Graveyard Shift Help!

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. I am looking for advice on how to adjust to the graveyard shift. I will be working 10 pm to 6 am.

Does anyone have any experience with this? When did you sleep? When did you eat? When did you work out?

Over the last 3 years I have lost 40 pounds, and I will be damned if I am going to put it back on.

Thanks in advance!

[quote]Astrozombie wrote:
Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster. I am looking for advice on how to adjust to the graveyard shift. I will be working 10 pm to 6 am.

Does anyone have any experience with this? When did you sleep? When did you eat? When did you work out?

Over the last 3 years I have lost 40 pounds, and I will be damned if I am going to put it back on.
Thanks in advance![/quote]

I have worked all shifts.
all I can say is you get used to it.
even though the times change the routine didnt.
mine was like this

wake up around 4 or 5pm eat shower go to the gym. Leave gym no later than 8pm get to work by 9pm or 930 relax in the break room eat something watch tv whatever untill 10pm start work

breaks every couple hours eat during breaks eat lunch ect like normal
off at 700 be in bed by 9am sleep till bout 5pm or so do it all over again
still had enough for an hour or 2 in the gym every day
I dont care for a social life so it was fine for me Iactually like graveyards more for some reason.

Thank you! Did you ever try going to the gym right after work, going about your business, then going to bed in the afternoon to then wake up and go to work?

[quote]Astrozombie wrote:
Thank you! Did you ever try going to the gym right after work, going about your business, then going to bed in the afternoon to then wake up and go to work?[/quote]

when I worked nights at a cola bottler I was working in production which was easy job but had alot of lifting.
I found that I did better if I worked out before work because then i had a few hours to relax and recover before work and I was kind of like warmed up.

now if i had a busy day like say my day off then ya I would go to the gym and then handle personal bussiness then try and sleep. or if i was doing a max effort day I would wait till after work to do that I had a ful days rest

I guess it depends on what you do because when I was working overnight cashier stuff I would go to the gym after work.

My job is pretty sedentary, however, there is a gym in the basement. I was thinking about working out at “lunch,” then going to the gym again when I get home.
Where I work, people either love nights or hate it, nothing in between.

[quote]Astrozombie wrote:
My job is pretty sedentary, however, there is a gym in the basement. I was thinking about working out at “lunch,” then going to the gym again when I get home.
Where I work, people either love nights or hate it, nothing in between. [/quote]

that would be cool to get in a little work out during lunch

but the main thing is whatever you like really.
try it if your too tired or whatever try something else.

and ya its a love hate thing I know alot of people hate it cause the yahve no life outside work cause there is not enough time
me I liked it cause I dont like people.

My job is also rather sedentary.I work 10pm to 6am Sun/thur. I usually workout m/w/fri. I go home feed the dog then head off to the gym. I try to work out for approx. 1hr,doing squats,dl,can’t bench do to shoulder probs,so i do dbbp,hammys,abs,1 or 2 asst. exercises. usually lay down around 1pm. sleep till 8pm.
best thing is gym not really crowded at 6in the am. not hard to get used to,just make sure you get your rest time.

I don’t get up quite as early as you (I’m at the gym by 1am)

The (2) hardest things for me to get used were:

Going to bed when it was still light outside (stapled a blackout cloth over the window which helped a lot).

Going to bed with all the kids in the neighborhood still outside making all kinds of noise (put an AC unit in the window to create a constant noise that I got used to).

Its been a few days since I’ve switched over. The first couple nights were really rough. With the help of melatonin I’ve been sleeping fine and feel good. I feel rested when I wake up in the afternoon, not like the hell I used to go through trying to wake up at 4:30 AM. So far so good. Thanks for your suggestions!

As long as you’re doing/taking something to ensure a good night’s sleep, you should handle the 3rd shift much better than I did. Whatever else comes up, just get that sleep, or else your health, state of mind, and everything you work for in the gym will fall to pieces.

When I worked the graveyard shift (in an actual funeral home, by the way), I preferred to go to sleep soon after I got home in the morning. That way, I gave myself some time to work with in case I overslept so I wouldn’t be late. Then I’d have the whole evening to find time to work out, as I was making sure I wouldn’t fall back asleep. I found if I waited until morning, I was risking accidentally falling asleep before I could work out.

Now, if you have a good enough gym at your job, that sounds like the best option.

Good luck with the graveyard, man.

Find the darkest room of the house to sleep in. Blankets on windows work . IMO