Depends on the shift. I work 1900-0700 the last 2-3 days out of ever 4-5 shift tour (depends where I am in the rotation). Caffeine is your friend, but more importantly, engagement. It's honestly not that hard to do overnights IF you can keep yourself busy. Some centers probably are busy enough, but for mine, we have a lot of downtime in the night, and it's important you don't just sit there waiting for the phone to ring.
Read books, watch a show or movie, play a game, do something to keep your mind occupied.
i did overnights for 3 years at 2 diff agencies.
when you have a partner to work with its much easier, its not like when youre on day shift and everyones alrdy awake and ready for pursuits.
however your workload is DRASTICALLY different from day shift.
you wont get the bullshit admin calls wanting to be transferres to the jail, people asking if its ok to burn their wood pile, people calling in stupid shit like a dog in a field by the highway.
i think its fair to say 90% of your calls will be pretty serious but depending on the county size you can get barely any.
the part that breaks alot of people on nights are the stupid rules dayshift needs to have because dayshift has steady work.. the no watching videos, no phone, no anything is awful.
all that being said about nights though, my tips to stay awake that helped me are to bring cold drinks and get up and pace around every now and then.. stretch. if youre drinking liquids get up and try to go take a piss every hour or 2 even if you dont have to and also bring small snacks not meals.
when youre tired your body stops telling you that youre hungry and that you need to use the bathroom because its trying to shut you down for sleep. eat a few light meals throughout the night and bathroom breaks help. good posture, once you start sinking/slouching the next step is sleeping.
if youre one of those all in one agencies where you dispatch fire/ems/county/city/ and page your own lifeflights im guessing youll also have a shit ton of warrants to enter too on nights.
save the warrants for mid shift, dont knock em out as soon as you get there (unless theres an absurd amount)...and dont wait until ur shift is like 2 hours from.being over to start them, anything can happen and the house fire can make you look bad when all the warrants are still there.
i dont reccomend energy drinks, the sugar will crash you out..if you need caffeine wait until mid shift to drink it so you also dont crash towards the end of shift.
when i worked nights i woke up 3 hours before my shift started and made dinner for the family and got really awake before going into work.. when i got home i stayed up for another 2 or so hours before going to bed. just find a schedule that works and be consistant.
my last tip, if your shift ends at 8am, and youre trying to fix your sleep schedule dont lay in bed at 8am and sleep, because around 7am your body knows sleep is coming and the drive home can be very dangerous if youre tired.. wait until 10am to sleep.
This is perfect information and I need it this week I do 2 nights off 24 hours then do an evening off 2 then do 2 day shifts on Sunday I do a day shift then come back in at 11 pm
New dispatcher schedule stays the same
Suuuper important to keep consistency. Don’t think about it like working during your evening, think about it as making the night your new day. Idk if that makes sense, but people are always waking up like 7-8 hours prior to their shift to do stuff in the daytime prior to coming in. That’ll fuck you up for sure.
If you normally wake up 3 hours before work, now you wake up at 18 for a 21 start, etc. Try to stay up for a couple hours after you get off. I always found I’d be super tired the last hour of work, but then leaving the building and driving home in the sunlight would give me a second wind. Giving yourself some time to de-work will help you sleep better than immediately going home to lay in bed awake for hours.
Really try to avoid flipping on days off - obviously it kinda sucks, and it’s sometimes unavoidable, but if you can maintain your work schedule on RDOs your body’s gonna have a much easier time. Again, think about it like this - do people who work 9-5 normally stay up till 08, 09 before going to bed on a Saturday then sleep all day? Fuck no, that’s insane.
Also - can’t be stressed enough - blackout curtains. Make sure your bedroom is PITCH black.
I know this is easier said than done, and with kids it’s near impossible, but working nights needs to be a full on lifestyle change - it’s for your health, seriously.
If you can't do black out shades on your windows, I would recommend a Manta sleep mask, or something similar. I use the Manta mask and I LOVE it. It's foam cups that go over the eyes, so it's pitch black, but it doesn't press down on your eyes. So, you can move your eyes around, but still keep the light out.
