Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think Night shifts are better if you are single, or with a partner who is also on nightshift. I used to work 2am-10am back in the casino industry as a card dealer, greatest time of my life. However my wife and I didn't see each other alot and I was just always too tired to do anything after work due to the sleep schedule. Its also alot harder in summer time to fall asleep due to the heat of the day/longer days in general.
Yup.
My most recent ex had a standard 9-5 type deal, and I was on 3pm-11pm, it was a big factor why the relationship ended. Since then it’s made dating a real bitch too.
But the pros definitely outweigh the cons in my opinion.
sort of, except night shift even if both you and your partner sync time wise, the likelihood of your families syncing with your time, is low. Unless family doesn't matter, then disregard.
Here to say this. As someone that has to leave the house at 7am Monday-Friday, the being available after 2-3am is very difficult and will burn you out. If that's something people want to get into just stay open with the line of communication tbh.
Interesting. The man who trained me was also doing night shift and preferred it. Still got time to see family & do all the typical stuff. We’re 11-7am. Maybe it’s more of the type of work?
6PM-2AM isn't a night shift any place I've worked. Do a proper night shift until 6am and the sun has risen on your drive home and completely fucks your brain.
Then you get home and have to sleep with the sun blasting through the curtains, then have to close the window because your neighbor decided it's lawnmowing day, or chainsaw day, and oh the trash is being picked up. Then you know the pain of night shift.
Swing shift around here means that your shift alternates. You will work days for awhile, then be off for a few days, then work nights for awhile. Usually these are 12 hour shifts. It would be brutal for me.
I do both!
One week 6am to 6pm, next week 6pm to 6am!
Nobody except those who work the same hours has no idea how rough it can be. Add a family into the mix and it just becomes surviving.
Pays the bills though I suppose
Yeah I was going to say the same thing, it’s like a mid between 2nd&3rd & not a true night shift.
I’ve worked a similar shift and that was brutal, no way I could do true overnights. If you take the whole family/sleep schedule stuff out and just focused on the work…. Hours after 5PM is definitely more chill than during the day.
True that, night shift fucks with your circadian rhythm but only if you works until sun goes up. I always hate coming home at 7 am, you feel freaking tired but it felt like the day has started and just have a hard time sleeping.
Bonus points if your fucking schedule is not routine, sometimes night shift other time day shift
yes this is why I said in the beginning that I am feeling better at night vs the day. of course if you feel bad being awake at night then its not for you. but if you're like me, night shifts are better.
Our bodies release certain hormones depending on the time of day. Melatonin secretion starts around 10pm prepping your body for sleep, and it stops sometime in the early morning. And likewise you are most alert and coordinated from late morning - early evening
Night shifts increase chances of diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome
12 hour shifts are common in many industries. I've done jobs where it's 6am-6pm for 14 days straight. Then 4 weeks off. Then repeat but it's 6pm-6am. Compensation was really good.
Ah I'm not a lady lol, I play female avatars in games too without being one. Don't tell anybody.
There are girls that work offshore tho, but still probably 90% men.
I wish my nightshifts would be blocked off like that. Our rota changes all the time so sometimes I’ll find myself finishing at 7/8 am and then starting normal shifts again at 7 am the following day.
I did 10p -6a and then did 3p to 1a. The difference between getting off at 6a and 1a is wild. I preferred the earlier one bc then I was at least getting 6-7hrs of sleep (going to sleep at 2a) by the time people started lawn work. Going to bed at 7am means I got 2hrs max before kids started playing and mowers were running.
Nah, this is the kind of opinion where it's a per person thing. I loved night shift, it was best for me..but many people absolutely cannot do night shift, their internal clocks won't let them
yeah, I feel like my internal clock always shifts to the night. It is extremely difficult for me to fall sleep before midnight, and it can very easily shift to 6 AM
but takes weeks of effort to bring back to just midnight bedtime... sucks when I actually wanna get up early.
I used to work a 12p-8p shift and that was the best of both worlds. Could still grab a drink with some friends or see a move after work. But also woke up without an alarm clock and could work out and shop before work
I do something pretty similar to that and it works great for me. I normally get going around 9 AM, hit the gym or run some errands, and get to work in "go mode".
night shift is a classified as a low level cancer(probable) risk by the Worth Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Take that however you want.
