Nightshift primal. page

[TonyE]

Does anyone have experience with working nightshift and being primal? I can switch to nights at work and make $350 a more a month. I could use the money but is this a huge health risk? Does the body ever really get proper sleep during the day? I think I would have less stress from the boss on nights, but I do not want to sacrafice health for a few extra bucks. Any thoughts?

[LessofMimi]

My husband does graveyard shift - 4 10's a week. When he started he wasn't Primal and he's obese, has sleep apnea, you name it. Graveyard is a killer, but since going Primal last month, he's doing a LOT better. He's stopped snoring, so I'm sure he's getting better quality sleep. He's dropped nearly 20 pounds. He may not see it, but I do see better energy even on days he's wiped from work. He's eaten LC foods since that's all I prepare for years, but he'd still eat out and his particular company gives out regular soda & they do bagel and donut days each week. Since agreeing to skip those, he's been a new man. He's had a pack of those 5-hour energy drinks in his desk for several months now, iirc, and he's yet to NEED them to stay awake at work.
As for sleep during the day, he usually supplements some melatonin and uses a sleep mask and ear plugs (we have two kids, 10 and 4, so it can get very noisy in here at times). For the first time, day before yesterday I believe, he was able to sleep without the mask or the ear plugs, though why he thought to experiment w/ that, I don't know.
Before going Primal, we were both discussing how much longer he'd have to do graveyard, how taxing it is, etc, and since going Primal we haven't had that discussion. I'd still like to have him back doing days so we see him a little more, but it's not slowly killing him like it was before he changed his diet, so I think however much longer he chooses to do it, it won't be quite the hardship it started out being.
More $ a big plus, less stress from the boss, another big plus. I'd say give it a shot. Get some blackout curtains for your room, some ear plugs, sleep mask, and maybe melatonin just in case. Being Primal should make it a lot easier on you, but it might not. I'd have to say give it several months, and if you still feel like dried-up pulverized @ss every day, then it's probably not for you. Also, hubby is up in the AM's after work (he's usually home ~11am), until about 2pm, then sleeps until about 10pm before getting up - that schedule would allow you to still get in some much-needed Vit D and exercise before bed.
Good luck and let me know if there are any other questions. I'm hoping to convince hubby to put some time in here on the forums since he's Primal now, too, so eventually he could be answering these types of questions w/ his own voice. Hope you'll update on how it goes.

[TonyE]

My husband does graveyard shift - 4 10's a week. When he started he wasn't Primal and he's obese, has sleep apnea, you name it. Graveyard is a killer, but since going Primal last month, he's doing a LOT better. He's stopped snoring, so I'm sure he's getting better quality sleep. He's dropped nearly 20 pounds. He may not see it, but I do see better energy even on days he's wiped from work. He's eaten LC foods since that's all I prepare for years, but he'd still eat out and his particular company gives out regular soda & they do bagel and donut days each week. Since agreeing to skip those, he's been a new man. He's had a pack of those 5-hour energy drinks in his desk for several months now, iirc, and he's yet to NEED them to stay awake at work.
As for sleep during the day, he usually supplements some melatonin and uses a sleep mask and ear plugs (we have two kids, 10 and 4, so it can get very noisy in here at times). For the first time, day before yesterday I believe, he was able to sleep without the mask or the ear plugs, though why he thought to experiment w/ that, I don't know.
Before going Primal, we were both discussing how much longer he'd have to do graveyard, how taxing it is, etc, and since going Primal we haven't had that discussion. I'd still like to have him back doing days so we see him a little more, but it's not slowly killing him like it was before he changed his diet, so I think however much longer he chooses to do it, it won't be quite the hardship it started out being.
More $ a big plus, less stress from the boss, another big plus. I'd say give it a shot. Get some blackout curtains for your room, some ear plugs, sleep mask, and maybe melatonin just in case. Being Primal should make it a lot easier on you, but it might not. I'd have to say give it several months, and if you still feel like dried-up pulverized @ss every day, then it's probably not for you. Also, hubby is up in the AM's after work (he's usually home ~11am), until about 2pm, then sleeps until about 10pm before getting up - that schedule would allow you to still get in some much-needed Vit D and exercise before bed.
Good luck and let me know if there are any other questions. I'm hoping to convince hubby to put some time in here on the forums since he's Primal now, too, so eventually he could be answering these types of questions w/ his own voice. Hope you'll update on how it goes.

Thanks, the more I think about the more I think I will stay on days. Health is wealth

[superdeluxe]

I can only offer my personal experience, which is that working night shift 3-4 nights per week (7pm to 8am) for 2 years was horrible for my physical and emotional health, and was definitely not worth the money! I've even read some observational (ie. pretty crappy!) studies that found an association between night shift work and increased risk of breast and colorectal cancers in women. For me, I just know that I was constantly tired, irritable, anxious, teary and had low libido and tinnitus. And I got colds constantly (but that might have been because I was in a hospital!). I ended a great relationship because I felt completely alone and misunderstood, and then realized that my ex wasn't the problem--my weird schedule was.

