Has anyone here to change their sleep schedule completely? If so, how?

Super off topic for a truck forum, but you guys are knowledgeable about a lot of stuff so I am sure someone has dealt with this before.

For the last 15 years or so I have been on an extra late night schedule, usually eating dinner about midnight and sleeping about 3-4am and then waking up at 11am or so.

Starting in 3 weeks or so, I will most likely have to start waking up at 5am, to be in a class at 8am. I am really dreading the change since I haven't had wake up early since going to junior college a million years ago.

Has anyone had to do a drastic change like that, especially after such a long time with a late shift? Was it complete hell?

Aside from the sleeping, how can I get my body on track with eating and pooping earlier as well?

 

I've alternated days and nights my whole adult life. I currently work 7 on, 7 off nights from 6pm-6am. I pretty much convert to days on my week off. Been doing that 13+ years now. Before that I worked a month on nights rotating with a month on days. In college I worked nights in a furniture factory. I can sleep any time, any where. Came in handy in the Army

Not much advice to give you other than to stick to a schedule. Your body should adjust given time. Don't take naps when you shouldn't be asleep.

 

I actually was going to put that in my original post, that I know many of you guys are in the military and they adjust your schedule like crazy, sometimes week by week. I wonder if that makes it easier or harder.

 

I think it's an individual thing. I have always been able to sleep when I want to. Some people have a hard time adjusting their schedule.
Since I mostly work nights now, I see a lot of people struggle and use meds and alcohol to sleep. I advise them to get off the schedule if it takes that to do it. Alcohol is fine on a rotating schedule, but it shouldn't be used as a tool to get to sleep.

Really though, what helps me is a schedule for converting from days to nights and sticking to it. Sleep when you are supposed to sleep and do not nap when you shouldn't. After doing it the same way for so long, my body knows what to do.

 

There are some strategies to try out.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/hea...o-sleep-well-despite-changes-in-your-schedule


https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/how-to-fix-sleep-schedule

 

I hear ya man, I’ve worked nights the last 19 years. Just got home from work and it’s 3:45AM gonna eat some food and probably won’t fall asleep till 5:00. It’s hard to get up early unless I’m doing something really cool. That being said I find that once I get in the routine 3-5 days in it becomes much easier. I know that wasn’t helpful at all but just wanted to relate. And yeah like others said skip the nap even though you’ll probably really want it. Good luck

 

Being in the military my work hours change all the time. Always jumping around between 0900-2100 or 2100-0900. I really don't know how to put it other than to sleep when you should be asleep and force your self to wake up and stay up when you're supposed to be. The first week always sucks but my body usually adjusts accordingly after the first week.

 

Here is how I convert:
I work 7 nights in a row starting on Monday night. I sleep as soon as I get home from work and wake up several hours before going into work. In bed by 7AM and up around 3PM. Back to work at 6PM. If I have alcohol during the work week, I drink as soon as I get home. Not too much as it is not good for quality sleep. I can easily get 8 hours of sleep during the day. I love day sleeping (as much as day drinking).

On my last night, I get off work at 6am on Monday morning. Instead of sleeping my normal 8 hours, I sleep from 4 to 5 hours and get up. I go to bed around 11PM that first Monday night off. I don't sleep well that night. I make myself get up in the morning around 7AM. No naps. Then by Tuesday night I'm ready for bed around 10PM and sleep decent, but not as well as I do during the day. On my last day off before starting back to work Monday night, I either sleep late that morning or try to get a nap before work.


I do it the same every cycle. There is one day that I'm tired and one night that I don't sleep well in a 2 week cycle. I only take a nap when it's scheduled to fit the turn around. Don't nap just because you're tired. It will make things worse.

 

3-5 days shouldn't be bad, even a week or 2. I am just worried I physically won't be able to do it, since I am o used to sleeping at 4am ish.

 

Damn, that sounds brutal honestly. Thanks for the detailed feedback.

