Hello and welcome to the world of those who work at ungodly hours, while everyone they know is blissfully asleep! This post is dedicated to all those who clock in at 5 or 6 am and to those assigned to the graveyard shift. What you’re going to discuss here are issues the 9-5 crowd wouldn’t understand. Learn to survive 1st and 3rd shift.
If you’ve just starting 1st or 3rd shifts you’ll need a few pointers, as this sort of work requires certain changes to your lifestyle. One thing you need to know from the very beginning is that it is doable, you can survive working brutal hours, and stay healthy (and happy!) if you follow these tips.
We’ll give you an overview of 1st and 3rd shift jobs, hours, advantages, and disadvantages. Afterwords, we provide some helpful guidelines for a successful and healthy career.
1st Shift Hours
- 4 am – 12 pm
- 5 am – 1 pm
- 6 am – 2 pm
- 7 am – 3 pm
- 8 am – 4 pm
- 9 am – 5 pm (regular hours)
- Anything Between (Sometimes 12-hour Shifts)
1st Shift Jobs
- Healthcare/Hospital
- Police
- Firefighters
- EMTs
- Customers Service
- Grocery/Retail
- Hospitality
- Many Others
3rd Shift Hours
- 9 pm – 5 am
- 10 pm – 6 am
- 11 pm – 7 am
- 12 am – 8 am
- Others Depending on the Company
3rd Shift Jobs
- Healthcare/Hospital
- Police
- Firefighters
- EMTs
- Factory
- Manufacturing
- Hotel Services
- Cleaning Services
- Maintenance
- Security
Oftentimes if you have a job at a company open 24/7, you will be working swing shifts. If you are doing this with 1st and 3rd, you may need some help surviving. Here are some guidelines to follow to stay happy and healthy, while keeping a great work-life balance. Also, working 2nd shift? Check this article out.
Build a Support Group – 1st and 3rd shift
Starting work on the 1st shift is not such a major change as doing night shifts, still, for some people, like school bus drivers, this might mean waking up at 3 am so they can get to work before 5 am. How can you wake up in the middle of the night without feeling a complete weirdo? The same goes for those working the graveyard shift who emerge bleary-eyed from an exhausting 12-hour shift into the bright world of mourning commuters with their rosy cheeks and perfect makeup.
If you want to keep feeling normal, you need to sit down and talk with your partner and family members about the changes your new job implies. The people around you should understand you will need to sleep at different hours and their cooperation is required.
Even for a nurse who’ll have to wake up at 5 am to be able to get to the hospital by 7 am, this means he or she will be very grumpy if someone in the house is watching the TV at a loud volume when it’s almost midnight.
Working at different hours than the vast majority means you won’t be able to do certain things at ‘normal’ hours like ‘normal’ people. Since I suspect you’re not doing this for fun, you need to make it clear to the people in your life they will need to adjust their schedule a bit and support you the best they can.
Don’t Play Superhero
If you’re a dedicated nurse or doctor, you might be a hero for your patients, but don’t try to demonstrate superpowers in real life – life outside the hospital I mean.
Trying to keep up with the 9-5 folks and their schedule is not doable. Short term, yes you can force yourself to stay up after a 12-hour shift to take the kids to school and do the bedrooms or stuff like that. Yes, another cup of coffee or an energy drink might keep you going for a few more hours, but you risk ruining your health and it’s not worth it.
Whether you need to be in bed by 9 pm to be able to get up at 5 am, or on the contrary, you get home at 8 am completely crushed, ignore anyone bustling with the energy around you, and go to bed. It’s bad enough that your circadian rhythm is messed up by your unusual work schedule, don’t stress your body further by denying it or delaying the rest it craves.
Cherish the me-time: 1st and 3rd Shift
One of the most annoying thins with working odd hours is that you find yourself with free time on your hands while your best friends are at work.
Let’s say you get off work at 3 pm and all your friends are at work. You have to wait for a couple of hours until they can meet you for coffee so use this time to pamper yourself. You work hard and you deserve it.