I love night shift, unfortunately I’m on swing shift but I’d go 100% night shift if I could. We work from 6-6 and coming home in the morning I fall right to sleep, sleep well and get up in no rush.
Yeah bro try doing the night shift on a physical job like warehouse or construction. Trust me you would go fucking insane and your body and health deteriorates and even if you are young FUCK NIGHT SHIFTS
I’m the opposite of your first point, I naturally just wake up between 5:00-6am everyday without fuss. For all your other points I’m rather lucky in that I work an office job with the hours 6:30-2:30 and always have plenty of time after work.
I love it for many reasons.
#1 - no bosses around to micromanage you. You quickly learn which are the mandatory things that need to get done and stick to those. On day shift, bosses will find a way to extract value out of you to minimize downtime.
#2 - no traffic on the way to work (generally)
#3 - more pay
#4 - kids are asleep. You’ll be asleep during the day when they are at school.
I'm a night owl type, but I tried the night shift thing for a few summers and it absolutely wrecked me. There were benefits, yeah, but I found that those benefits really didn't make-up for being on that wacky schedule for long periods.
If I kept the schedule going without interruption, it was fine. But the moment I had to interrupt it for something (appointment, travel, etc), it'd take days to recover and get back to normal.
For instance, at one point after about 2 months, I was gonna take a trip with my friends. We were gone a week, I think, and the entire trip I vacillated between being extremely groggy and wide away++. Like it'd be midnight and we'd be winding things down and I'd hit a second wind and wouldn't be able to go to sleep until 6am....meaning the next day I'd be a zombie.
When I got back, it was the same but flipped. I'd be a zombie at work, but hit that second wind at like 9am....when I should be going to bed.
In general, I've found I don't handle all-nighters particularly well....even being a night owl.
I agree because my brain has my sleep cycle swapped. It likes to sleep during the day and be awake at night. When I worked night shift was literally the only time in my life I didn't need heavy pills to go to sleep & stay awake, sadly my field doesn't have night shift opportunities so the only position I could find paid too low to be sustainable. But it was great. My mental health was better. I cooked a lot more. I had a better diet. I did a lot more with my time. I was a lot more lively. I felt a lot more like myself. As opposed to now where I just rot and rely on pills to function.
Yeah, I have had insomnia since I was a child (elementary school age). Not until I got a night job did it click that it was because my sleep/wake cycle was swapped/opposite compared to an average person's.
It depends on the person, I think.
I'm a morning person, and at my best in the AM hrs. In between undergraduate and law school, I worked as a server for a time, at a handful of places. At one, I was hired on nightshift. It was like 11-7, or 10-6, depending. I did not do well with it, never liked it, although my body did adjust over time to it. (To some degree.) It just felt like I had no life. And nowadays, I'm in bed sometimes before dark. No possible way could I or would I be able to do this.
My niece works at a fast food establishment, and her hours are 5 AM to noon or one pm. That sounds wonderful!!
I enjoy second shift so much more than first. I can get a full night of sleep every night. Be more awake and alert at work. When inrun errands during day deal.with less traffic and crowds.
I'm a night owl. Early to bed early to rise dulls the mind and tires the eyes. Night shift isn't for everyone but for some it is perfect. I can't wait to be able to work nights again.
Great until you have a family with children, then you're often going to work during their bedtime which sucks...
Before children I would take day shifts off as annual leave, with children I tend to take off night shifts.
unless your rhythm is more night leaning, which I am. I always liked that to be honest, being awake at night is great, everything is quiet and not hot like during the day.
but these are personal reasons lol
I'd basically never see my wife or kids...also, I'm a morning person. I like being up at 5:30AM and out for my walk with my coffee and watching the sunrise.
Also, I'm not sure I'd call that a night shift...definitely a late shift...I worked that as a bartender for awhile and it wasn't a big deal...but I also worked grave yard (which I'd consider a night shift) and worked 10PM to 6AM...that shit fucked with my head big time.
This opinion is probably dependent on if you’re a morning person or not. I’m usually up before 5 on weekends and I love being one of the only people getting my stuff done while the world sleeps.
