Nightshift Workers- Pros and Cons of Working 11 PM- 9AM
 

I'm considering taking a night shift job. I'm looking at either a 2:30 to 11 PM position with odd (varying schedule) days off and every other weekend or taking a night shift position with 10:45 PM- 9:00 AM with 7 days on and 7 days off.

Anyone ever work nights, still working nights? What do you like/dislike about it?

I'm single, no kids.

Either way, at some point if I'm doing well I might be given the opportunity to get a 7-3 time slot.

Night crew gets $1.00 more per hour. Both have full benefits.

Is there a shift premium?

I work 9-7, 4 on 3 off. It is awesome, $.50 differential, get good action, usually time to do paperwork.

The night crew gets $1.00 more per hour.

I was working 4:00p-4:30a Mon-thur

I took the shift because it carried a $2/hr shift premium.

I've done it in the past. It's great because you get time during the day to take care of errands.....or you can say **** it and sleep in if you want.

The only downfall.....you can go out partying until you get off of work.

I work rotating 12 hour shifts. Typically 3 days one week and 4 the next. We work all our night shifts in one run of 7 straight nights. Every 4th week we get 7 days off. All in all we work 14 days a month.

I love my schedule and wouldn't want to go back to the proverbial 9-5. Not enough time off to really enjoy it.

That's why I enjoy it. If I get off on time around 7 am, i usually try to wake up around 3. Gives me plenty of time to do whatever I need to do.

**** that mess.....i don't think my body is biologically equipped to sleep in the middle of the day

I loved it when I had the 3rd shift. All the big bosses are at home in bed so there is less stress to be on your best behavior plus you get paid more to do the same job. Since you don't have kids or a wife, it's a win win for you. I'd say go for it

You never spend any money because you work -> sleep -> work. Its ok for a little while but IMO its gets old.

Blackout curtains are great. After the first week or so, you get used to it

I currently work weird hours, some days, swings and overnights: (Make my own hours, sorta). I uses to like working swings, it sucks now. I hate overnights because I've been doing days since 1999. It's a lot tougher to adjust when you get a little older.

I will agree with this.....my green room has blackout curtains.

And blackout posters.....with blacklights.

fun times

7 on & 7 off would give him plenty of time to spend his new found wealth

Con, early death

Worked a nightshift back in law school days (paid better than clerking). Midnight to 0900, if I recall correctly. Best part: softball (beer league) started at 1000 a.m.. Worst part: family completely on a different schedule (I imagine in some cases this would be an additional benefit.).

I loved working swing shift when I was single. I'm a night owl anyway so it worked well for me. The biggest key is to make sure you get into a regular sleeping habit. I would come home from work and go straight to sleep and then get up early afternoon which gave me all afternoon and the evening free. Dating could be a challenge, though.

The worst shift was the 1 pm to 9 pm shift. That pretty much screwed up the whole day.

Sounds brutal

Did that for a while. Seven days on, twelve hour shifts. Then seven days off. The weeks off were great but the week on I hated life. Gave my metabolism a boost, though. I didn't eat as much because I was asleep when most people were eating. It was ok in that at the time I had no wife or kid. Now, though I think it would destroy my marriage.

I've done both of those shifts. They're ok. They give you a chance to get stuff done during the day. The problem I had with the 2:30 start was that I would sort of spend all day watching the clock until I had to go in.
The night shift was weird because I didn't know the best time to drink during the week. Some guys would go right after work, because we were near Kodak and they did night shifts, so there was a bar open in the morning. But, I don't know, there weren't women there to pick up, so what's the point.

Get heavy duty tin foil for the windows and expect to have to use something to help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

Yeah, it's not a quality sleep. Waking up in the afternoon made me feel like crap. Then if you just sit and watch TV for two or three hours you feel even worse.

I'm also single, also childless, and just coming off of a one-year stint on thirds. My best advice: Avoid it like the plague.