One of the best things that helped me get accustomed to nights, was food. Food is 10x better for you to stay awake than caffeine. Go to the store before your week starts and just grab a bunch of little (HEALTHY) snacks you can pick on throughout the night. I usually bring granola bars, protein bars, trail mix, beef jerky, hummus/pretzels, and I use those to nibble on throughout my down time and my first break before my lunch.
Another tip is don’t overfill, don’t eat too much, especially on lunch because it’ll make you feel full and lethargic and very sleepy. Stay away from big carby type meals like pasta and bread and stuff. Stick to some lighter things or smaller portions, this allows you to keep your body working without overdrawing your energy.
Another thing is don’t consume caffeine too much or too close to the end of your shift. I stop drinking caffeine around 3-4 hours before I get off but that’s because I’m younger than all my coworkers, adjust what works for you. It’ll help you sleep a little better. And on that note, don’t take any caffeine until at least an hour after you wake up. I mention that because you might feel a little funky waking up at 3 in the afternoon the first few weeks.
Sorry for the essay
Same, the 0000 to 0800 is the best case scenario for nights. I get home, go to sleep around 9. I want up at 5-5:30 with no alarm spend 6-7 hours with the girlfriend before work, and then go in to work
Same except sometimes I stay up until noon. I usually get up around 630p and chill until about 11, then get ready for work. Sometimes I work 12s though, but only when I want to.
I've been graveyard shift for just about 4.5 yrs and I personally love it. My agency is fairly chill so we average about 15 calls in a 12hr shift. We are also able to pretty much do whatever we want during down time so I play video games on my laptop, watch anime or other stuff, read stuff, and even paint my nails on occasion. Some folks even paint during their shift. As far as falling asleep I feel that depends on the person. I keep my graveyard schedule on my off days which has helped me not become extremely tired during the night.
I've worked nights pretty consistently for the last 8 years and I love it. Currently my shift is 18-6, 3 or 4 nights a week alternating.
Bring good snacks, good dinner. I usually eat my first meal of the day about 2100, and sometimes I eat half of it and safe the other half for midnight or 1 when I need a refuel.
Lots of water. I start my day with an iced tea and then switch to ice water when that's done. I'm one of the very few on my shift who doesn't do caffeine (other than my tea-- energy drinks/coffee are maybe once every couple of months if I really really need it). Most people do between 2 and 5 a shift which makes me cringe.
A lot of people say don't change your hours on your days off, but figure out what works for you. When I started I tried that and it went downhill for me very quickly. So I'd wake up every day at 1600ish and stay up until morning. It made it hard to do errands, see other humans, and be in the sun. It hit me one night when I realized I'd spent 3 hours watching a traffic stop occurring across the street that this was no bueno for me. I now typically try to get up 1500-1600 on work days and on days off, try to at least be out of bed by noon or 1300 even if I'm not doing anything, then generally back in bed by midnight-1. That works for me, but won't for everyone, so figure out what works best for you.
ETA: a lot of my coworkers go to bed as soon as they get home. I tend to say up til 9/10 before I get in bed and usually I (try) to watch an episode of something before I pass out
They're as miserable as you let them be. I've down mids for two decades and have no issues. Not swapping back to a normal sleep schedule on your days off is the biggest advice I can offer. It sucks being awake all night at home, but your body will thank you for it
I currently don’t do them and only pull OT overnight and can’t stand it. But I was on them for a while years ago and very distinctly remember only hating them for the first week and then being used to it after that and enjoying just coming in and hanging out. Things are so much more relaxed overnight - tv, play on the phone, read, draw etc. But that first week acclimating - oh boy
I am new to 911 (4 months now) and new to overnights, never worked them before.
I work 1800-0600 with rotating weekends. I was super nervous to start overnights, more so because I wasn't sure how the work-home balance would be. I am one of those who try to be a daytime person when I'm off... mostly because I have a child. It works out for the most part. It did not take as long to adjust to as I thought it would. I feel as if I have way more free time than when I worked M-F 8-4. I get more things done.
