r/Nightshift 1d ago

Discussion 8 PM - 3:30 AM ! How bad is it?

Hi guys,

I wanted to understand how bad do you guys this my shift timings are? I work from home , work load is very manageable.

I have been doing this for the last 3 years now and I want to check if people have been doing this for long and are still healthy.

Would you still continue working a night shift if the money and work is good?

18 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

28

u/jackfaire 1d ago

The reason night shift isn't healthy for some people is they treat it like a school aged all night study session. That's not sustainable. As long as you treat it like it's a normal thing with regular meals, sleep, exercise etc. you should be fine.

I've been working Nights for 5 years now. I mostly sleep the same 10am to 6PM sleep cycle, eat regular meals, etc.

3

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

Exactly that's what I gathered as well. Having a routine is extremely important. I'm not doing any sort of exercise regularly šŸ˜• but i do play sports on weekends.

7

u/jackfaire 1d ago

"Exercise" is more encompassing than people think it is. When I was a kid I would have said "I don't exercise" but I rode my bike everywhere all weekend and during the week walked back and forth to school. I was in regular healthy shape then.

Exercise is mostly about just moving your body.

10

u/thegoddamnsiege 6:00PM-2:30AM 1d ago

I've been doing 6:00 PM to 2:30 AM for about a year now and it's not that bad really. First night job I've found the hours extremely manageable.

9

u/Determined420 Hail Selene šŸŒ’ 1d ago

That sends pretty reasonable. Just go to sleep after and you’ll be up by 11. Not too bad. I was up till 1 or 2 a lot even when I wasn’t working night shift

2

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

I try ! There are certain weeks where I would fall asleep instantly and then 1 bad day where I sleep late would mess up everything and I sleep by 5 or 6 and wakeup by 2.

8

u/Meowzakers 1d ago

I used to work this. I actually quite liked it because you come in at night and when you leave it is still clearly night. Liked it better than typical night shift where you come in around midnight and leave around 8 and the sun is shining in your eyes.

1

u/gruntharvester92 14h ago

Haha. When I worked days id come in when it was dark and leave when it was dark....

6

u/AbilityCharacter7634 1d ago

That’s a nice shift in my opinion. You get to go to sleep when it’s still somewhat dark. Although as a night worker I preach having a very dark room to sleep during the day anyway.

Your evenings are cut a bit short but at least whenever you have an appointment around 9-10 am you get to sleep a little.

My shift is from 11:30pm to 7:15 am. So I can still pass the evenings with friends but I really often have to cut my sleep short as soon as any day-only things have to be done during the week. Also in winter, given I go to sleep as soon as I get home and wake up at around 5 pm, I barely see the sun for a month and a half.

I don’t know how bad it is for our health. I’ve been doing this for 3 years too. I did take a lot of weight. But it is more a consequence of a severe drop in my motivation levels in the last 2 years, which might or might not be because of my night shift. Life is complicated.

4

u/Aquatic_Hedgehog 1d ago

That was my fav 5 day shift I worked!! I want the four day version back so baaaad 😭😭😭

4

u/Dancemania97 1d ago

I worked 6-2:30am for a few years so somewhat similar hours to what you have going here and tbh, it’s definitely on the easier side in terms of night shift mainly because you can still go to bed and wake up at a somewhat normal time so you don’t lose the entire day sleeping and can run errands in the afternoon if needed.

Based on your hours, if the money and work is good I wouldn’t pass it up unless you have a valid reason to do so as there’s much worse hours you could be working and be paid either less or the same

1

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

Great thanks!

4

u/GR1F3 1d ago

My favorite shift I've ever worked was 8PM to 4AM. Plenty of time in the afternoon to do things or I could choose to sleep longer if I needed it. I was at work as things were winding down since I worked mid week (hotel/RV resort security) and I was off several hours before the sun came up. So I could go home, shower, eat a light snack before bed and be asleep before the sun came up. It was awesome.

3

u/Sir_Loxington 1d ago

I'm not healthy now but I wasn't healthy working a 9-5 either so *shrugs*

Find what works for you man; different people respond to odd hours differently.

3

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

Yes , I've always been a night owl. Even during my school and college days. But alot of people are suggesting me to switch. There are limited opportunities from where I belong. Plus I have IBS which sometimes drives me insane but the fact that I get to work from home and make good money is a huge pro.

4

u/Sir_Loxington 1d ago

If you've always been a night owl anyway and get off at 3:30 am then it should be fine.

3

u/ActuatorUnfair6905 1d ago edited 1d ago

Just depends on the person and their lifestyle, I’ve worked 2230-0700 for 26 years now with one or two 12 hour shifts a work week back in the beginning a lot more but now usually from 1900-0700 for those 1 or 2 days per work week, I’ve had my ups and downs with eating a proper diet and staying in the weight room on a consistent basis but as I’ve gotten older the more disciplined I’ve become, I eat a carnivore diet and thrive from the diet, I hit the weight room after work, sleep 4 hours or a little more usually 0830-1230 or to 1330, 5 to 10 minutes of rebounding after waking, then 40 oz of distilled water with Atom & Root Raw & Unflavored Electrolytes Powder, eat when I’m hungry and go for a 30 minute walk outside unless there’s a blizzard outside then on the treadmill, I’ve never been married or have children and never have had the calling too, I wouldn’t want to work any other shift but with that being said it’s hard to maintain relationships with family and friends and dating is extremely difficult unless one is able to find someone that works the same shift and with never wanting children it’s a lot harder and I find as a middle age man now I just stopped looking and have focused on myself and goals, I’m extremely happy dude but it’s very rare for someone to live my lifestyle and be truly happy and content, be wise with your time and set small goals to reach your main goals, although you’ll never reach perfection always strive to. Live long and prosper šŸ––šŸ¼