At first it seems like it has certain advantages - no phone calls from customers, the place is nice and quiet, go to the bank during the day if you want - but over time it drags you down. It's not natural for a human being to sleep when it's light outside, so you get more and more tired over time and it weighs on your health.

Also, over the weekend (or whenever your days off are), you have the choice of drastically changing your sleeping schedule back and forth in a short amount of time, or staying on the same schedule and sleeping while the whole world is up, and enjoying the day, and doing things, and having fun.

It ruins your social life, it ruins your health, it ruins your outlook on life, and for about another $25 a week, after taxes? Not worth it at all.

I kind of felt like I was with the misfits when I worked the overnight.

Starting in the early 80's from age 18-25 I worked from 11pm -6am as a newspaper pressman. It paid incredibly well, the benefits were great, and aside from missing some nights out with friends, it was pretty damn good. I was single and that is a HUGE advantage. It is very tough on marriages and if you have a steady girlfriend or are trying to meet girls, that's a big negative, We rarely had to work the full shift and if we did go past finishing time, we got overtime at 1 1/2 times pay. Other crazy benefits with girls and drinking during the shift but that's for another time.

I worked the 11-7 shift for 2.5 years and at first I loved it, woke up at 3 had all day to do whatever but then it became work - sleep - work. Even when awake it just felt like I was sleepwalking. Since switching to a more normal 9-5 in the past year I've lost about 20 pounds and just feel healthier

I did it for a summer job once. The rest of the world doesn't care that you sleep during the day. If you live in a rural setting it probably doesn't matter. If you live in a community with kids, landscapers, garbage trucks, etc., then it might take a while for you to sleep thru the stuff.

I loved it I was single I worked 10pm to 7am. I loved the dirty looks buying beer at 7am. I don't like being large groups of people and having a 24 hr Walmart to myself. Since most people work during the day the apartments were always quiet.

The late shift got to me as I got older. It's a young person's shift.

Working graveyard has some advantages:

You sleep when the wife is at work

You aer awake and have time to spend with the wife and family when she gets off work

You are working while your wife is sleeping


Disadvantages:

Sleeping during the day sucks and is hard to adjust too

You miss all the great infomercials on TV at 2:00 am

Your wife has all night to spend with her boyfriend


Since you have no wife or kids then I think you're ok

I have worked 4pm-12am or some variation of that for about 10 yrs and love it. It's my preferred shift overall. Could cause an issue with the kids, but I work from home two nights a week and get an extra day off every other week.

Our off shifts get 10% extra from 6pm-6am M-F. Sat-Sun its 20% extra from 6am-6pm and an extra 10% from 6pm-6am.

I worked 4:00-1:30 and IT SUCKED ASS! I missed out on everything! No time with family or friends. I ****ing hated it. I would much rather work 11pm-8:00 am and have my evenings free.

Tried it one time, I only lasted a month. Never could get used to it.

If you're working for a dealer you're getting screwed.

Some very varying opinions on this topic.

Personally between the two...I'd take the graveyard shift. Working 2:30-11:00 will suck hairy balls. Especially if you are single. You will have 0 social life.

I worked 11:30 to 7:30 and it was cool. I would want the shedule just to have the 7 days off. You only work 2 weeks a month. The time off is worth it.

I'd go with the 7 on/off in a second.

I worked 11pm to 8am for one week back in 1986.

Never again. No ****ing way.

Human beings are made to sleep at night, not work through it.

Congrats to those that can pull it off. It is definitely not for me.

It kind of amazes me how many people have said they couldn't get used to it. I worked a 9 pm to 6 am for three years and took to it right away. I guess we are all different.

The hours eventually morphed to a 5:30 pm to 2:30 am shift and that was even better. I would work that shift again in a heartbeat.

That said, for the last 18 years, I have been working four 10's, 5am - 3 pm. I still haven't adapted and have the worst time getting up at 4 am, even after all this time.

I'm only in the office 5 days every two weeks, so it's not too bad for me. As the kids get older and more involved in things it is more difficult, but with my current schedule its something I can deal with.

