Working 3rd shift

[tannie64]

Anyone out there work a 3rd shift my shift is from 12 midnight to 8 in the morning and I am trying to figure how to go about eating, exercising and sleeping to have a life. This is the first time I have ever had to work this shift and I am not doing so well. My body and mind are a mess. I am having headaches everyday and no matter how much sleep or how little I get it's just not good enough. I feel hungry but yet I feel like I am eating all the time but not enough I am not sure. Any help or advice is welcomed.

[Deborah_Lyn]

Hi!

I'm on 3rd shift this week to help out for coverage. The only way I sleep is with tylonel pm or else I'm awake by noon and ready to crash when I get to work. Naps can help, but I find getting larger blocks of sleep work better for me.

10 years ago, I was on 3rd shift for 10 months and was only getting 2 1/2 hours sleep a day. It was horrible. Then I'd sleep 12-14 hours on off days. So, imo, if sleep becomes an issue, talk to your doctor.

I'm working out at gym here at work before work - it helps boost my energy levels & surpress appetite. Today was leg day ad I hit it as hard as usual. I then did 30 minutes on eliptical.

My food journal rolls over at 12 midnight, but I've been eating at maintenance this week, not below it to loose weight. It's just really tough cutting calories on this shift. But - oddly, or maybe not oddly - my size 12 jeans that did not fit last week fit this week! I'm wearing them now! woot! So, don't add stress by worrying about dieting. Consistency over time is better than yo-yoing back and forth. Deprivation will ned up with binging - at least for me.

I had a huge salad each night ( 10:30 ish) , yogurt a few hours later, dried fruit and nuts later and cheerios at 5 am. My coffee is half strength - I cannot stand it too strong a taste. But I'm at 3 cupos a day.night.

When I get up - I'm eatting my main meal. I had salmon, half a yam and some veggies yesterday. Today I had blueberry pancake (160 calories) w/ 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 teasppon real syrup ( 40 calories). Omg! yum!

I'm off work by 6:30 am ish and in bed by 7:30 am. I have been waking up at noon despite tylonel pm - it's actually hunger! I eat some cheese (80 calorie snack) and go back to bed until 3 -4 pm. Cottage cheese would work, but I'm having trouble finding the brand I like at the store 110 calorie w/ pinepaple in it - yummy! the last brand I bought - I fed to my dogs with dinner. small curd my butt! hahaa.

Get an eye mask and ear plugs - you'll need them, lol. If you can, make your bedroom extra dark too for sleep.

Once your body gets used to 3rd shift, then try cutting calories if you are doing weight loss, maybe 100 at a time? max negative 500 below maintenance otherwise your metabolism may slow down. Just play with it and see what works for you. Don't deprive yourself - 3rd shfit is HARD! so pick a snack too boost yourself - mine was the blueberry pancakes - I was dying to have some, so I ate them and they were yummy!

I hope this helps and good luck!

[Amanda76]

From what I understand, how you handle your days off is what will make you or break you. You basically have to run your life according to your work schedule, even on days off.

Do you have children? I hear that's about the worst thing to have to deal with. An adult can deal with you not waking up until sometime between 4 and 6, but kids aren't gonna dig you being in bed all day Saturday and you aren't gonna be cool with needing sleep during that time (teens would be cool with it though, I'm sure...LOL). I used to work as a cocktail waitress on a river boat and if I stayed to cash in my tips (people tipped in chips a lot), wouldn't get to leave work until 3...If I wasn't in bed by 3 I'd have problems taking my daughter to school (would sleep through my alarm) so I often ended up staying up until about 8 and waking up at 2:30 to pick her up. Weekends were crap for the poor thing--I was always fatigued.