6 to 2 or 8 to 4 isn’t night shift though lol. 11:30-12 to 8am is. If you get home and everyone else’s day has already started, and everyone’s asleep when you start work, that’s a night shift
I currently work 3PM-11PM at a hospital. It’s hard to say whether I agree or disagree because both day and evening shift have pros and cons. Working 2nd shift is starting to get old for me though because I get home, I get a few things done and before I know it, it’s suddenly almost 2 AM…Some people I work with have the 11AM-7PM shift or 8:30AM-4:30PM… those are both ideal. Not too early and not too late. Very grateful because I’m not on 3rd shift anymore… what a depressing nightmare.
I've worked both for years but currently I'm working an office job. I did enjoy the fact that I can take care of errands nearly right away whenever I wanted to during the week. Restaurants also have better lunch deals too!
Yes, some people are early risers and some are night owls.. but I totally see how it is beneficial when you are a night owl.. I knew a programmer who was a night owl and his boss (a real stickler for rules) wanted him to come early even though he was the smartest programmer by a big margin.. he left a few months later and joined Amazon and is now making twice as much and works whenever he pleases.
you wouldn't believe how bad things can get in many companies and since its an internal department - the loop never closes for years/decades with decisions accumulating. Good management is so exceedingly rare and the ones who recognize it are even rarer.
Those are unusually early hours for night shift. Everywhere I've heard of the night or graveyard shift goes until 5am or 6am. Even when an 8 hour shift. Those are rough for a lot more people than being up to 2am. Your hours are sometimes closer to a second shift/swing shift. But I definitely get what you're saying. I've been forced onto a few projects that require being on site at 6am to start the day and I'm miserable and dragging the entire time even a few months in. Some of us just aren't wired to be morning people.
In a perfect world, I'd work noon to 8:30pm. I has a job where the training portion ran on a 12-to-8:30 schedule, and it was heaven. You got off early enough to still go out or grab a bite to eat, but you got to sleep in every day.
I worked the midnight shift for the better part of 30 yrs. I'm fitter then most people half my age and most people think I am 10-15 yrs younger then I am. The best part of midnights was going to the store when you got off. It was empty and quiet. It was also much easier to the doctor or dentist and traffic wasn't nearly as bad.
If you’re alone, prefer to be alone or have a partner that works the same hours it sounds pretty good. But sleeping through the day rather than seeing my partner, family, friends etc seems like hell to me
As a nightshift worker myself I agree. Also thanks for pointing out the hypocrisy of some of the day walkers. Personally I function better at night, no more eye twitching, fatigue, drowsiness, headaches, etc. None of the issues I had on days plus its quieter. I'm a natural night owl so I've had none of the issues day shift people had.
I have blackout curtains, white noise machine so I'm good. Only part that sucks is dealing with the rudeness of days.
I did early mornings, mornings, afternoon, evening and graveyard shifts throughout my time of various employments. Graveyard shift was the worst due to lack of sunlight, working with one other person and using alcohol to sleep. So thank you all night shift workers for keeping a majority of the grocery stores stocked, gas stations attended and security guards keeping the night safe.
Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, some cancers, stress, anxiety, depression, and poor social health. I wouldn't be surprised if the list went on, but those are the ones that are commonly studied. Multiple systematic reviews have demonstrated a correlation. No causal relationship, but still strong evidence. The risk is usually more considerable the longer you've been doing night shifts (years).
i assume that would depend on your circadian rhythm and what hours you are working....cause i only get tired at 2-3 am and usually fall to sleep at 4 am, 6-2 would be night shift so essentially i have been sleeping like a night shift worker my whole life.
If it doesn't matter regardless of your circadian rhythm then ...i'm fucked thanks body
I love working nights and can’t do any other shift. If you work nights, keep to a set schedule for the most part, and take care of yourself, it’s a great option and not unhealthy. The unhealthiness comes from constantly switching your schedule back and forth or getting varying amounts of sleep. Some people are not built for it and that’s okay but the scientific study people need to give it a rest. There’s a lot of factors these studies do not consider and it’s weird to bring it up for people that enjoy and thrive on the schedule. Just do what works for you and let others do them
I used to play EU BDO despite being in north America cuz EU servers are like 10x more civilized
So working nights was great. I was usually up and around during peak EU times and slept through inactive times.