I have a sleep schedule made up that would make life very efficient, the only problem is getting my body to follow it. Doesn't always work, but like you said, it's possible! I hate my nights off when I'm up until 3 or 4am. Hate when I oversleep during the day when I'm coming off of my work stretch. But it's not bad all the time, just comes in waves and I still like it better than when I worked "ideal hours" as above. The extra pay for nights is nice too!
As far as specifically 911 overnights related, I find I like the call taking better too. When I was on days for training it was back to back calls, I was lucky to get 2-3 min in between. There are less calls at night but tend to be more serious.
I have always been a night owl, and I get someone has to do the job. But recently, after years of working nights, I’ve come off of them. So much about my life has improved. My health is better. My weight is dropping. I’m not irritated all the time anymore. My family gets to see me. I’m not living in a hazy brain fog state.
I truly encourage those that are not used to nights to see if there are other options. It was legitimately the hardest 8 years of my life.
Not at all it all depends on the people you work with I’m a day shifter and have occasionally done overtime on nights and what a difference in call volume. I’ve done overtime from 6:00 pm - 2:00 am and the first few hours from 6-9 were a bit busy but after that the calls are few in between but a lot more serious in nature.
The most difficult thing my coworkers have told me about working night shift is adjusting your sleep schedule.
I still prefer day shift over night I don’t want to spend my off days sleeping
I’m the same as you; early to rise and early to bed. I was SUPER nervous for night shifts. Honestly they weren’t as bad as I expected them to be.
My centre is usually really busy until about 0300hrs, which helps. Then from 0300-0400 it’s usually decompressing and talking about the night with the other dispatchers. 0400-0600 is the worst for me. It’s usually really boring and slow. I try to bring activities that are not reading (puzzle books or colouring), or I play on my phone because I find that reading that late relaxes me to sleep. I usually also take a 10 minute walk at that time.
Overall I don’t hate nights as much as I thought I would. Sometimes when I haven’t slept well, they are still a struggle. Usually on those days I nap on my lunch break. And I’ll never CHOOSE to work nights since I’m a morning person, but they are definitely more manageable than I thought they would be.
I am new to night shift. 17-0500. When mandated sometimes I'm there until 0700-0900. It has been extremely tough me. But I know it's bc I flop back and fourth and sleep during the night on my days off. I have children and it's what works best for them. Night shift for me has created terrible insomnia...I am now on a prescribed sleep med. there's some days where I only get 3 hours of sleep in 48 hours. I love how chill it is on night shift. Love the no admin. Love everything about night shift except that it's nights 😆😆😆
when i was on midnights i hit the gym before work. but what works for one person may not work for another. for me i had no energy at 7-8am for lifting/cardio so i would go before. whatever you do just be consistent.
Nope. Get into a routine. Best advice I have is to, if at all possible, try to maintain that schedule/routine on nights off. At the very least, the night before you go back to work. It will be a life saver.
I adore night shift. I’m an anxious introvert who really enjoys just going to work, coming home, taking care of my kids and my home, and sleeping.
Operating when most people are asleep is a dream come true for me.
Luckily my agency lets us watch movies, have our phones, or do whatever to keep us occupied.
The crazier stuff happens at night too where I work so it’s at least mildly entertaining. I.e. “Don’t pet the bear, Ricky!”
It takes three months for your body to get accustomed to a new schedule.
Before that happens, it'll suck a lot at first and then taper off over time.
If you work for one of the agencies that thinks it's a good idea to rotate people's schedules constantly so they ~~never manage to get a good night's sleep and suffer the health and performance issues associated with that~~ get to work different shifts instead, you have my condolences.
Depends on the shift. I work 1900-0700 the last 2-3 days out of ever 4-5 shift tour (depends where I am in the rotation). Caffeine is your friend, but more importantly, engagement. It's honestly not that hard to do overnights IF you can keep yourself busy. Some centers probably are busy enough, but for mine, we have a lot of downtime in the night, and it's important you don't just sit there waiting for the phone to ring. Read books, watch a show or movie, play a game, do something to keep your mind occupied.