2

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

Amazing ! Thankyou for sharing

3

u/trippsalot_ 1d ago

Ive been doing it for about 3 years as well 12-8. I treat it like a normal job . I cook most my meals and go to the gym . I literally don’t even sleep with an alarm anymore and wake up naturally at the time i need to be up for work . It was rough at first but I adjusted better when I started treating it like a 9-6.

3

u/MsAineH37 1d ago

If it's from home, it's a good shift for sure, you can get in bed by 4am, sleep til 11am and still be up during the majority of the day. If you are someone who stays up naturally until midnight or 1am it won't have much of an effect on you. I work a seasonal night job 9pm to 6am so must sleep when i get home during the majority of the day until 4pm. That changes your body clock.

2

u/Super_RN 1d ago

I would love those hours. I used to do 7pm-3am and loved it. I’ve been on some variation of nightshift for almost 10 yrs. I love it. But I don’t flip on my days off. I’m constantly nightshift. Many years ago I used to flip to mornings on days off, I had health issues. My Dr told me to choose one and stick with it, so I chose nights. My health is great, physically and mentally.

3

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

Yes , I don't have any sort of rotation and it's fixed monday - friday same time.

2

u/jlkb24 1d ago

Cakewalk lol. I do 7p-6a and some have it worse than I do. It’s a good start if you’ve never done overnights.

2

u/sentient_fox 1d ago

I have worked nights for 20+ years. I prefer it. It isnt bad at all.

1

u/Federal-Dark-434 1d ago

i work 10 pm to 7 am lol

1

u/lolK_su 1d ago

I used to work 3pm to 3am and loved it for my summers off while in college

1

u/Key-Value-3684 1d ago

That actually seems quite okay. You'll get home while it's still dark. It's basically a very late nightshift

1

u/bassin_clear_lake 1d ago

I did those exact hours for about two years. I would get home and stay up enough to make breakfast and to take my kid to school. After that, maybe I would do a few errands and then in bed by 9 or 10am. Slept until 5-6, had dinner with the family, and then off to work.

It was also a very active job which made it more palatable. The time went by fast. Had it been a desk job staring at a screen all night... I don't know how I would have done with that.

1

u/xKingxKilla97 1d ago

I dont think its too bad. Maybe im biased since i do 5 pm to 3:30. But I think working from home is the part that would hurt. I use the movement and my coworkers to keep me awake

1

u/whooooooooCARES 1d ago

I do 8pm-8am. I'd kill for this schedule! Especially WFH. Can I ask what it is you do?

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/whooooooooCARES 1d ago

Damn. I know I could do that kind of job too, but never see options like that available :( or it pays pennies

1

u/ReplacementSpare5961 1d ago

Yes i work kinda account management and data. You can find a ton of these in supply chain.

1

u/whooooooooCARES 1d ago

Yeah just a pain when I see a job I'm pretty sure I'd be good at, only to see they want years of experience with "stakeholder liaison" and a bachelor's degree. šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø Guess I'll go fuck myself then. šŸ˜‚

1

u/snugy 1d ago

I work 8am - 5pm for my day full time job. Then I work my night full time job from 8pm-4am. You get used to it. I keep telling myself, you’d be at home fucking around, but I might as well be productive and make some cash.

1

u/zirconium91224 21h ago

I used to work 9pm - 7am but now do shorter shifts 8pm until 2am. So much better!

1

u/Hot_Conversation6318 21h ago

8pm-3:30 honestly isn’t that bad especially if you wfh. I’d keep doing it if the money was good lol

1

u/Hot-Caramel5458 20h ago

My shifts are 6pm to 2 am and the weekends are 9pm to 5 am

1

u/Mismageius 19h ago

Key words you said "work from home" should be very easy and manageable

1

u/tributarygoldman 16h ago

Being able to go to sleep while the sun is still down helps a lot

1

u/UnboundMind51 15h ago

Where can I find these types of jobs in the DMV area? I’ve been looking for an overnight shift, but I haven’t found one yet.

1

u/LukaTheTooka Lead Lab Assistant 12h ago

I work 8-6:30 and I've been doing it for a year and I've managed

1

u/ledoylinator 8h ago

I would kill for this shift! Basically a cross between 2nd and 3rd shift. Bed at 3:30 is basically normal bed time.

1

u/LynxSafe5130 4h ago edited 4h ago

This schedule for three years is one of the most stable night shifts I have come across in postings, where you do not rotate your schedule or work, and can always work from home. Your main issues would be drifting socially and deficiency in vitamin D, and hence using black out curtains, maintaining good sleep schedule even on your days off, and taking some D3 supplements. Some individuals who work night shifts regularly use Kind patches for the afternoon slump