Ever work overnights?

[sparks19]

I used to work overnights at a coffee shop (Tim Hortons) many moons ago. I actually liked working overnights. it was just myself and an older lady that I got along with really well, it was just the two of us overnight and there were less grumpy "I haven't had my morning coffee" customers lol. the customers we did get were always... interesting LOL. You know the saying "they only come out at night".... yeah lol it's true

but I always felt like I never got anything done during the day. I was always tired at the end of work so I would go home and go straight to bed and then by the time I got up it seemed like I didn't have time to do much before going in to work at 11 pm (11-7). that was the only thing I didn't like and eventually I switched back to days because I felt like a recluse lol. I never got to see anyone or do anything it seemed.

 

[Fran101]

I've done it (library help desk)
I worked 8 PM-5 AM for quite a while on weekends.

I hated it. Lots of red bull, and at least I was allowed to watch movies on my computer when nothing was going in.

but still, ZERO social life. Slept til 5 PM the next day usually lol

 

[96 GTS]

I did it for a while and didn't like it very much. I got paid more because of it but it still wasn't worth it. I think it would work if that was the ONLY shift you got, but working both days and nights in the same week is terrible.

The hardest part for me was the drive home just as the sun was coming up. It was so hard not to nod off. I definitely had a couple close calls.

 

[Miakoda]

I did a few stints at an emergency vet clinic. A few times, I'd work from 2-10'ish at my main clinic, and then work 11-8 at the emergency clinic. I don't mind working nights. But as a mom to 3 young boys, I can't figure out how I'd manage.

 

[Moth]

I have worked both 8 hour and 12 hour overnight shifts... I didn't mind the working at night that part was actually not bad for me.

The hard part was on 12 hour nights in winter I never saw daylight.

I also did not like the fact that most of my social circle was on daytime hours...it made doing things difficult.

 

[Sweet72947]

I've never worked overnights, but I did work nights and weekends for a few years. I usually worked noon-9. Which wouldn't've been too bad, except that my two roommates - my best friends - worked completely opposite schedules (7am-4pm, and 4am-noon) so we pretty much never saw each other and were always yelling at somebody for making too much noise while somebody else was trying to sleep.

ZOMG this sounds just like my life right now! My roommate works nights while me and my other roommate work days (well, our schedules are 12am-8am, 7am-12pm and 8 or 9am to 5pm or something, respectively). We mostly worked out the noise thing, although my roommate on the night shift has been having tremendous difficulties sleeping during the day because we live off a very busy street where there is constant traffic, and sometimes that guy in his ghetto neon with the spray-painted rims (everything on that car is painted black) likes to go outside and rev his super loud engine right below our apartment. And lately there as been a lot of sirens from the cops, fire trucks and ambulances going into the ghetto apartment complex down the street. People stab each other, shoot each other, and get hopped up on PCP down there all the time.

Me and my other roommate try really hard to be quiet. If we watch the TV (rare) we put on the subtitles. We speak quietly. We try to keep the dog from barking. But she still gets bothered. A lot of the problem though is that she doesn't keep herself on the same schedule. On her days off she stays up all day so she can do stuff with people because she gets lonely, and then she grabs a nap and stays up all night when its time to go to work. Its not good for her. I think she may seriously have that Shift Work Sleep Disorder that Dreeza posted.

 

[Zizzy35]

I worked into the wee hours of the night while in college as a bartender.
Now I work normal 9-5 or whatever.
My husband works nights.

I actually prefer the opposite a little. I like having the bed to myself, plus he is home all day with the dog.
He's worked nights since before we were together, and I'm just used to it.

 

[sillysally]

I have found my best time to work (for my internal clock) is 4pm-12am. I did work midnights (12am-8 am) and it sucked. I had a hard time getting to sleep, and then I could never sleep long enough when I did. I worked that shift for a year and a half and I eventually just started randomly falling asleep places. I fell asleep in the car with the engine running and the car in park a few times. Once was right in front of my house and someone called the cops thinking I was passed out drunk. I once fell asleep at a stop light. The turning point for me when I got into an accident. In was minor and everyone was ok. I was awake at the time of the accident but was just so tired ALL.THE.TIME. that I was not as alert as I should have been and if I had been more alert I probably could have avoided what happened. I was also hungry all the time. I feel like that was just a lost period of my life-lol.

Now, some people do great on the shift. There are a couple of women at work that have worked it for years and years and don't want to work any other shift.

 

[96 GTS]

I also think there's a big difference between working nights and working overnights. I put the distinction as whether or not the sun is up when you get done. I can work until 4am just fine, since it still feels light night when I'm done, and I can go home and go to bed at "night."

I feel like there's a big psychological and physiological difference between getting home when it's still dark and getting home in the daylight. Getting home when it was bright out just really really threw me off.

 

[Southpaw]

I also think there's a big difference between working nights and working overnights. I put the distinction as whether or not the sun is up when you get done. I can work until 4am just fine, since it still feels light night when I'm done, and I can go home and go to bed at "night."

I feel like there's a big psychological and physiological difference between getting home when it's still dark and getting home in the daylight. Getting home when it was bright out just really really threw me off.

That would probably screw me up too. Not that I have any problem sleeping during the day lol, but crawling into bed for the first time when the sun is already up would definitely take some getting used to. Maybe if I were tired enough I wouldn't really care. :dunno:

I don't even know how qualified I am for the job, I applied but won't be surprised if I never hear anything. I'd have to have a clear picture of what the hours would be before I could make any decision about it... but I have a feeling it would be one of those, "get home when the sun is up" kind of things.

I know my brother does overnights sometimes and he doesn't care for it much, but in general I think he's more of a "day" person than I am. Plus he's married with kids so that probably makes it suck more. Guess it's one of those things you just have to experience yourself before you'll know if it's doable or not.

 

[crazedACD]

I did overnights for about three months to fill in stocking at a grocery store. I actually really enjoyed the shift, but I think it was because I was working 10-12 hour shifts (8pm until 6-8am) and had a lot of free time otherwise. I had a problem sleeping during the summer with the daytime heat pouring in and no a/c (not possible in that room). I was ok staying up during the day if I needed to. I do remember an emergency that really stressed me out one morning and while riding with my mom in the car, I fell asleep while dialing a number in the cell phone. That really scared me.

I also lost a lot (I mean a lot) of weight working overnights, I'm not sure why.