Working out while working night shift?!

[Katelyn357]

I am an RN who is switching to full time 8 hour night shifts next week (11:00pm-7:30am) and I was wondering if anyone else is doing this or has experience with this? I have been doing some 12 hr night shifts that kick my butt and make it very hard to workout, so I know it till be a lot more easy doing 8hr nights to fit in my exercise but I just was wondering if anyone had thoughts about the best time to sleep/workout?

I have read articles saying the best was to get the most quality sleep is to sleep right when you get home for 8 hr and avoid exercise because exercising right before sleeping decreases your quality of sleep. However I don’t know if I will get too tired at the end of my nights if I sleep for 8 hrs, then workout, then go to work or if it is just a matter of adjusting my body’s sleep/wake cycle…Just wondering if anyone has thoughts on this.

I know in the end it is a personal preference and I will find what works best for me but continuing to eat clean and maintain my exercise regimen is now a vital part of my life and I want to know the best way to do things to get the best results. I now have the will power to say no to all the chocolate, cookies, chips and junk food that come along with working nights as a nurse because I always bring my own clean food to eat; now I just need to find the perfect way to fit in my workouts so my body will continue to thank me.

Any input is great, thanks!

[sonti]

I always went worked out prior to my shifts (7pm-7am, so I worked out at 5pm). Worked fine for 8 years. Don't bother trying to work out at the end of an overnight, it's a disaster for most.

[Katelyn357]

Thanks, I want to keep working out something I enjoy, and not make it a task that needs to be done after working all night.

[imperfectly_lou]

I'm also a RN and I do one week a month of 2130-730 shifts. I try to sleep from 830am-3pm, then I get up, eat, train from approx 345 to 530pm, then come home, have dinner and get ready for work.

[wickedwayz]

I work night 2030 - 0430 5 days a week. My coach hated my schedule but that was what i had to deal with. I am also having a hard time balancing right now partly because I just want to sleep all day. Earlier this year when training for show, I went to bed right at 430 when I got done working (work from home) nap until 7am get up with kids, go back to sleep at 915 and wake up at 2pm for empty stomach cardio, then workout between 430pm until about 6pm and another round of cardio. My biggest hurdle is balancing everything, i felt with that schedule i was really neglecting kids. Oh yeah I have 3 kids also.

[carivo]

I used to work from 11pm to 7am(same as yours), and i felt terribl for that.
Leaving office at 7 30am, home to have breakfast, so went to bed at 9am, but would wake up at 11 30am. Having lunch, watching TV, Sleep time again. About 3hours later, i would wake up and hang around. I know i want to sleep, but it can't be...
If my days keep going like that way, i cannot imagine how it would be..

So i prefer to living in a commom life.

[jillybeansalad]

I have a rotating shift and I find that it's horrible on my sleep quality (or quantity). It used to be 13 hour shifts, so working 9 hours at night is way more convenient. lol I actually enjoy the night shift because when I decide that I'm going to run or go to the gym, it's pretty empty.

I actually live more of a night life. I feel like I'm more of a night owl and I just finished my run at about midnight. I generally sleep until noonish and start my day then while my night shifts are 9pm - 6am. Sleep comes soon after I get home since I'm pretty beat. Exercise makes it way more difficult for me to get to sleep. I feel more relaxed through the work day after a workout.

[NotBigEnough206]

You will be fine, I worked out before work though and then went to work night shift, got home in the morning and slept.

See if you can hit the gym before work, then shower and head to work.

[TeayotaSoupra]

hah.. I work 12 hour night shifts 7pm-7am but not 5 days a week.. BUT on my days off I work 10am-6pm at my other job.. on the day i'm about to start my 12 hour shift i'll work my other job 10am-2pm.. on days i'm about to start my days off i'll get off my 12 hour job at 7am and then go to my part time job at 2pm... talk about screwed up sched!!!

So that being said if i'm working just the 12 hour job i'll wake up around noonish and go to the gym... then go back home and sleep a bit if I can. If I work just the part time job or both of them i'll go in the am before part time job.. or if i'm going in at 2pm i'll go after the part time job but it's still only about 6pm so it's not too late.

Agreed about not working out after a late shift/needing sleep. I don't imagine your workout would be all that great either. I know I hardly have energy to feed my critters and let the dog out when I get off from my 12 hour job.

