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Having a life while working nights
is easier than you think.  
Yes, it can be done! And it doesn't necessarily mean that you must confine yourself to associating with vampires. What you can expect, however, depends on how often you are on night shift. Is it occasionally? No big deal – have a regular life like everyone else. Or, are you on permanent nights? And if you are on permanent nights, is it three 12-hour shifts, four eight-hour shifts, or four 12-hour shifts? Even on a permanent rotation of three 12-hour night shifts, you have four days in which to live like the day folks. And how much sleep do you need? Are you one of those people who is perfectly happy and functional on four to five hours a day? Or are you one of those people who hopes reincarnation is real so you can come back as a dog and spend most of your life asleep? Here are some strategies to consider. For the sake of argument, let's assume you are single: Find friends and potential significant others who sometimes or always work the night shift such as hospital colleagues, EMS professionals, police officers, factory workers, air traffic controllers, and rock musicians. But where do you find these people? • At 24-hour fitness clubs.
• Have a dog? Meet fellow
shift workers at odd hours in a dog park.
• Find 24-hour grocery
stores or stores that have extended hours.
• Take advantage of (cheaper!)
late-afternoon movie matinees before work.
• With your ability to
stay awake, going to bars, pubs, dance clubs, and
concerts at night will not be a problem! But do it
on your nights off lest, even if you don't drink,
you show up at work smelling like a distillery.
• Does the hospital have
a social committee with special functions for the
night-shift people? If not, why not set one up? And to keep up with having a life in general: • Cultivate the joy of
breakfast and brunch, and meet friends for one of
these meals instead of the standard lunch, coffee,
or dinner.
• Don't have time to go
to the 24-hour grocery store? Or maybe your new significant
other doesn't want you loitering about these places,
since you met her/him at one? Use an online grocery
delivery service.
• Jog, walk, or cycle in
the morning before heading to bed – unless
exercising gets you too pumped to sleep, then do
it in the evening. But the added bonus of doing such
a workout in the morning is that, as you head home,
you can laugh at all the poor suckers going to work.
• Are you into crafts or
taking courses? These activities can often be done
in the afternoon or evening before your shift. (And,
of course, online courses can be done at any time.)
• Want to volunteer? No
problem. Volunteering often occurs in afternoons
or evenings.
• Go shopping and to appointments
before you head off to bed or before you go to work.
• Get off permanent nights! Discuss This ArticleHave something you'd like to say? Tell us what you think! Read and post comments for this article. Like this article? Read more! Browse our archive of 1,060 articles. Also, see our master index of all MedHunters articles! Find a JobChoose your career: MedHunters is the world's biggest healthcare job board. Our job directory has 16,933 jobs with 2,393 hospitals and other direct employers. We want you to find your next job on MedHunters. Need Help? Call us at 1-888-884-8242, email us at info@medhunters.com or sign up now. Have an article or story for MedHunters? Email us today at submissions@medhunters.com. |
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