never talk to him when he is trying to sleep.
Just some ideas and comments but I do think it's the schedule that is really not acceptable. Too bad employers don't always care about their employee's health the way they should.
decemberlov
2-18-13, 12:42pm
SiouzQ I absolutely know how you feel. I worked at Whole Foods in the bakery years ago and this was my least favorite part of that job. I couldn't take the closing until 10:30 which meant I usually didn't get home until 11:15 ish or so and needed that time to wind down before I could even go to bed which usually meant falling asleep around 2am if I was lucky and then having to be back in at 6:30 in the morning. Absolute torture! (especially having babies to raise). Sadly I didn't last long at WF with this schedule....and I say sadly because other than that I loved that job and the benefits were great and with my 20% discount I could actually afford good food ;)
Sorry I don't have any good advise just wanted to let you know I know how rough it can be :(
Tussiemussies
2-18-13, 1:16pm
You can try Melatonin or Valerian root, in health food stores, to use as sleep aids. It helped me a lot.
I had a job with rotating shifts and the night shift was too much for me, I became bloated and was always exhausted. I too had to leave that job, I kept falling asleep while at the computer and my boss would bang on the computer to wake me up... Not fun.
I hope you find a way to handle this while taking care of your.bi-polar.... Christine
ApatheticNoMore
2-18-13, 3:26pm
In any given week lately I have worked at least two 6am to 2:30 shifts, then some closing shifts which are 2:30 to 10:30pm, and then with regular daytime shift thrown into the mix somewhere.
Well at least that's mostly daytime shifts (they aren't open 24 hours anyway I know). Trying to eat at consistent times and not to close too bedtime will tend to keep your circadian rhythms more normal I've heard (I know, I know, maybe easier send than done, I said "try ...", assuming there is any leeway in when you take breaks etc.)
Every once in a while I have a "clo-pen" which is when you are a closer one night and you have to open at 6:30 am the next day. Not fun...
Yea, that's brutal.
Anyway, with the new roomie moving in (so far so good; I like him a lot but it's still a disruption in my home life) and trying to have at least a little bit of a social life, my whole body rythym has been thrown in complete disarray once again.
You might confine your social life to your days off (even if these aren't the weekends). Sucks, I know, but possibly more realistic. Actually probably what most employed people, including me somewhat, resign themselves to more or less, even with non crazy shifts!
Then I end up relying on caffeine and cigarettes for the stimulation to get moving (no wonder it has been so hard to quit)!
Yea and of course contributes to the insomnia, caffeine too close to bedtime will, I think caffeine at any time does a little, but especially too close to bedtime. And cigarettes are stimulating as well and contribute to insomnia I think. A viscious cycle, but often one leading people back to caffeine etc. dependence and sometimes needing more and more of it.
I would like to discuss how to deal with this with my doctor. I have no control over how they schedule me because I gave them open availability when I started, and in some ways, there are things about each shift that I really like to do and it also keeps the monotony at bay. However, my physical body is having a hard time coping. I would like to get a small prescription for a sleep aid just to get me on track somehow because drinking Sleepytime Tea and taking a Bendryl isn't working anymore. I have tried some other natural sleep aids as well with little success, and found Melatonin to be pretty much useless in the past.
Being an un-medicated Bipolar II, I really have to be careful about getting enough sleep because I can go on like this but I can get very out of whack with decision-making and bad judgement creeps in, etc. So this is all part of self-care, but I feel like I need some help figuring out how to control the things I have no control over (scheduling).
You could ask for better scheduling, unless they are the type to punish you for asking, the worst they can say is "No" and then you are just right back where you started. Sleep medications often cause people to develop dependencies on them (so they can't sleep without them), but you have to do what you have to do and if your not sleeping otherwise, just things to discuss with the doc. Melatonin supplementation is a little tricky I think, you have to get the timing of the supplementation right for it to work I think.
Here's what one book advises:
- 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure and physical activity in the early morning (which won't be that early for night owls like me!)