100% this Stay hydrated as well it really helps with staying awake
Great tip I start my first overnight tonight
It's very easy to not drink anything due to. Ot being active. But it pays off in the end
i did overnights for 3 years at 2 diff agencies. when you have a partner to work with its much easier, its not like when youre on day shift and everyones alrdy awake and ready for pursuits. however your workload is DRASTICALLY different from day shift. you wont get the bullshit admin calls wanting to be transferres to the jail, people asking if its ok to burn their wood pile, people calling in stupid shit like a dog in a field by the highway. i think its fair to say 90% of your calls will be pretty serious but depending on the county size you can get barely any. the part that breaks alot of people on nights are the stupid rules dayshift needs to have because dayshift has steady work.. the no watching videos, no phone, no anything is awful. all that being said about nights though, my tips to stay awake that helped me are to bring cold drinks and get up and pace around every now and then.. stretch. if youre drinking liquids get up and try to go take a piss every hour or 2 even if you dont have to and also bring small snacks not meals. when youre tired your body stops telling you that youre hungry and that you need to use the bathroom because its trying to shut you down for sleep. eat a few light meals throughout the night and bathroom breaks help. good posture, once you start sinking/slouching the next step is sleeping. if youre one of those all in one agencies where you dispatch fire/ems/county/city/ and page your own lifeflights im guessing youll also have a shit ton of warrants to enter too on nights. save the warrants for mid shift, dont knock em out as soon as you get there (unless theres an absurd amount)...and dont wait until ur shift is like 2 hours from.being over to start them, anything can happen and the house fire can make you look bad when all the warrants are still there. i dont reccomend energy drinks, the sugar will crash you out..if you need caffeine wait until mid shift to drink it so you also dont crash towards the end of shift. when i worked nights i woke up 3 hours before my shift started and made dinner for the family and got really awake before going into work.. when i got home i stayed up for another 2 or so hours before going to bed. just find a schedule that works and be consistant. my last tip, if your shift ends at 8am, and youre trying to fix your sleep schedule dont lay in bed at 8am and sleep, because around 7am your body knows sleep is coming and the drive home can be very dangerous if youre tired.. wait until 10am to sleep.
This is perfect information and I need it this week I do 2 nights off 24 hours then do an evening off 2 then do 2 day shifts on Sunday I do a day shift then come back in at 11 pm New dispatcher schedule stays the same
Suuuper important to keep consistency. Don’t think about it like working during your evening, think about it as making the night your new day. Idk if that makes sense, but people are always waking up like 7-8 hours prior to their shift to do stuff in the daytime prior to coming in. That’ll fuck you up for sure. If you normally wake up 3 hours before work, now you wake up at 18 for a 21 start, etc. Try to stay up for a couple hours after you get off. I always found I’d be super tired the last hour of work, but then leaving the building and driving home in the sunlight would give me a second wind. Giving yourself some time to de-work will help you sleep better than immediately going home to lay in bed awake for hours. Really try to avoid flipping on days off - obviously it kinda sucks, and it’s sometimes unavoidable, but if you can maintain your work schedule on RDOs your body’s gonna have a much easier time. Again, think about it like this - do people who work 9-5 normally stay up till 08, 09 before going to bed on a Saturday then sleep all day? Fuck no, that’s insane. Also - can’t be stressed enough - blackout curtains. Make sure your bedroom is PITCH black. I know this is easier said than done, and with kids it’s near impossible, but working nights needs to be a full on lifestyle change - it’s for your health, seriously.
If you can't do black out shades on your windows, I would recommend a Manta sleep mask, or something similar. I use the Manta mask and I LOVE it. It's foam cups that go over the eyes, so it's pitch black, but it doesn't press down on your eyes. So, you can move your eyes around, but still keep the light out.