 

It's not a schedule many would find workable, but it has been great for me. When my kids were home in school, I would make them breakfast when I got home and would wake up when they got home from school, so I could see them several hours every day while I was working. Then on my full week off, I was available for anything they needed or wanted to do. Having every other week off is great, and with vacation I only work 23 weeks a year.

To be honest, it's probably harder on my wife. She has to be used to sleeping alone for 7 nights and sleeping with me for 7 nights.

 

I work nights, sometimes have to go to days for training, and I flip to days to have some semblance of a life on my weekends.

As others have said:

Schedule.

Make one.

Stick to it.

Even if you're not tired just lay in bed with the lights off and your electronics off, earplugs helps me as does setting my phone and computer to go into blue light filter mode and reduce brightness.

Avoid caffeine or alcohol 4 or more hours before bed.

When you wake up eat, even if it's just a few bites, again at lunch, and again at dinner times even when you're not hungry.

Don't eat when you're not supposed to unless it's painful then have a small and light snack.

Stick to your wakeup and bed time schedule on the weekends as well at least for the first 40 days or so then some weekend variance may be okay.

Beyond that I have found that putting a 40 watt warm colored light (I have led equivalent lamp) on an automatic timer to come on about 45 minutes before my alarm makes waking up easier and more natural as well as provides automatic light in the room so I can get out of bed without face planting off the dog or something.

 

That's basically how I get through my weekends and have any productivity.

My week is 6 "days."

4 'normal' and two LONGS.

Wake up at 1900, leave the house at 2000 be at work by 2100, work till 0730, bed by 1200, asleep by 1300, repeat until "Friday" when I get off at 0730 I don't got to bed until 2200. Wake up at 0600, (sometimes) go back to sleep at 0200, wake up around 1200 stay awake until 1100 sleep then return to work on "Monday" at night.

 

The quickest way (and also hardest) I've found to do it is to stay awake for 24 hours. When it is time to go to sleep, go to sleep with the anticipation for what time you'd like to wake up, knowing that first night or two you'll end up sleeping longer.

Secondly, listen to your body. If your body says you're tired and it's 8pm, get some sleep. Delaying will only lead to more fatigue, particularly if you need to be up early the next day.

Source: experience. I work a schedule which forces me to be a night shifter at least 4 months of the year.

 

When I flew in the Marines, we got an education on circadian rhythm and adjusting to a nighttime schedule as part of our syllabus for the night vision goggle certification.

On combat deployments we rotated through six week schedules, could go back and forth between day and night. It was very regimented and predictable, unlike ground troops who might have much more jarring changes back and forth on a weekly or daily basis.

So I’ll give you the same advice I got. Try to ramp, or adjust, by about two hours a day. Plan a specific sleep cycle each night and set an alarm for the wake time even if you had trouble getting to sleep. You have the opportunity for a nice, controlled adjustment so take advantage. Don’t use sleep aids unless you absolutely have to — I did on deployments and had a lot of negative consequences.

Edit: as for pooping, my body is programmed to align with my first sip of coffee…

 

I sometimes have to change my schedule to nights and work from 0600-1800. The older I get it seems a little more difficult. For me the most difficult is transitioning back to days after 5 weeks of nights and the 2nd and 3rd night into it.
I think all of the best methods to cope with and adjust have already been mentioned.
I also will throw a little caution out there because of my longer work commute sometimes the drive is brutal...crank the radio and open windows or whatever other tricks that may be out there. Or ask for a ride.
One last thing; just forcing through the first few days and your body will adjust.

 

Yea, we had a kid. Went from sleeping 8+ hours a night to waking up every 1-2 hrs to feed her. I remember falling asleep at stoplights driving home from work. It's way better now, we sleep through the night, but you never fully catch up after losing that much sleep for so long.

Anyways, kids are great! Have fun in school!

 

I always would stay up one whole day before a big shift change. Its tough but my body would be tired then go to sleep on new schedule. Takes me a few days to adjust. But i always have trouble getting up early, since i like staying up late.