- another 15 minutes of sun exposure or physical activity in the afternoon
- concentration of food consumption in the daytime and early evening (because the body sets the circadian rhythm by when you eat - so should be consistent if possible and not too late although early evening isn't that early for me)
- avoidance of bright light at night, especially white and blue light and darkening of the bedroom when you sleep (I use a sleep mask)
- adoption of a consistent bedtime (wouldn't it be nice! I'm pretty consistent but it's pretty late at night)
I'd add trying to taper down stimulants like caffeine and cigs but yea I know it's a viscious cycle (at least with caffeine I do know).
I agree your schedule sucks and it should be a responsibility of management to at least try to get people on consistent schedules for the most part. Sorry it's that way, but there's only so many ways one can say the system sucks. Trader Joe's is only open from 9am to 9pm (yea people will be there somewhat longer to open and close), so shifts might be better elsewhere! (benefits and pay may not).
A unionized workplace is a wonderful thing.
I slept a bit better last night at least - I think I got maybe 6.5 hours. I woke up before my alarm rang and laid there trying to go back to sleep for a little while but gave up. I didn't have to be in until 11am at any rate. I felt pretty good all day until after I had my lunch/dinner at 3:00. I got insanely tired and muscle-achy all over but I don't feel like I am coming down with anything. I just feel exhausted. It was slow so I volunteered to go home early and they let me. Now I have the next two days off.
In regards to scheduling - I am not the only one that has a crazy schedule like this. It is the nature of the business. I am a full-timer that offers open availability (that in part is why they hired me and I gladly took it because I NEED this job). We have many part-timers in the department whose schedules have to be worked around their school schedules. We cannot trade shifts "at will", it has to go through to the manager and it is on a case-by-case basis. There really is nothing I can do about it that I can see except suck it up and do it. I just have to figure out how to do it better than I have been.
All I know is I am really going to relax/crash tonight (my poor body is really feeling its age) and then go talk to my doctor tomorrow. I have tried a lot of the stuff you have recommended and the only thing that remotely works on a daily basis is the tea and a Bendadryl. But when I get into a bad jag like this nothing seems to work and that is why I feel like I need a little pharmaceutical jolt perhaps.
Gardenarian
2-19-13, 8:03pm
I would lose my mind on that schedule. Could not do it, no way.
I went to my doctor today and explained it all; I now have a bottle of Ambien for emergency purposes. I plan to go to bed pretty early tonight (maybe just try half of one to see how it affects me).
Yeah, it gets to the point where I just don't know whether I'm coming or going. In general I like my job pretty well except for the scheduling aspect.
Oh SiouzQ, I really sympathize with you. I worked in a hospital and the schedule changes nearly drove me crazy. I am retired now and that is certainly something I do not miss!! I do hope you find a way to get the sleep you need!
poetry_writer
2-19-13, 11:28pm
I couldnt do it. I had a job I loved (at a womens shelter). We worked 8 am to 5pm.....then 4pm to midnight...then midnight to 8 am.....switching every week. It was insanity. I managed for a while after i only did second and third shifts for a while........When I was informed i was permanently on the midnight shift (love office politics) I took my key off and walked out. It made me sick. I couldnt sleep days even with prescription sleep meds.....not good for me and made me sick, literally. Hope you can work something out.
[QUOTE=SiouzQ.;129385]In regards to scheduling - I am not the only one that has a crazy schedule like this. It is the nature of the business. I am a full-timer that offers open availability (that in part is why they hired me and I gladly took it because I NEED this job). We have many part-timers in the department whose schedules have to be worked around their school schedules. We cannot trade shifts "at will", it has to go through to the manager and it is on a case-by-case basis. There really is nothing I can do about it that I can see except suck it up and do it. I just have to figure out how to do it better than I have been.
/QUOTE]
But people's school schedules don't change all the time right --just 2 or 3 times a year when they get new classes. Isn't there any possibility for creating more stability in the schedule? Seems like this would contribute to a lot of turnover, which is not good for a business.
Even if you could have 2 or 3 days a week where your hours are similar, with a bit more flexibility for filling in on the other days, it seems like that woudl be preferable.