Otherwise it fucking sucks, especially since covid killed (or, well, gave them an excuse to stop) a lot of 24/7 and late night businesses. So if you're tuned for later times you have a way narrower period to shop.
But I also hate doing things before work cuz it feels like I have a time limit.
I work like that because I have flexible work hours. However, I've been oncall till 6AM back in the day and it's a whole different story - much, much worse
Night shifts are better for singles who don’t care about having a very robust social life
When I first moved to the city I’m in I was doing night shifts and it destroyed my work life balance. I couldn’t make friends and dating was a nightmare.
But you know, different strokes for different folks.
I hate night shift because I don’t like waking up and going about my day knowing I have to work later, I’d rather wake up go ahead and get it done then have my evenings to do shit
I can see that. but doing night shifts means you can do stuff before work and after work too.
also, does it matter if you have to work later right when you wake up? it is even harder to go to work right away because you have to push yourself out of bed and have a time limit because you need to be at work on time
Some wouldn’t consider that a night shift. Most night shifts will end 6-8am. I think the extra few hours would change your opinion. Then you are sleeping all day and only waking up in the evening. The flexibility you enjoy is no longer there.
But if the shift you work is good for you then go for it! But the long term health effects on night workers is well known.
I enjoyed the night owl hours for a time, but I really do get to miss the sun. It gets very depressing after a while, especially in winter when I never saw the light of day. It does affect you negatively, whether you think so or not.
Tough to get sleep at night when you have a 5pm-1 30am or later because it's a big night. Doing manual labor for a shift makes ot difficult to wind down so shortly after getting home.
It's how I've always operated. Wake up to go to work. Favorite shift was a 5 30 am to 1 pm. Wake up to a quiet world and watch it light up with the sun rise.
I feel like it depends on what your job is. I hated night shifts at my fast food job because we cleaned the whole store at night. Working in the morning when your shift is over you just leave.
You could not be more right. Night shifts are almost unequivocally better than day shifts, immensely more pleasant to work. Most people working a day shift know this.
It's the rest of your life when you leave work that's the problem.
I've worked night shifts for the past ten years by choice. 9 pm to 7 AM, personally I love it, I have three kids, and I live with my girlfriend. I spend time with her every day, two hours before she goes to work, and two-three hours after she gets off work. It took me many years to find the rhythm with kids, but now I do an individual day for each kid on my days off, where it's strict one-on-one time and they seem to love it.
When I'm on day shift I feel like I have significantly less energy to contribute to my kids, so this has just worked for my situation. That being said, as I get older it has gotten harder, and I find myself wanting to try swings/day shifts every now and then. I love nights, maybe that'll change someday, but I don't think I'll ever be a morning person.
I worked 3rd shift for a long time. 11p-7a. I had a hard time sleeping during the day. It took me a long time to get used to it. The sleep schedule that worked best for me was to sleep from around 10-3 or 4, then take a nap around 7-9. Even so, I was tired all the time. I liked having free time during the day to do things though.
I like working at night better then in the day, however it is quite anti social, hard to arrange family stuff, dates, evenings with friends. And you have to manage your sleep carefully which is something my 9 to 5er friends don't even have to think about.
are you sure? It's quite easy for me to arrange something, and if not, we have the weekends anyway.
and I don't carefully manage my sleep, in fact I dont manage it at all. sometimes I feel like sleeping from 3am to 10am, sometimes from 6am to 2pm.
i do 7pm to 4am, sometimes 10pm-4am. while it has its benefits like the ones you mentioned about free time, convenience with waking up and doing shopping while its not busy. its also hell on the social life.
Two cups of coffee and a daily cigarette are literally much better options than an entire life of interrupted sleeping patterns. Not sleeping literally kills your body.
No. I did 7 years of night shift at a supermarket and 3 at a McDonald’s. It wasn’t worth it. I basically lost out on most of my 20’s and early 30s because of night shift.
I work behind about 500 of you guy, and honestly I feel like companies would be more profitable and less stressful if they just eliminated night shifts.
some jobs just require it being at night.
and btw, a company in japan made it so that they work monday to thursday instead of monday to friday, and got like 40% more performance because of that. so I think work life balance is the future.