You can always squeeze in gym time! Granted what i'm doing probably isn't the healthiest way to do things... but.. i'm still somewhat young...

[Tomski89]

Yup been night shifting 3.5 years now from 9 to 9. Best time for me was to workout prior to my shift because it woke me after sweating and a shower helped too. Only problem i had was when i took a stim packed preworkout i crashed bad so i would try to stay away from those. I feel your pain but after about 2 years of doing it, doesn't bother me anymore and i actually enjoy working nights

[drew160]

I work nights 10pm 8am for 8 yrs now and I've tried both and I like working out before work better I find it helps with my metabolism and fat burning plus after work it gets tempting to just go home and sleep instead of working out oh and working out before work gets ya in the zone for work I feel better at work and don't fell sluggish which is good for me cuz I got a physical job

[Katelyn357]

Wow thanks for all the input! It seems like most of you prefer to workout prior to working at night and sleeping right when you get home so I will for sure start out with that. I also see many of you have a much busier life then me by working more than one job, multiple shifts, or also having children to take care of which basically leaves me with no excuse to not being able to fit it in!

I have 3, 12 hr day shifts this weekend and switch to nights on Monday so I’ll let you know how it goes!

[Soloho]

I have 3, 12 hr day shifts this weekend and switch to nights on Monday so I’ll let you know how it goes!

But she never did... I wonder what happened to Katelyn

[Gigi999]

OMG this thread is from 2011

But I'm on a weird schedule too, which I love btw

I work out from 2am-4:30am then come home and sleep for about 2 hours then go to school and work etc and go to sleep again around 8 or 9pm. On the days I work late (4pm-midnight), I just go to the gym right after and sleep twice as long when I'm home

[samgut]

I have been working night shifts 10pm to 6am. For about 5 years now. I find it easier to work out before my shift. It definitely helps keep me up and alert all night..

[Canadiantuxedo]

I've had graveyard co workers see alot of success doing it just prior to work. Not so much trying after work.

[Thomas232764]

Hi Katelyn357,

I found your thread while looking for answers to the very same questions that you have posted! I too work a 12-hour night shift from 19:00 to 07:00 5-on 5-off 4-on 5-off 5-on 4-off. And find it very difficult to incorporate my workout routine and meal prep while working.

My normal routine is I go to work do my 12 hour night shift, and once I get home I eat my breakfast meal go to bed from 08:00 to 14:00 and get up get my pre-workout meal go to the gym. Come home have another meal and prepare my meals for that night.

I have never tired to go to the gym directly after work because for the simple reason I feel completely exhausted!!! But you can make your own mind up on what works best for you.

My biggest problem is incorporating my meal prep into my daily routine because it takes so much time!! On my days off I am now doing all my meal prep and freezing my cooked meals in advance of working my night shift which will give me an extra hour or two in bed. As you know it is very important to get an adequate amount of sleep 7-8 hours to be clear.

Hope that helps,
Thomas

[nightowlfit]

I have worked out for years right after the end of my shift. But honestly it really does come down to personal preference. As a father of three getting kids off the bus around 3 means I haven't been able to work out as soon as I get up. However one day I hope to have a home gym which will help with that.

Studies actually show that many night shift workers actually fall asleep before their melatonin production is at its highest which is actually a couple hours after your shift ends usually. However due to schedules there usually isn't anything you can do. Lots of sites will say have a big carb meal before bed. This is bad as it causes an insulun spike that will eventually come back down when you are asleep. When it does it will wake you up.

[dianedane2018]

I’m medical laboratory technologist been to gym for 2 years now and working out before night shift is best time for me than working out after shift because it’s kinda exhausting right after and feeling not focused while driving. So I suggest to workout before work.

My shift starts at 11pm to 730am and I usually sleep between 10 earliest and late as 12nn. I’ll go straight sleep and wake up 630pm head to gym and start at 730 I will finish like 9pm take shower and get ready by 9-10 at the gym (because I usually bring stuff like uniforms etc) then drive 1030 to work .. it works really well for me no rush and smoothly

[kbbroiler]

Ok I work permanent nights 11pm to 7am and 1130 pm to 730 am and I workout after work. It's funny I was curious to see if this was a good idea or not. A lot of people do it before work. I could do that but I like to do my part-time Uber/Lyft job in the evenings. Also, I find I can do what I have to do and get it done sooner than if I went in the evenings. Any feedback?