And it seems wierd that the overall schedule would be determined by the part-timers. I would let the regular full-time staff have first pick of preferred days/time slots, and then let the part-timers fill in the rest based on seniority. I guess maybe that would result in uncovered shifts? Anyway, seems odd to deliberately create such chaos for everyone.
lhamo
So I tried the Ambien last night (well, I tried half of one). I woke up precisely four hours later, at 3 am. Since I didn't have to work today, I took the other half and fell back asleep until 8am. I didn't I like I felt this morning, like I had a mini-hangover (which is one of its side effects). So what do I do tonight? My room mate will be getting home at around 10:45pm; if I go to bed without the help of drugs before he gets home, I'm likely to wake up, even as quiet as he tries to be. I have to get up for work at 5am. I think I will go back to my tea and Benadryl for tonight and hope it does the trick, as I cannot afford to feel like I have a hangover at 5am.
Regarding the way WF schedules - I have no answers. I work in a very large department (upwards to 50 people total) which includes the cooks in the kitchen, the people who do the catering orders, the people who prepare the fresh-pack selections, and the pizza and pannini crew. We all have a ton of work, and on any given day some one has called in sick so some else has to take up the slack. I think it would be a nightmare to be the supervisor who has to do the scheduling and keep it all running smoothly. I have accepted the fact that this type of scheduling is just part of the job and I have deal with it. I know they value me there and we have a pretty good team with everyone quite dedicated to making it run smoothly, even when we have an un-forseen crisis come up, like some one getting hurt (like last week).
I am using this opportunity to look at how I can change things that affect my well-being, like the sleep issue. I am also on the second day of wearing the Nicotine patch (so far, so good) because obviously quitting smoking will go a long way in helping with my energy level. On the plus side, I have always had a very good diet with LOTS of veggies, fruit and grains, but I think I need to eat more protein too. I also think all this in is part due to being plain old sick of winter and its cold grayness. Like with most people in the north, this time of year has always been hard to get through but at least we are already heading into March pretty quickly. This too shall pass...I can't wait for warm weather because I can recall how great I felt all last summer and how much I was outside walking, biking, and gardening. So that is what I am holding on to for inspiration, especially with the quitting smoking, one day at a time. My buddy and I had a practice tonight (we have a gig in March) and already my voice is better from two days of not smoking (no brainer here, but I have a hard head)!
Okay, I am going to do some winding down here in preparation for an earlier bed time than usual. Wish me luck!
Are you open to doing the late night/closing shift regularly? Is that one that they have a hard time covering for? Since you seem to be a night owl anyway, maybe you could let them know that you would actually PREFER to work nights. I personally would rather have a regular predictable schedule that involves night work than have to shift things around all the time. Though for me the shift I would volunteer for is the early morning/opening one.
I suggest this because I imagine maybe the person doing the scheduling is trying to keep it "fair" by not asking people to work ugly shifts all the time. But maybe there is some way to code people so that the majority of their shifts fall into their preferred time slots.
I know you like the job, but I would also stay open to other possibilities. Maybe there are other retail outlets or even restaurants/catering companies that would value the skills you have gained at WF but that would give you a more predictable schedule. This current schedule sounds like it is really taking a toll on your health.
lhamo
I just got off work after another night of bad sleep (the Benadryl didn't work very well) and I have felt like grumpy cat all day, Quitting smoking is still happening (it's now day 3 on the patch) but the lack of good sleep and attempting to quit a beloved addiction is making me really cranky right now. Luckily, I have the house to myself until 10:30pm, in which I am going to go crawl under my warm covers and blot out the world for how long it takes. Then I get up at 5am and do it all over again. Over and out...
If it hasn't been mentioned yet - have you tried melatonin? I used it to help my older dog go to sleep when he started having Canine Cognitive Disorder and woke up (and barked endlessly) all hours of the night. Worked like a charm and he never had any lingering side effects like listlessness when he woke in the morning. He was very perky and "all there" unlike with antihistimines and certain sleep products.
