[Gay State Conservative]

Having worked in health care (a large hospital) for 20 years I know something about "shifts"...including rotating shifts.The night shift is a killer.Medical research has shown that night shifts,particularly over time,can cause *serious* health problems.Heart disease and depression being just two.Rotating shifts,particularly when they include the night shift (11PM-7AM) are,if anything,worse than straight nights.Except for an 18 month period my entire tenure at the hospital included no nights and very few shifts longer than 8 hours (occasionally a sick call would require a double shift (7am-11PM).

Shift work....no thanks.But if that's your only option (can you say Obamanomics?) then what can you do?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***The night shift is a killer.***

This is true! I have worked mostly various shifts. I can handle 10 hours straight days or evenings.

First worst shift was military. 12 midnight to 12 noon.

Then 31 years if 8 hour rotating shift, often working double shift 16 hrs. Backward rotation. Midnights, evenings, days.

Then 8 hours of forward rotating shifts. Midnights, days, evenings.

Then we went to a 12 hour rotating shift. This shift was a real killer! 4 midnights. 6PM to 6AM. 1 1/2 days off, then three day shifts 6 to 6. Then 2 1/2 days off, then three midnights 6 to 6, then 4 days,6 to 6, then two weeks off.

You were constantly tired. Only in the last week of your days off you began to feel rested, then it was time for more midnights. When at work, I was requited to stay awake at all time. No cat napping, but you just could not help it. You would often be awake doing something, then wake up and find you had been asleep for a few minutes. Very dangerous!

Why did I stay? The money was great! Especially the overtime. Often I would get called in on my days off to work two to five days, all overtime.

I retired five years ago. It took me over SIX MONTHS to get caught up on 31 years of lost sleep. I still go to sleep very late in the night.

[Roccus]

I've worked 8-5 and 4-12 shifts on a five day work week as well as an occasional 12-8 . I've worked noon to midnight (or the reverse) for as many days/weeks as it took to get the job done. But the absolute BEST shift I ever worked was the 7am-6pm four day, forty hour week.

[TArcher]

[Rotating shifts,particularly when they include the night shift (11PM-7AM) are,if anything,worse than straight nights.]

Yep. It's like continuous jet-lag. Forcing the circadian rhythms to adapt is very stressful.

Of course, that's desirable for the hive-masters who want nothing more than obedient drones under their command...

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