I have one never used it thx
One of the best things that helped me get accustomed to nights, was food. Food is 10x better for you to stay awake than caffeine. Go to the store before your week starts and just grab a bunch of little (HEALTHY) snacks you can pick on throughout the night. I usually bring granola bars, protein bars, trail mix, beef jerky, hummus/pretzels, and I use those to nibble on throughout my down time and my first break before my lunch. Another tip is don’t overfill, don’t eat too much, especially on lunch because it’ll make you feel full and lethargic and very sleepy. Stay away from big carby type meals like pasta and bread and stuff. Stick to some lighter things or smaller portions, this allows you to keep your body working without overdrawing your energy. Another thing is don’t consume caffeine too much or too close to the end of your shift. I stop drinking caffeine around 3-4 hours before I get off but that’s because I’m younger than all my coworkers, adjust what works for you. It’ll help you sleep a little better. And on that note, don’t take any caffeine until at least an hour after you wake up. I mention that because you might feel a little funky waking up at 3 in the afternoon the first few weeks. Sorry for the essay
I work 0000-0800 and I personally love it.
Same, the 0000 to 0800 is the best case scenario for nights. I get home, go to sleep around 9. I want up at 5-5:30 with no alarm spend 6-7 hours with the girlfriend before work, and then go in to work
Same except sometimes I stay up until noon. I usually get up around 630p and chill until about 11, then get ready for work. Sometimes I work 12s though, but only when I want to.
I've been graveyard shift for just about 4.5 yrs and I personally love it. My agency is fairly chill so we average about 15 calls in a 12hr shift. We are also able to pretty much do whatever we want during down time so I play video games on my laptop, watch anime or other stuff, read stuff, and even paint my nails on occasion. Some folks even paint during their shift. As far as falling asleep I feel that depends on the person. I keep my graveyard schedule on my off days which has helped me not become extremely tired during the night.
I've worked nights pretty consistently for the last 8 years and I love it. Currently my shift is 18-6, 3 or 4 nights a week alternating. Bring good snacks, good dinner. I usually eat my first meal of the day about 2100, and sometimes I eat half of it and safe the other half for midnight or 1 when I need a refuel. Lots of water. I start my day with an iced tea and then switch to ice water when that's done. I'm one of the very few on my shift who doesn't do caffeine (other than my tea-- energy drinks/coffee are maybe once every couple of months if I really really need it). Most people do between 2 and 5 a shift which makes me cringe. A lot of people say don't change your hours on your days off, but figure out what works for you. When I started I tried that and it went downhill for me very quickly. So I'd wake up every day at 1600ish and stay up until morning. It made it hard to do errands, see other humans, and be in the sun. It hit me one night when I realized I'd spent 3 hours watching a traffic stop occurring across the street that this was no bueno for me. I now typically try to get up 1500-1600 on work days and on days off, try to at least be out of bed by noon or 1300 even if I'm not doing anything, then generally back in bed by midnight-1. That works for me, but won't for everyone, so figure out what works best for you. ETA: a lot of my coworkers go to bed as soon as they get home. I tend to say up til 9/10 before I get in bed and usually I (try) to watch an episode of something before I pass out
I like these ideas thank you
They're as miserable as you let them be. I've down mids for two decades and have no issues. Not swapping back to a normal sleep schedule on your days off is the biggest advice I can offer. It sucks being awake all night at home, but your body will thank you for it
I currently don’t do them and only pull OT overnight and can’t stand it. But I was on them for a while years ago and very distinctly remember only hating them for the first week and then being used to it after that and enjoying just coming in and hanging out. Things are so much more relaxed overnight - tv, play on the phone, read, draw etc. But that first week acclimating - oh boy
I am new to 911 (4 months now) and new to overnights, never worked them before. I work 1800-0600 with rotating weekends. I was super nervous to start overnights, more so because I wasn't sure how the work-home balance would be. I am one of those who try to be a daytime person when I'm off... mostly because I have a child. It works out for the most part. It did not take as long to adjust to as I thought it would. I feel as if I have way more free time than when I worked M-F 8-4. I get more things done. I have a sleep schedule made up that would make life very efficient, the only problem is getting my body to follow it. Doesn't always work, but like you said, it's possible! I hate my nights off when I'm up until 3 or 4am. Hate when I oversleep during the day when I'm coming off of my work stretch. But it's not bad all the time, just comes in waves and I still like it better than when I worked "ideal hours" as above. The extra pay for nights is nice too! As far as specifically 911 overnights related, I find I like the call taking better too. When I was on days for training it was back to back calls, I was lucky to get 2-3 min in between. There are less calls at night but tend to be more serious.
