How to Adapt to a Graveyard Shift

People who work at night often find themselves sleep deprived and unable to accomplish daily chores until they learn to cope with a graveyard shift. Whether you are working before the sun rises as a security guard, a police officer, a store or warehouse stocker or a restaurant server, a graveyard shift can be devastating to your body and personal life unless you take adequate preparations and make healthy adaptations to your new lifestyle.

Things You'll Need

• Planner
• Alarm clock

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Instructions

• 1

  Get eight hours of sleep per day, but don't feel compelled to do so all at once. Allowing our bodies to rest eight out of 24 hours is needed for optimum health. However, if you cannot sleep a solid eight hours during the day, instead of tossing and turning allow yourself to wake up for an hour and pay bills or make a phone call before finishing your sleep. Use an alarm clock to regulate sleep blocks and ensure that you get a full eight hours.

• 2

  Take naps; 20 minutes to 30 minutes can help you feel alert and ready for the next activity. If your graveyard shift ends at 9 a.m., for example, take a nap before completing any errands that you must accomplish before your substantial rest. Naps can rejuvenate you and allow you to take advantage of all opportunities despite your unique schedule.

• 3

  Talk to your employers about schedule regularity. Your sleep habits will be disturbed if you work several graveyard shifts combined with several day shifts each week. Ask your employer to keep your shifts consistent each week so that you are not constantly adjusting to sleeping alternately during the day and during the night.

• 4

  Use a planner to map out your days. If you work a graveyard shift most nights of the week, decide when you are going to do laundry, go to the bank and take care of other chores so that you do not find yourself sacrificing sleep to complete necessary tasks at the last minute. Planning when you will complete responsibilities or attend social events while also mapping out a sleep schedule will prevent you from sacrificing rest and other activities.

• 5

  Darken the windows of your bedroom with dark blankets. This way, natural light and noise will not disturb your daytime sleep. Wear sunglasses if it is light out when you return from work to prevent daylight from disturbing your brain's production of melanin, the chemical that helps you fall asleep and which is released when it becomes dark.