The Most Luxurious Way to Make the Switch to a Night Shift Contract

I didn't think I would ever find myself in the position where I would "have" to take a night shift contract. But NEVER say never because here I am, gearing up for my first night shift contract in X-ray. 

I have been *officially* traveling in MRI for 2.5 years now, so I feel like a "pro" to the travel life. This is my first travel contract in X-ray! So I am feeling all of the nerves as I wrapped up my day shift training and transition to the night shift *nocturnal* lifestyle for the remaining 12 weeks. 

When I started seriously thinking about taking this night shift contract, I started really planning out what my life would look like. The contract is 3x12s back to back on the weekends. I would work Friday/Saturday/Sunday nights and then I'd be off the rest of the week until my next run of three shifts. Not the worst gig. I'd have a solid 3 days off in a row to relax or go to the beach or do whatever my heart desires. 

The thought of sleeping during daylight hours while everyone else is out and about may sound daunting but I am the type of person who loves naps and can happily sleep during the day for naps so I'm sure I can do it for a 13 week contract. 

Some things I have done to start getting ready for my first night shift this Sunday is on Friday, I stayed up until 2AM and let myself sleep in until 10:30AM the next day. This gave me my 8ish hours of sleep but is getting me into some of the same hours as night shift will be (I stole this tip from one of my coworkers who did nights for a while and said this is how she went back and forth). Tonight (Saturday), I plan to stay up until at least 2AM again and will sleep in tomorrow (Sunday) as late as I can. I plan to eat when I wake up and drink my coffee as I usually would. Around 5PM, I may lay down for another short nap before getting ready to head into work at 6:30PM. 

After reading a bunch of night shift articles here are a few things I plan to implement so I can keep my body healthy while working this unconventional shift: 

• No eating after Midnight - I had read that our bodies will not be digesting or burning calories from food as efficiently during these late hours. So limiting myself from eating after midnight as a rule of thumb will reduce any possible unnecessary weight gain that may come from working overnights. Also, nausea is common among night shift workers so keeping myself "NPO" after midnight will help reduce nausea from heavy meals. I plan to drink lots and lots of fluids overnight including hot tea for a little caffeine boost, electrolyte drinks/packets, and lots of H2O! 
• Limiting coffee to before Midnight - Everyone is different but I believe that coffee stays working in my body for about 6 hours. I want to make sure that by the end of my shift I am ready for bed so finishing any heavy caffeinated drinks before midnight will ensure that I am ready for bed by 8AM (when I will be getting home).
• Take a short nap before heading in for my shift - I was reading that a little power nap before your night shift can really help you feel rested and re-charged. I plan to take a little nap from maybe 5PM-5:45PM to recharge myself before getting ready and heading out for the night. 
• Bringing lots of extra things to do - I plan to pack my purse full of books, charged AirPods, my sewing supplies, coloring books, a phone charger, etc. This will help me keep my mind on and stimulated throughout the night so I hopefully won't be dragging at night if we are slow. 
• Taking it easy on myself - While I know I might find myself feeling more "lazy" than usual on my days off, I need to remember that I am going to be totally throwing my body out of its normal rhythm and it is going to take me some time to adjust to this new lifestyle. So I am going to be journaling more and remembering to listen to my body when necessary. 
• Still finding time to be active! - I might try taking a walk when I wake up from my night shift slumber, or maybe even taking a walk once I get home from work in the mornings? I'm still not sure exactly how I will be feeling but walking even 30 minutes a day is so good for your heart and your body! I also plan to keep going to my Pilates studio to keep my body active on my days off. 
• Make plans for my days off, and stick to them! - When taking this shift, one of the benefits of the schedule was that my husband and I would have two solid days off together. Monday I will be sleeping in a little bit of the morning but then we will have Monday nights off together and all of Tuesday! We have decided that Monday evenings will be our slow and "lazy" evening together where we watch movies or maybe take a walk around the neighborhood and catch up. Maybe we order food in instead of cooking. Tuesdays are going to be our dedicated *Date nights* :) Each week we will rotate who is planning the date night (or date day if that is better). This week is Alex's Tuesday so he planned for us to go see the new Deadpool movie. Next week will be my turn and I need to start brainstorming a fun idea! I really like this idea because it will give me something to look forward to and gives us some dedicated time each week to spend, uninterrupted together. 

Although a total 180 from my usual, I'm excited to try night shifts and see if I like them. Wish me luck!