If you're a night worker, what ways have you found to stay alert?
913555
Unfortunately, you find what most people who work these hours do, and it is just your body reacting to an abnormal wake/sleep cycle you are on.\n\nOur bodies are designed to sleep at night and be awake in the day. Since you are doing the opposite, you will have these problems. Many people don't stay on this schedule for long, I suggest you consider your options to save your health in the long run.\n\nTo help you in the mean time, I suggest using your mind; cross word puzzles, math problems, reading a subject that is exciting in a positive way, etc. Also, taking a walk for a few minutes helps to circulate blood to the brain, do some slow deep breathing too while walking. Don't eat big, heavy meals that are fatty in nature, those will make you sleepy. Eat light healthy meals, this will help you to not feel full and then get sleepy.
439
yes - close your eyes.  see - its night time!
635377
Stop going out at night.
745501
Drink lots of water.  Staying hydrated keeps you awake.
1121903
i work 7p-7a three nights a week in trauma icu at a hospital-most of the time (fortunately) i'm so exhausted from running around taking care of the 12+ patients we have that i fall right into bed and i'm out-but occasionally i'm wide awake\n\ni used to work 2nd shift too 3p-11p and would also find myself wide awake when i got home.\n\ni read someone suggesting nyquil-it will make you sleep but has alcohol among other medications that are unneccesary for your body b/c you don't have cold or flu symptoms-plus i've always woken up groggy and my sinuses are icky if i take that.\n\nbenadryl or tylenol pm works best. neither are habit forming and i always wake up feeling rested after taking them. if you don't feel comfortable using medication-then try a nice hot bath or shower and a glass of warm milk-this sometimes makes me sleepy too  : )
813372
Ah the world of shift work. I work 12 hour days and 12 hour night shifts and talk about exhausted. You need to go easy on youself and allow yourself a recovery day, especially after nights. Go easy on the coffee, eat healthy ,regular small meals or snacks ,at work  or home,since big meals can add to the tiredness. I tend to stress out a bit on the night before I start my day shifts so I take a low dose of sleep-aid, half the normal dose, on that night. I guess I am worried about waking up on time(0430), and what I am going into. (I work as a nurse in a large jail) After my first shift back I tend to relax and can sleep better. I also prepare all my meals before going back to work so I don't do any cooking at all on the days I work. LOL.
485248
Don't. Get a job on night shift and then you can get up pretty late.
467251
There are several guidelines that will inevitably help you sleep but you MUST stick to or will suffer.\n\n1.  Make sure your room is QUIET and DARK when you're sleeping.\n2.  Sleep at regular intervals, avoid having "normal" hours on your off-days.  It'll totally screw you up.\n3.  Avoid drugs or sleeping pills--they'll only make matters worse.\n4.  Use non-drug sleep aids like a blindfold, earplugs, relaxing music, etc. to help if you're struggling.\n5.  Avoid exercise or caffeine at hours at which you would not normally be awake while working.\n\nHope this helps.
271190
I work at a call centre, but during the day shift, which is ok. My work mates who do the night shift though don't have a bad deal: they get way more money for working the nights and there isn't even 1/3rd the calls that I get in the morning.\nIf you can stand working through the night, the fact that it's a call centre should not be a problem.
421682
Night Shifts...\nHygene ...\nPatience...\nTolerance..\nGender..\n\nand lots more...
859452
Sounds like you can do what you want.  Working steady night shifts can be tiring but if you're young anyway it shouldn't matter.  Totally up to you.
357303
find things to do at night with a companion [type] of your choice and do things at night that will make too tired to be bothered to "play" all day....get a "partner", get some "porno,start something that you cant quit, get a busy night life, work "HARD" all night,wear yourself out at night\n....get involved in "NIGHT" sports, get a hobby that doesn't make you so self-concerned...start to care about others and don't be so self-centered all focused on sports and "stats", GET A LIFE....
607381
be on time for work. never be late. allways look nice and \nbe dependable.
962432
What kind of volunteer work are you doing that you have to be awake 36 hours?  My record for staying awake is 31 hours and that's with a very brief (I hope) nap lasting about 30 seconds after 26 hours.  I'd suggest trying to get out of it, or perhaps offering to do a 12 hour shift, then return in 8-10 hours for another 12 hour shift.  That would about cover the 36 hours and still give you a chance to let your body recharge.\n\nIf there's no way out of this, some tips include:\n1. Limit lots of sugar; it can give you a quick high but then you dip again.\n2. Eat high protein foods regularly (meats, cheese, peanut butter) as well as complex carbs (whole wheat, high fibre stuff).  These will give you more energy over a longer period of time than junk food.  Caffeine can help a bit, although some people find it makes them jittery and irritable.\n3. Take walks outside during your daytime breaks-to let your internal clock know when it's daytime.  If you're really tired at night, a brisk walk outside or doing some stairs may help.\n4.  Keep busy.  Don't just sit, other than at your break times, if you can help it.  Offer to stock shelves, run errands, whatever.  When you sit, it usually gets harder to get up and moving again.  The quick nap I took on the job occurred when I sat down after being awake 28 hours.  I had somewhere to rest my head and that was the end of me.  It was harder to work while sitting than it was to be on my feet all night.\n5. Expect to hit a wall.  When I worked overnight shifts, the wall hit about 3am and lasted 'til about 5am and then I got another energy burst and was all right again.  \n6. During your breaks, if you can grab a 15-20 minute nap (pack an alarm clock!), do so.  That 20 minutes can be enough to get you moving again.  Sleep much longer and you could go too deep and then be even more tired.\n7. Get as much rest as possible leading up to your shift.\n8. A few friends have found that eating sunflower seeds can really help-the continual hand-to-mouth action of eating the seeds and taking the outer shell out of the mouth keeps them alert.  Make sure you're allowed to eat before trying this.\n9. Splash cool water on your face when you go to the bathroom or anytime you're feeling drowsy.\n10. Make sure when you get off your shift you don't go and sleep all day-you may mess up your sleep schedule even more.  Allow a two or three hour nap, then go to bed at your regular time that night.\n11. Ask the nurses and doctors you're working with how they handle long shifts; they may have some really good tips for you.\n\nGood luck!
468783
Stay busy and don't look at the clock so much!
134155
Put a TV, and computer monitor on the ceiling.\njust kidding, roll over to the nearest light source and turn it off and on at a constant rate.  hopefully someone will see it through a window.
64386
One thing I have found particulary helpful when waking in the night, is to NOT look at the clock. When I look at the clock, my body gets in a habit of waking that time every night. Also, another thing that works for me is trying not to think about being awake, and make sure not to start thinking about a lot of other things.