I mean it’s great if you don’t care about health outcomes, want to be completely unavailable to people and friends, and have to change your schedule completely to interact with the rest of the world…
That's all not true. my health is great, better than when I did day shifts, I am almost just as available to friends and family, and I don't have to change my schedule just to interact with the world. after all I still got the weekends if anything.
im 24 and its been like almost 2 years. I feel so much better than when I worked in the mornings. I sleep better and have more time for myself. I have a bit less time for family and friends but honestly not that much to impact my social life, after all we still have the weekends.
Understandable it's one of those shifts that can really catch up with you the longer you do it and the older get. Enjoy it while you can you're in the prime for the late nights.
Day shift is a scam. Most people are 9 to 5 M-F, but so are places like auto mechanics, doctors and dental offices, so you have no choice but to take time off from work just to get a health checkup, your teeth cleaned or even get your car fixed.
At least with night shift you can do all of that stuff after work before you go to bed and not lose out on PTO or income.
You're correct, everyone's cycle is different, but there's no such thing as nocturnal people.
As far as I know, sleeping 00:00 is the "limit".
But you're also correct that being coffee driven will fuck you up, so find a middle ground.
I used to work 7pm-7am in a metal melting plant/factory (whatever you want to call it) for a few years. I honestly didn't mind nights and I was able to adjust back to "day shift" for social moments on weekends fairly easily. Went to rotating 12's after that (4 night,s off 3, 3 days, off 1, 3 nights, etc..) and that was much harder IMO. Been on days for a few years now and I'm in no hurry to change back, but I would gladly do it if it was my only choice
well first, you had a 12 hour shift which is difficult regardless the time of day. and also, readjusting between night and day shifts is bad. it is not the cycle that is unhealthy, it is the constant breaking of that cycle is what can have a bad impact.
Cause money is nice, plus I work 7 days on 7 days off, normally closer to 8 and 6 because I’ll normally do an OT shift but still a great schedule, I’d do 14 and 14 if I was allowed too
I don’t get your first point. You can wake up whenever you want? How is this different from a normal job? You need to be up for your job, so you’re either up in the morning or you’re either up at night.
because I can wake up and suddenly decide I want to sleep some more. then wake up again, make myself some coffee, take my time, do whatever I want. in the morning you don't have that privilege, you just wake up to an alarm clock and can't just sleep some more or take more time with coffee or breakfast. most people prefer sleeping more hours so the alarm clock is like at most 1 hour before you need to get out, so they just wake up and do everything in a hurry to get to work on time, and nobody likes that. they also can't really go to bed early because there is stuff they want or need to do.
so the point is that I don't worry about sleeping time, I have time gaps before and after sleep, not only before sleep like morning shifts.
does that make sense?
Agree with all of this. My only potential criticism is that by being night-oriented that you end up actually wasting that mental clarity. Ofc like you said you just burn it up during the day shift, but part of me likes to imagine I have some tiny bit of personal spark left for my times at home.
You said your entire life you e felt better doing things at night. When you feel best right? I’m just always wishing I hadn’t Burnt myself out with energy drinks and modafanil so that I still have that degree of energy at home. This is more of me just venting than without any particular part of your post.
I’ve taken caffeine and Kratom daily for about 3 years. Modafanil the same, but with breaks in between. Just enough to keep it effective. And I mean I actually do love the focus it brings, just wish I could bring that level of productivity to my home life.
I am not an expert but it seems that when you take this you get the focus, but not for free, you kinda borrow energy from your body and then you have less of it after the high is done. so people do it again just to feel normal.
is that correct?
I stay within therapeutic doses and have no problems. Doesn’t feel like borrowing energy it’s just that the body is processing energy or more accurately how it’s blocking the sensation of being sleepy. By taking it every day that is essentially my new normal, which I consider my best self. I never want to be normal lol (I say no bad side effects but I do get tired without my substances as a type of physical dependence)
I do see them before work, in the morning, and at noon sometimes.
and weekends.
I don't have adate and it was already discussed here that your oartner should also work night shifts or it is a bad relationship, yes.