My sister, who works security for a big defense contractor , also uses melatonin occasionally and says it works good the times she has tried it. But she has a crazy crazy work schedule of 12 plus hour days on all shifts - graveyards, followed by days, followed by swing shifts - so if often dead tired and doesn't need it except for her days off work. She pretty much just splits her sleep up - trying to get 4 hours here, four hours there - and can't seem to sleep regularly when she is off work. So the meltonin helps with that. Her job is pretty grueling and wrecks havoc on her body and mind but once things settle down at bit there then she will go back to working one shift or another more permanently.
For myself I am an insomniac and have just given in to sleeping (and sleeping hard) for just 6 hours a night. If I try to sleep more than that I can't - just toss and turn. But I found that if I can stay on a set schedule by going to bed and waking up the same time (no matter how tired I am) everyday I'm usually OK. Also physical exercise helps ALOT!!
Thanks Spartana for the reply. Yes, I have tried just about all the more "natural" remedies out there at one time or another, including melatonin, which for some reason makes me actually feel a little "speedy." I know, weird, right? I have a funny body chemistry; I was diagnosed by two different doctors in the past that I have BiPolar 2, which is a milder (?) form of it but nevertheless, can get me into trouble with self-care in the past. I can be real high energy at times, slightly manic, even, and then just crash pretty hard after that (which I guess is what is happening now). For a couple of weeks, I was managing this crazy schedule because I had to: one of the openers was on vacation so I had to fill in on many of her mornings, which gave me way more am shifts than I was used to (I am used to only doing them sporadically and I actually like the tasks that we do in the morning before the store opens). But two inconsistent am shifts per week with several closing shifts thrown in does not make a very happy SiouxsieQ.
Through trial and error over the past few years, the only way to manage my crazy body chemistry is to be as consistent as possible with sleep and eat times, and severely reduce alcohol consumption (which I have, compared to a few years back when I was going to the bars and doing open mics or gigging at least 4 nights a week). Well, I certainly don't do that anymore, but I have to have some sort of social life. I probably only go out twice a week, if that and can drink no more than two beers, if that. But I digress...
I just don't feel like I can complain or change it at work, because I really want to keep this job. In so many ways, it has been a vast improvement over the last job. I generally like my co-workers, the shifts are busy and they go fast, and I have health insurance. Then I sit back and think, at what cost though? I really do not want to have to look for another job at this juncture; I haven't even been there for a year yet! Next weeks schedule is a little better; I think I only have one opening shift. So hopefully the tide is turning back to something a bit more managable...
I just slept for four hours, a deep, crazy dream-ladened sleep, woke up at 7pm, was hungry, had breakfast for dinner, and need to take a shower because I didn't have time to this morning and then go to bed by 10pm. As much as I don't really want to, I am going to take an Ambien tonight to knock myself back out. Yep, I feel all up-side down and inside-out. This too shall pass, this too shall pass, this too shall pass....I just want my "normal" life back!
Could you have your doctor raise this as a medical issue? It shouldn't be necessary to go on strong prescription meds to manage the havoc your work schedule wrecks on your life.
You mentioned the woman you subbed for was an "opener." If she can get a regular schedule, why can't you? Is it just about seniority, and you have to wait until you work your way up? Can you talk with people who have more regular shifts and find out how they got them?
lhamo
gimmethesimplelife
2-22-13, 12:01am
This here is one reason that I had a hard time with seasonal work at the National Parks. As a server - which is the best paid position in the service industry park hierarchy - you have to work all shifts. AM open PM close then AM open over and over and over again. Often when I would close one night I would get out at eleven pm and have to be in at work at five thirty am and would not sleep in between due to the stress of waiting tables. So many times I was completely and utterly exhausted and things would go wrong and I would put this stupid look on my face and cope as best I could with the insanity of my health meaning nothing and corporate profit meaning more than employee health. And servers could not go to anyone and complain, as there would be no sympathy for you as you had the top job in the heirarchy and made more money than anyone else.