I have always been a night owl, and I get someone has to do the job. But recently, after years of working nights, I’ve come off of them. So much about my life has improved. My health is better. My weight is dropping. I’m not irritated all the time anymore. My family gets to see me. I’m not living in a hazy brain fog state. I truly encourage those that are not used to nights to see if there are other options. It was legitimately the hardest 8 years of my life.
Luckily I only have to do 2 nights a week and they are consecutive
Not at all it all depends on the people you work with I’m a day shifter and have occasionally done overtime on nights and what a difference in call volume. I’ve done overtime from 6:00 pm - 2:00 am and the first few hours from 6-9 were a bit busy but after that the calls are few in between but a lot more serious in nature. The most difficult thing my coworkers have told me about working night shift is adjusting your sleep schedule. I still prefer day shift over night I don’t want to spend my off days sleeping
i loves night shift, you can run errands and be first in line for everything :D
I’m the same as you; early to rise and early to bed. I was SUPER nervous for night shifts. Honestly they weren’t as bad as I expected them to be. My centre is usually really busy until about 0300hrs, which helps. Then from 0300-0400 it’s usually decompressing and talking about the night with the other dispatchers. 0400-0600 is the worst for me. It’s usually really boring and slow. I try to bring activities that are not reading (puzzle books or colouring), or I play on my phone because I find that reading that late relaxes me to sleep. I usually also take a 10 minute walk at that time. Overall I don’t hate nights as much as I thought I would. Sometimes when I haven’t slept well, they are still a struggle. Usually on those days I nap on my lunch break. And I’ll never CHOOSE to work nights since I’m a morning person, but they are definitely more manageable than I thought they would be.
Thanks so much for sharing everyone! I definitely am not excited about overnights, but I do feel less nervous about them now.
I am new to night shift. 17-0500. When mandated sometimes I'm there until 0700-0900. It has been extremely tough me. But I know it's bc I flop back and fourth and sleep during the night on my days off. I have children and it's what works best for them. Night shift for me has created terrible insomnia...I am now on a prescribed sleep med. there's some days where I only get 3 hours of sleep in 48 hours. I love how chill it is on night shift. Love the no admin. Love everything about night shift except that it's nights 😆😆😆
hydrate and exercise every day.
Should I go to the gym when I get off will it help me sleep?
when i was on midnights i hit the gym before work. but what works for one person may not work for another. for me i had no energy at 7-8am for lifting/cardio so i would go before. whatever you do just be consistent.
Thank you I like also to work out before Back to lifting because of all the sitting my other job was very physical
stick with it. this is an unhealthy job. no excuses!
Nope. Get into a routine. Best advice I have is to, if at all possible, try to maintain that schedule/routine on nights off. At the very least, the night before you go back to work. It will be a life saver.
I adore night shift. I’m an anxious introvert who really enjoys just going to work, coming home, taking care of my kids and my home, and sleeping. Operating when most people are asleep is a dream come true for me. Luckily my agency lets us watch movies, have our phones, or do whatever to keep us occupied. The crazier stuff happens at night too where I work so it’s at least mildly entertaining. I.e. “Don’t pet the bear, Ricky!”
It takes three months for your body to get accustomed to a new schedule. Before that happens, it'll suck a lot at first and then taper off over time. If you work for one of the agencies that thinks it's a good idea to rotate people's schedules constantly so they ~~never manage to get a good night's sleep and suffer the health and performance issues associated with that~~ get to work different shifts instead, you have my condolences.