This week I had to work a daylight shift. I know that many, many people prefer this early morning ritual and are not happy when a night shift is assigned to their schedule. However, I am not one of those; I am the opposite. Weird, I know.
When I saw 7A in a somewhat faded copy of the schedule, my first thought was "Ah, my spectacles need cleaned." I cleaned them, looked at the schedule again, and there it was. 7A. Ewwww.
Reason #1 to not like dayshift: I don't like to get up early and 4:30am is beyond ridiculous.
Example: The night before a dayshift, I don't sleep well. I worry about getting up on-time and I am wired to be night-shift. So, I set two alarm clocks for two different times and hoped that at least one would wake me up. But then, I couldn't get to sleep. I had good intentions, but it was 12:30am before I really started to be tired. I guess three hours of sleep is better than none. Guess when I was finally in a good sleep pattern? 4:25am. Not even the cows are awake then. Or roosters for that matter. It's just not natural I tell you.
Reason #2 to not like dayshift: The roads are usually worse, if the weather is bad.
Example: The dreaded 7A morning arrived and I was up (by a miracle: see Reason #1) and ready to go by 0520. (It takes me a good hour to get to work and that's why I get up and leave so early.) I went outside and it was raining. Okay. I can deal with rain. The thermometer in my car read 23 degrees. I frowned, but tested the road once I got off the driveway and it seemed to be okay. Deciding to take my time, I pointed my nose North and headed to work. Eight miles from my house, I could feel my traction abandoning me and my car. Rounding a corner, there was a wreck, not a bad one but one that blocked the way with no real alternative to getting around it. I sat. I waited. I called work to say I would be late. After sitting for 75 minutes, we were given the go-ahead and I was headed North once again. I figured this was a sign: I am not meant to be a daylight person.
Reason #3 to not like dayshift: It's not my normal and when I work it, I feel like a rabbit in a tree.
Example: When I work 7p, I know when I like to do vital signs, what time to feed the babies, and so on. Put me on daylight, and it all feels wrong. Then, even worse, it threw me off kilter for the next night I worked. I had my dates all wrong. I was scatterbrained. I would go to do something and forget what it was. Not good. Just keep me in my element. I am sure my coworkers would agree. They feel the same way about night shift that I do about days.
Of course, if I did all daylight shift, I might feel different. My internal clock would reset itself. I wouldn't have to drive home sleepy all the time. My metabolism might just come alive again. But 4:30am? Ewwwww. How about 8:00am? I could do that.
But then again, as long as there are hospitals and there are sick people that need care, somebody has to be awake in the wee hours of the night. Why not me? I generally can sleep during the day and I really do prefer the quiet nights. Something about sleeping babies at night is just sweet. For now though, if this is where I am meant to be, I'll do the nights. Not because I truly love them all that much, but because I can tolerate them, and if this week is any indication, mixing my days and nights is a recipe for disaster. I was really starting to wonder if dementia has a sudden onset and if I was it's next victim.
Oh, if by any chance any of you are nearby the hospital at about 0400, please feel free to drop by with Starbucks Coffee. The Night-Shifters would salute you. You would be my hero.
Love,
Dianne
No comments:
Post a Comment