Suffice it to say, I don't miss it (much). If at all. Rob
poetry_writer
2-22-13, 3:29pm
This here is one reason that I had a hard time with seasonal work at the National Parks. As a server - which is the best paid position in the service industry park hierarchy - you have to work all shifts. AM open PM close then AM open over and over and over again. Often when I would close one night I would get out at eleven pm and have to be in at work at five thirty am and would not sleep in between due to the stress of waiting tables. So many times I was completely and utterly exhausted and things would go wrong and I would put this stupid look on my face and cope as best I could with the insanity of my health meaning nothing and corporate profit meaning more than employee health. And servers could not go to anyone and complain, as there would be no sympathy for you as you had the top job in the heirarchy and made more money than anyone else.
Suffice it to say, I don't miss it (much). If at all. Rob
Sadly most places dont give a rats ass if the schedule kills their own employees. I worked at a womens shelter for cryin out loud.....ugly office politics led me to eventually being dumped on the midnight shift.....i felt physically ill a lot of the time when i worked that shift. Not worth it. The executive director worked a couple hours in the afternoon and drew a nice full time salary...........while her employees were on the poverty level ($8 an hour and rotating shifts, plus dangerous conditions, such as only one person on duty in the shelter with 30 or so women and children there). Love those girls who came in our door but lost all respect for government funded agencies......
So many stories from you all, thank you for your support! I have just never experienced a schedule like this...but I have good news! I took the Ambien last night and was out like a light by 10:30, never heard KB come in, never woke up, had some crazy wonderful dreams, heard the alarm go off at 5am, only hit the snooze button once, got up and ready, and didn't even feel like I had a slight hangover like I did the day before last after trying it. Work went pretty well and I feel much more my old self, thank god! I realize now between 3:30 pm yesterday and 5am today, I slept a total of 12 hours!
I don't have to work until 8am tomorrow, so I get to sort of "sleep in" and next week I only have one opening shift. The trick is to not rely on the Ambien to sleep well, but only use it on an emergency basis. I am trying hard not to nap this afternoon so I will be real tired when I go to bed tonight and just use my tea to go to sleep.
gimmethesimplelife
2-23-13, 12:56am
So many stories from you all, thank you for your support! I have just never experienced a schedule like this...but I have good news! I took the Ambien last night and was out like a light by 10:30, never heard KB come in, never woke up, had some crazy wonderful dreams, heard the alarm go off at 5am, only hit the snooze button once, got up and ready, and didn't even feel like I had a slight hangover like I did the day before last after trying it. Work went pretty well and I feel much more my old self, thank god! I realize now between 3:30 pm yesterday and 5am today, I slept a total of 12 hours!
I don't have to work until 8am tomorrow, so I get to sort of "sleep in" and next week I only have one opening shift. The trick is to not rely on the Ambien to sleep well, but only use it on an emergency basis. I am trying hard not to nap this afternoon so I will be real tired when I go to bed tonight and just use my tea to go to sleep.I'm glad you're getting some well-earned and deserved sleep. I know, it makes a huge, huge, huge difference in your quality of life....Here's hoping that you can find some kind of balance that works for you in this situation.....Rob
Sleep in? Ha! I woke up at 4am, even after taking an Ambien at 11pm. I did not nap yesterday after work, either. My body chemistry is really weird; I slept 5 hours in the past 24, even with an Ambien? WTF?
I've suffered from sleep issues, too, and I one point kept a similarly intense schedule like yours. I've never taken Ambien, but I'm curious, are you supposed to take it a certain amount of time before you go to sleep (30 minutes, an hour, etc.)? Also, it sounds like you have trouble getting to sleep, but also staying asleep, and even with going back to sleep if you wake up after only a few hours of sleep. Did your doctor have recommendations for dealing with each of these three, seemingly distinct, issues? Personally, I've found meditation to be very relaxing and it helps me to relax to the point where I can fall asleep easily. My partner found a white noise machine is exactly what he needed to be able to a full night of deep, restful sleep. Good luck -- I hope you can get it sorted out soon!
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