Go to the gym or take a walk in the park and enjoy the fact that such places are rather deserted at 3 pm. Book a facial or have your nails done and by the time your friends are ready to meet you, you’ll be looking and feeling fabulous and not like the weirdo that wakes up at 5 am.
If you opt to stay in shape during your me time, here are some great articles:
Eat healthy: 1st and 3rd Shift
Working at odd hours should not be used as an excuse to eat junk food. On the contrary, since altering your sleep routine is already taxing on your body you should compensate by eating better than you used to.
When your shift starts at 5 or 6 am you might be tempted to grab as much sleep as you can and skip breakfast. Who needs breakfast at 4 am? Well, you do, obviously, and you should sit down and have a hearty meal to give you energy.
People who work the night shift are lucky in respect to that. Indeed, it’s lucky that when it’s time for your ‘lunch’ break at 3 am there are no junk-food places open. Unless you want to feast on the sorry-looking snacks in the vending machine, you should use the opportunity to bring in a packed lunch and make it healthy.
- Healthy Eating Tips: 10 Ways to Change Your Life
- Healthy Food for Weight Loss: 7 Easy Ways to Start Your Day
Most of the 9-5 people eat all sorts of expensive crap for lunch because they’re ashamed to bring a packed lunch with them, in case their colleagues might think they’re cheap or cannot afford to eat out. The good thing about the night shift is that at 3 in the morning those you work with are pretty beat themselves and have better things to do than judge your eating habits. Bring something healthy to eat, heat it in the microwave if you can, and don’t forget about a piece of fruit! The unlucky bastard who forgot to bring something yummy to eat will envy you!
Establish a sleep routine
Whether you’re just starting working the 1st or the 3rd shift, this means you’ll have to alter your sleep pattern and for the first week at least it will seem weird. When you have to be up at 4 or 5 am you need to hit the sack pretty early. Going to bed at 9 pm is quite unusual as a grown-up and sleep won’t come easy.
The best thing you can do is try and trick your body into thinking it’s later than that. Eat your dinner early and then take a nice long bath. Use some lavender essential oil to help you relax.
If you like to watch a TV show in the evening, pull down the shades and settle down in bed by 7 pm and pretend it’s 9 or 10 pm.
A glass of alcohol might make you a bit drowsy, but it’s not the best choice as it affects the quality of your sleep and you risk waking up tired. Since your new schedule is that of a child why not go all the way and have a glass of warm milk with or without turmeric while you watch your favorite show.
Go home to a comfy bed
Nothing can be more comforting for someone getting off the graveyard shift than the prospect of going home to a nice bed with crisp fresh sheets waiting for you. Do yourself a favor and make your bed before leaving for work, layout out fresh pajamas and leave the windows open overnight so your bedroom is cool and full of fresh air by the time you get back. Keep in mind you will want to close the window to shut out the traffic noise when you get home in the morning. Also, make sure to install dark blinds to keep out the glaring sun while you sleep.
Watch your caffeine intake
One of the mistakes many people working the 3rd shift make is downing coffee after coffee. If you do that, chances are you’ll have trouble going to sleep when you get home. No matter how tired you might be the caffeine coursing through your system will keep you awake and you have no idea how frustrating that can be. Drink the last coffee of your day or night in this case at least six hours before your planned bedtime.
Stay positive: 1st and 3rd Shift
If working the 1st or 3rd shift was not exactly your choice and you were sort of forced into it, try and keep away negative thoughts. Don’t waste your time brooding over the job that’s going to ruin your life, as this won’t change anything. And it’s not true, actually.
Give yourself some time to adapt to the new circumstances and you’ll see that in a few weeks it won’t seem at all weird. In time you’ll notice other neighbors working odd hours and they’ll notice you. You’ll be part of a brotherhood of people that keep irregular hours and have the privilege of sleeping while others are at work. That’s always a comforting thought!