I did 4 years of nights. The real trick is being able to sleep during the day. So whatever ear plugs, face mask, blackout curtains you need, make sure they work for you. I generally would work up to it staying up until 2 AM, then 5 AM, then going to work. I believe that most people found that they had more time with their family because instead of being at work 8-12 hours during the day, they were only sleeping 6-7, and were home when their kids were getting up, going to school, coming home, etc.

Overnight wasn’t bad because I could sleep while the kiddo was at school. 2nd is pretty rough though if you have a family.

It is nearly impossible when you are not living on your own and able to keep circadian rhythm. It also just sucks IMO. I wouldn’t do it again unless I was paid 3+ times as much as a day shift.

I did two, two week stents while living out of a hotel…I will never do it again if I have to do it out of a hotel. But 6pm to 2 am etc out of my own place I’d consider.

It’s just hard at first forcing yourself to sleep. Blackout curtains help. Or a sleep mask.

I grew up with a dad that regularly worked nights, and I worked nights for a few years when I first moved out. It will definitely mess with family plans, especially if you have young kids. Holidays and get togethers often mean getting less sleep so you can get up and travel or cook on a day shift schedule. Invest in a white noise machine or app if you aren’t a deep sleeper, and get a sleeping mask or blackout curtains.

Depending on what time you get off anything before early afternoon is now in the middle of the night for you. All your errands have to be run within the first hour or two after waking up, unless you want to try doing it at ass o’clock in the morning after working all night.

Despite the problems I honestly did enjoy working night shift, I’m a night owl anyway and night shifts are usually quieter. It also helps if you live in a large city with more 24 hour stores.

If it’s straight nights it might not be too bad. I worked 2 days/2 nights/4 off for about 13 years and I would not go back now that I’m in a 9-5.

Unless you’re getting decent compensation for it, I would try and find something else. Humans just aren’t nocturnal.

Are you already a night owl? If so, it’s fine. Just working, very few distractions, no meetings.

If you’re a Sun child, it’s going to be horrible. I can’t give specifics because I’m a night owl, but from what others have told me, it’s awful.

The night shift for me was the purest form of hell. My favorite shift was the 2-10, 3-11.

I worked graveyard shifts at a gas station for a year or two. My general experience beyond what other people have said–good commute, fucking with your social life, taking its toll on your body, all that–is that working graveyard shifts is lonely. I cannot understate how lonely it got; there were stretches of multiple hours where there were no customers at all, and it was just me and the long list of nightly chores I had to do (mopping floors, prepping food for breakfast rush, restocking shelves, etc., etc.). Not having any human contact at all fucks with your head something fierce, especially when you mix in sleep deprivation and your body rebelling against the normal sleep rhythm into the mix.

My advise is that if you’re going to be working night shift all alone, get into podcasts. Having a radio that I could use to listen to NPR was the main thing that kept me sane, because I could at least have a human voice to listen to and keep my mind somewhat engaged.

I worked nights for fifteen straight years and honestly, it isn’t all bad… Provided you get the sleep sorted. The amount of people who rolled up thinking they could survive on 4 hours of sleep a day was pretty disturbing.

Your concerns are valid, you absolutely will see your family less. If you’re not okay with that, that’s okay! Also keep in mind that the world is not on a night shift. It’s significantly harder to sleep normal hours when everything is going on the regular day schedule. That might not matter where you are but where I live that means more noise, more sirens, more people coming and going and keeping me awake. I’m a naturally light sleeper so when I had to work nights I had to go an extra mile or two. Blackout curtains are essential, and you may want to shove a towel under the door if the sun angle is unfavorable and shines it there. I also needed a facemask and ear plugs until I discovered I preferred a nice white noise maker. I still sleep with a white noise machine to this day, love it.

There are good things to night shift too. Less bullshit all around generally. Depending on what you’re doing that can be good or bad. It can be mind numbingly boring if you don’t have a set amount of work to do.

I personally love working nights. I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. In fact I am actively worse at things the earlier I wake up. Conversely my brain feels clearer and more active after 10pm.

That being said, my social life is almost entirely online. I rarely go out IRL. I sleep like a rock and only need about 6 hours anyway.

If you are someone who needs to talk to people, has trouble sleeping during the day, or requires a lot of sleep, the night shift is likely not for you.

Some people are built for it, some aren’t.

Mostly dark. But also quiet.

Worked them for some years and they literally caused me to start having panic attacks. Hate them.

I’ve been working a night shift for a few years now. Last 2 of which have been from at home. The social isolation is real. The only people you’ll ever really get to hang out with outside of work, are the people you work with, since most of your normal-sleep-schedule-having friends aren’t gonna be available when you are. There also won’t be anywhere good to hang out at because everything’s closed by the time you’re off work.

Most of the world isn’t designed for people with our schedule, unfortunately. Need to go to the post office for something? You’re gonna have to either get up early or stay up late to do it. Need to do something that can really take up some time, like go to the DMV? You might need to schedule some time off, because that’ll ruin your sleep schedule for a few days.

Being able to retain your sanity on this schedule really does require a bit of self-sufficience. You’ll need to rely less on services that aren’t available at night. You’ll need to get comfortable with losing sleep to get important stuff done. It’s tough, and while a lot of companies pay a differential to hourly employees on the night shift, it’s rarely enough to justify the toll it takes on you if you don’t have the right mindset for it.