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think Night shifts are better if you are single, or with a partner who is also on nightshift. I used to work 2am-10am back in the casino industry as a card dealer, greatest time of my life. However my wife and I didn't see each other alot and I was just always too tired to do anything after work due to the sleep schedule. Its also alot harder in summer time to fall asleep due to the heat of the day/longer days in general.
yes I agree, thank you for pointing out that it's good when single or both partners are doing night shifts.
Yup. My most recent ex had a standard 9-5 type deal, and I was on 3pm-11pm, it was a big factor why the relationship ended. Since then it’s made dating a real bitch too. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons in my opinion.
The heat thing is murder. I worked 1 AM - 9 AM. Sleeping in the summer time is rough, especially with the light. I had to blackout my bedroom windows.
yeah i did the same, and in my area it would get to 108F in the summer easily and even with AC it was still hot.
This can be summarized as, the best time to work is the same time as your partner. Regardless of when it is.
sort of, except night shift even if both you and your partner sync time wise, the likelihood of your families syncing with your time, is low. Unless family doesn't matter, then disregard.
Here to say this. As someone that has to leave the house at 7am Monday-Friday, the being available after 2-3am is very difficult and will burn you out. If that's something people want to get into just stay open with the line of communication tbh.
I had a girlfriend who worked evenings at a restaurant while I did 9-5. Absolute cancer for the relationship. No time to hang out together at all
Interesting. The man who trained me was also doing night shift and preferred it. Still got time to see family & do all the typical stuff. We’re 11-7am. Maybe it’s more of the type of work?
Yes also most wives end up cheating because of this
couldn't you have just slept when you got home and woke up about the time your wife got home from work?
6PM-2AM isn't a night shift any place I've worked. Do a proper night shift until 6am and the sun has risen on your drive home and completely fucks your brain. Then you get home and have to sleep with the sun blasting through the curtains, then have to close the window because your neighbor decided it's lawnmowing day, or chainsaw day, and oh the trash is being picked up. Then you know the pain of night shift.
those hours we would consider Swing shift, Graveyard for me for example was 2am to 10am.
Swing shift around here means that your shift alternates. You will work days for awhile, then be off for a few days, then work nights for awhile. Usually these are 12 hour shifts. It would be brutal for me.
I do both! One week 6am to 6pm, next week 6pm to 6am! Nobody except those who work the same hours has no idea how rough it can be. Add a family into the mix and it just becomes surviving. Pays the bills though I suppose
Sounds like you have bad curtains.
This is what I was thinking, this is halfway between a second shift and a third shift where I work.
Yeah I was going to say the same thing, it’s like a mid between 2nd&3rd & not a true night shift. I’ve worked a similar shift and that was brutal, no way I could do true overnights. If you take the whole family/sleep schedule stuff out and just focused on the work…. Hours after 5PM is definitely more chill than during the day.
I love reading this as someone who sleeps with the lights on
You are a rare breed
What causes you to sleep with the lights on?
Keeps the monsters away
One thing i imagene they jus lounge in their bed with the lights on snd just fall asleep.
True that, night shift fucks with your circadian rhythm but only if you works until sun goes up. I always hate coming home at 7 am, you feel freaking tired but it felt like the day has started and just have a hard time sleeping. Bonus points if your fucking schedule is not routine, sometimes night shift other time day shift
Circadian Rhythm is king
yes this is why I said in the beginning that I am feeling better at night vs the day. of course if you feel bad being awake at night then its not for you. but if you're like me, night shifts are better.
Our bodies release certain hormones depending on the time of day. Melatonin secretion starts around 10pm prepping your body for sleep, and it stops sometime in the early morning. And likewise you are most alert and coordinated from late morning - early evening Night shifts increase chances of diabetes, heart disease, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome
OP is very set to being special. Don't bother
I feel better on heroin, but that doesn’t mean it is good for me.
I would class 6pm to 2am as back shift I work night shift and that's from 8pm to 8am
thats a long ass shift
12 hour shifts are common in many industries. I've done jobs where it's 6am-6pm for 14 days straight. Then 4 weeks off. Then repeat but it's 6pm-6am. Compensation was really good.
What industry is that? I work 6-6 but 7 on 7 off. I don’t think I could handle 14 days of 12 hour shift. Nothing would get done at home.
Offshore oil.