Plus it's been a godsend as far as child care costs go. Our kids have never been to a sitter or daycare and we love that part.

I don't mind it but people mow their lawns and jack hammer in the middle of the day.

Shit, my neighbor fires his jackhammer up as early as 7am sometimes.

I'm pretty sure I would hate that schedule, unless it was like ridiculous money

here in Boston there is a gas emergency every other month when they start jack hammering at 2am!!! it's awesome.

I worked nights in college for a while, and it's ****ed me up for my entire adult life. I've been trying for 20 years to sustain a 'normal' sleeping pattern, and I just can't. Hence me posting at 1 am.

On my job we bid every 6 months or so so I usually switch back and forth, I like days in the summer and nights in the winter.
You must be able to sleep during the day or you will be miserable, I have a dark room in my house that looks like night in the middle of the day... You have to train your family and friends to not call you during the day... Vitamin D you get from the sun will improve your mood, get atleast 15 mins of sunlight on your face a day and it will make you feel better.

Pro's - The people are usually nicer and more laid back and the big bosses are not around to **** with you. Night usually pays more.

Cons- You never get used to it, You feel like a Zombie when you want to do things during the day . Sometimes it makes you feel isolated when you are sleeping when everyone is awake and they are sleeping when you are awake. It will **** up your social life.

Unless you live in Guru's neighborhood and there are some noisy dogs.

People jack hammer their lawns? :hmmm:

I have worked over nights, 12am - 8am. That was in my younger days (late teens and then again in mid 20s). It wasn't all that bad. But as my kids got older, day shift was much better for me. I have been working normal 8-4:30 day shift for 14.5 years now. I don't think there's any way I could ever go back to a night shift now. My body clock is just too used to day hours. I know this because even on my days off I still get up around 7am.

I started out liking it but it is quickly taking its toll on me. I just got off work, am tired but not ready to crash. I get cranky alot. I either don't get enough sleep and be up for two days and nights & then on my nights off sleep for 16 hours. They switch my night schedule around each week so it's hard get into a routine. For what I get paid it's not worth it. Going go for my CDL and hope to make sum big bucks. Stress over bills is draining me down.

Naa, you could do it if you had to.

3rd shift is tough but I like it better then 2nd shift. If you can ever pull off a swing shift (2-3 2nds, 2-3 1sts) do that instead. Also it depends on the neighbors, if you live in an apartment it can be ****ing impossible to sleep during the day. Its not the best thing but can be worse.

I could and would if I absolutely had to. But I can tell you that there is no way I'd look for that kind of shift.

I used to work 10pm-7am. It was nice at first because it was something different. Once the excitement wore off I found myself getting tired and all my life had become was sleep, eat and work. I would sleep way longer than needed. I now work 5am-130pm and I love it.

In your situation I don't know what I would do. Is there a choice to go back if it doesn't work out for you? The only issue I would have is you schedule would be really out of whack. There would be no real acclimation to the overnights because you're swapping on/off for 7 days.

No I wouldn't either but I still have to do it and I have been at the job I work for 18 yrs

Don't get suckered and remember all recruiters lie... Oh.. Main thing... Go into LTL trucking, that's where the money is.

I work 7p - 7a 3 days a week and have for the past 8 years. My kids are grown and only have 1 living at home so being able to sleep isn't a huge deal for me. Have worked a set schedule, a schedule where it varied from week to week and it's alot easier if you have a set schedule cause your body can somewhat adjust to it easier imo. Even doing it as long as I have I still go through periods of feeling like hammered dog shit. Usually only happens about once every 3-4 months. Working 7 on then 7 off will have it's advantages which have all been mentioned in here, but for your first couple days off you probably still won't feel right unless you maintain a night shift schedule on your days off. I have seen people do that, it works for some, kinda just depends on your lifestyle.

Night shifts aren't for everybody, have seen some really try and they were miserable no matter how much sleep they got during the day. Personally I really like it and would probably have a hard time going to a day shift now.