One of the things I've really appreciated about PB is the emphasis on trying to get enough good quality sleep and getting outside during the day. I think it's a huge mistake to try to alter the sleep-wake cycle dramatically and force yourself to work solely with artificial light. And I don't think it's healthy to work when everyone else is sleeping and vice versa.

The most relaxing vacations I have ever had have been at an ecotourism resort in Mexico with electricity and camping in Peru. I think it's really good for the spirit to go to bed when it's dark and get up as soon as it is light. I've found that with PB I'm going to be about 2 hours earlier than I normally do, and I'm waking up before my alarm.

[Pokiey]

I guess I'm the minority here in that I liked working midnights. I worked 4x12hr shifts 6pm-6am for two years and then 5x8hr shifts 11pm-7am after that. I would hit the gym on my way in then shower and go straight to bed when I got home. I always slept 7+ hours and it worked well for me. I liked being able to do whatever I wanted during the daylight hours. Also my husband worked straight days so it was nice to be able to spend the evenings together.

[Bostonbully]

I feel your pain man. I am on mids right now but my schedule changes weekly. So I'll b working days next week and I also work 2nd shift. It is taxing on the body and if I didn't get paid so damn much I would find another job.

[annadragon]

I'm of the opinion that there are people who are naturally drawn to certain waking/sleeping schedules. I've also posited the idea that some people who tend towards wakefulness and alertness at night time are something akin to the "night watchmen"; predicated on the idea that if they sleep and wake naturally at times which allow them more night exposure they are the better disposed to keeping watch over the tribe as they sleep.

I suspect people who are not predisposed to this type of schedule probably suffer ill effects from trying to impose this schedule on themselves. I worked nightshift for over 5 years and I can tell you I loved it. I did not have to adapt to it or struggle with it, I could sleep easily during the day and during days off I didn't fall back into a day schedule. This does make things more difficult in terms of daily activity -try going to the bank at 2am or the dentist!

If Primal is meant to optimize your epigenetics and you are not of the night-breed persuasion then forcing yourself into that schedule might have poor outcomes for you.

[Pessimist]

I just got off a night shift. I work 2330-0730. It can be a challenge to get enough sleep during the day for me (I have slept 2 1/2 today). I also suffer from extreme boredom eating during the night. If I let myself I will just sit there in the dark eating everything in sight!

Another thing I don't like about nights is the knowledge you have to go back to work that night looming over your head all evening. My whole evening would be spent getting ready for work. I keep checking the clock to make sure I'm not running late. I can never just relax like you can do when you get home from a 9-5.

It's not all bad though. Work is nice and quiet most of the time with no managers hanging around! You can get stuff done in off hours when everyone else is working. And extra money is always nice!

That being said I am looking for a job WITHOUT night shifts. Even if it means a slight cut in pay. Even though I am not a huge sleeper I know it screws around with my health.

[Barb]

I used to work 12 hr nights - 7P - 7A. I would work 4 nights in a row, then have 6 days off. I thought this sounded great when I signed up for it. I never slept very well during the day, despite blackout curtains. I slept maybe 5-6 hrs as soon as I got home. After working this schedule for a while, I developed narcolepsy. I could feel my brain just turning off, going to sleep. Sometimes i would be technically "awake" (ie, standing up) but critical attentional functions would be in the "sleep" mode, it was truly bizarre. Other times, I would feel that overwhelming sensation of sleep coming over me and would have to go find a way to get horizontal and give in to it. I usually took me 4 days to recover from my 4 night shifts, I was like a zombie. So I really only had 2 days off with somewhat normal energy levels. I took melatonin supplements, not because they helped me sleep (they didn't), but because my research had indicated that the main hypothesis for why night shifters had higher cancer rates was because melatonin is both an antioxidant and a potent signal to rest and repair cellular damage. It is secreted in the absence of light, so those of us up with the lights on all night get a lot less of it. Without it, free radicals increase and cellular metabolism goes on full bore - a set up for cancer. (which is why PB recommends a full night's sleep in the dark!)

I truly did enjoy working nights. I loved the quiet, the camaraderie of the night staff, and the feeling that we who were awake at 0300 had the whole world to ourselves to enjoy. I am filled with sweet, sweet memories of my time working as a night shift nurse. It was like an alternate universe. full of magic and wonder. If you are young and healthy, I would say go for it for awhile. If you really can't tolerate it, go back to days. If you can, enjoy it for a while - the money is nice, and the experience can be really special as well. Just don't commit to a lifetime of night shifts, I think it is probably really bad for your health in the long run. ANd take melatonin if you do!

[crzydjm]

I guess I'm the minority here in that I liked working midnights. I worked 4x12hr shifts 6pm-6am for two years and then 5x8hr shifts 11pm-7am after that. I would hit the gym on my way in then shower and go straight to bed when I got home. I always slept 7+ hours and it worked well for me. I liked being able to do whatever I wanted during the daylight hours. Also my husband worked straight days so it was nice to be able to spend the evenings together.

I'm currently on a 10p-6a shift and enjoy it as well...I do drink coffee at "pre-planned" intervals but also find the midshift makes intermittent fasting a bit easier as well (just don't eat at work!), and then I go home and have a HUGE omelet full of veggies and topped with salsa and garnished with bacon!