What to do when you have a crappy sleep schedule?

[nilrecurring]

I work nights, and 13 hour ones at that. This means I get more days off, but even on days off I have to plan for the next work night, and when things go wrong (for example, this week my rats keep having health problems that require a one hour trip to the vet every day, plus medicating at home) I end up having a long string of days where I sleep sporadically throughout the day for only 5 hours a day. I feel really unhealthy. It seems like all of my functions go haywire, and I don't eat enough, and I certainly don't work out. What do I do to maintain my diet and exercise with a schedule like this??

[nilrecurring]

From the lack of replies I'm guessing the answer to my initial question is "sleep".

[Pixelle]

It sounds like you might be unsuited to nights.

It would improve things a lot I think if you found the time to work out a bit. As a last resort you could take a sleeping tablet to break the 5 hour sleep cycle you're on, but don't take them regularly.

[LovelyPerv]

Not everyone can do the night shift...it all depends on how your brain is wired.

I work 12 hour night shifts...and I do quite well, except for having to occasionally flip my days and nights around on my days off, to take care of 'day stuff,' and then flipping back to my night schedule.

If I'm needing to flip, or if I'm needing a FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP during a time when I wouldn't normally be sleeping, I take a VERY low dose of Melatonin (very cheap, it's the same hormone your brain makes to tell you it's time to go to sleep) and a few Valerian Root capsules (herbal, used by Socrates).

These are non-narcotic, and aren't really 'drugs' in my opinion. All they do is trick my body into thinking I've been awake for a really long time, and that my brain is beginning to go through the 'it's time to go to bed' process.

Good Luck, and remember:
If you are not able to keep a good sleep pattern working nights, you need to find something that involves working days... ...not getting enough sleep, or good sleep, is VERY unhealthy...both mentally and physically.

[snowbunny11]

Target sleep aid. It's basically Unisom. You need an 8 hour block of time to sleep in. See how it is 2:30 and I am up? Well, tomorrow night is Sunday night, and even if I sleep in Sunday morning until 11, if I take one of the pills at night at 11pm I'll fall asleep so I can get up for work the next day. I do it once a week to "reset" my schedule after I stay up late on the weekends.

I am sure there are about a million people on VB who are very healthy and would never take this, whatever, it works for me!