I did it many years ago before becoming the boss. When I left that shift and started working day hours ( and sleeping at night like my body was meant to do) I finally realized how crappy I felt physically from doing it. Retiring now but I still have some of my techs working nights - they get an extra 10% so that gives them about an extra $140 a week. But, it's really unhealthy and can effect cholesterol and other things in a negative way. Make sure you do your research about the health impacts before you make your decision and wiegh out the pros and cons. Good luck!!

I worked night shift and I hated it. I was miserable and always feeling sluggish, Lethargic, irritable, I just couldn't focus or concentrate. These symptoms were just due to lack of sleep.

Working night shift causes your body to not work in conjunction with the earth's time cycle. As a result, that throws a lot of things off. Especially it's ability to effectively produce and release hormones like melatonin.

When you work night shift you are more exposed to light than normal. I do know that light inhibits the production of melatonin. You need that hormone to help relax you so that you can sleep better. The only way your body produces this hormone effectively is at night when there is no light exposure. But, when your body does not work in conjunction with the earth's time cycle, expect to deal with the consequences of having insufficient melatonin production. And that will affect your quality of sleep.

Plus, working night shift for 7 days on and then having 7 days off will most likely mean that your body will follow an inconsistent sleeping schedule. Chances are you will sleep during the day when you work, and at night when you don't work.
That will disrupt your sleep. Your body won't be able to adapt to whatever sleeping schedule comes your way because it is always changing from week to week and has to constantly adjust in the process.

That's tough. I wouldn't do the night shift if I were you. I'd rather do the afternoon shift schedule from 2 to 11. If you have that option to choose from, then that's a lot better for you and your health. Nightshift is kinda scary. Working night shift increases the risk of accidents. Think about it? You have a sleep deficit and a lack of concentration not good especially when driving home. Something to think about.

The only thing I liked about working nights....there was nothing like the feeling you get when you can crack a beer at 7 am and throw a steak on the grill while everyone else is heading off to work.

I dunno, but working until 10 every night will drop AIDS on your social life for sure.

I absolutely loved working evenings (referring to your 2:30pm-11pm shift). You may lose some social opportunities at night, but it's not like you're working every night, and the nights off vary. Seven days on and seven days off may sound appealing, but I hated the overnight shift. You'll be non-existent the weeks you work, and probably spend more time than you think sleeping on the weeks you have off. Everybody's different though. I was at my sharpest in the evenings, and the scene was more laid back once the front office left at 5pm.

That ain't working nights thats not even 2nd shift

Graveyard shift is really hard on your body. It's for young people, that's for sure.

When I was in radio back in the 1980s I worked Midnight to Six air shift for three straight years, six nights a week. I was going to grad school at the same time, and working at a TV station on the weekend as a camera man. Very hard to get decent sleep during the day, especially if you live in an apartment. I'd never do it again, that's for sure.

Dear god. Did it come with free access to a suicide hotline?

I did the same thing. In the summer time when I came home at 5:30 - 6am I would stop at the local supermarket, pick up a steak, stop at the liquor store for beer (they don't sell beer or wine in supermarkets in NJ) and grill a steak and drink Heineken's on the back porch. My Mom would just shake her head when she saw me out there pounding a few beers.

:clap:

I worked 2nd shift for a while at my first job out of college. Sucked balls. It was bass-ackwards. I like to wake up and go to work. In my 2nd shift rotation I woke up and sat around watching the clock tick until it was time to go to work. Oh, I'd do the errands thing, but going to work was hanging over my head.

My dad worked the 11pm - 7am shift at a care facility a few years ago. He worked that shift Tuesday through Friday. The problem was that he tried to sleep on a "normal" schedule the other days. He was a complete zombie for the year he did that.

I kept telling him he had to sleep at the same time every day whether he worked or not or his body would never get used to it but he wouldn't listen. I'm only his kid; what would I know? :shake: I was surprised it didn't kill him as he's in his 60's and has heart problems.

Some good information in this thread.

Thanks guys.