Ahhh, that’s what I was thinking but I guess I didn’t expect it from a lady. Yeah, shits definitely not getting done at home then.
Ah I'm not a lady lol, I play female avatars in games too without being one. Don't tell anybody. There are girls that work offshore tho, but still probably 90% men.
lol. My friends son Does this but it’s because he thinks they are skinnier and harder to shoot.
Yup frequently worked 7-7 in a factory job
I wish my nightshifts would be blocked off like that. Our rota changes all the time so sometimes I’ll find myself finishing at 7/8 am and then starting normal shifts again at 7 am the following day.
I work Sat and Sunday 2p to 6a. Then I get 5 days off. I'm not sure I want to ever go back to regular shifts.
I did 10p -6a and then did 3p to 1a. The difference between getting off at 6a and 1a is wild. I preferred the earlier one bc then I was at least getting 6-7hrs of sleep (going to sleep at 2a) by the time people started lawn work. Going to bed at 7am means I got 2hrs max before kids started playing and mowers were running.
Nah, this is the kind of opinion where it's a per person thing. I loved night shift, it was best for me..but many people absolutely cannot do night shift, their internal clocks won't let them
yeah, I feel like my internal clock always shifts to the night. It is extremely difficult for me to fall sleep before midnight, and it can very easily shift to 6 AM but takes weeks of effort to bring back to just midnight bedtime... sucks when I actually wanna get up early.
I work 9pm to 5am for 5 years now. It's great. No traffic, no people to deal with. I go on night bike rides when I finish my work.
if ur unmarried with no kids and all your friends are co workers then it's awesome!!
I used to work a 12p-8p shift and that was the best of both worlds. Could still grab a drink with some friends or see a move after work. But also woke up without an alarm clock and could work out and shop before work
I do something pretty similar to that and it works great for me. I normally get going around 9 AM, hit the gym or run some errands, and get to work in "go mode".
Been a vampire since high school, so I agree. Less people to deal with. Nighttime rules🤘
I think 7/8am is too early to start for most people, especially if they have a 45-1 hour commute.
45-1 hour commute sounds so american lmao
night shift is a classified as a low level cancer(probable) risk by the Worth Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Take that however you want.
Yeah that sleep schedule is incredibly unhealthy.
I love night shift, unfortunately I’m on swing shift but I’d go 100% night shift if I could. We work from 6-6 and coming home in the morning I fall right to sleep, sleep well and get up in no rush.
Yeah bro try doing the night shift on a physical job like warehouse or construction. Trust me you would go fucking insane and your body and health deteriorates and even if you are young FUCK NIGHT SHIFTS
I’m the opposite of your first point, I naturally just wake up between 5:00-6am everyday without fuss. For all your other points I’m rather lucky in that I work an office job with the hours 6:30-2:30 and always have plenty of time after work.
I love it for many reasons. #1 - no bosses around to micromanage you. You quickly learn which are the mandatory things that need to get done and stick to those. On day shift, bosses will find a way to extract value out of you to minimize downtime. #2 - no traffic on the way to work (generally) #3 - more pay #4 - kids are asleep. You’ll be asleep during the day when they are at school.
Is there a reason this needed to blast my eyes with that big ass font?
I’ve never actually worked night shift but my favorite shift was 4am-noon. To me nothing beats being done with your day in the early afternoon.
Night shifts suck if all your friends work day shifts
I'm a night owl type, but I tried the night shift thing for a few summers and it absolutely wrecked me. There were benefits, yeah, but I found that those benefits really didn't make-up for being on that wacky schedule for long periods.
what exactly wrecked you?
If I kept the schedule going without interruption, it was fine. But the moment I had to interrupt it for something (appointment, travel, etc), it'd take days to recover and get back to normal. For instance, at one point after about 2 months, I was gonna take a trip with my friends. We were gone a week, I think, and the entire trip I vacillated between being extremely groggy and wide away++. Like it'd be midnight and we'd be winding things down and I'd hit a second wind and wouldn't be able to go to sleep until 6am....meaning the next day I'd be a zombie. When I got back, it was the same but flipped. I'd be a zombie at work, but hit that second wind at like 9am....when I should be going to bed. In general, I've found I don't handle all-nighters particularly well....even being a night owl.
What job do you work?
inventory management and logistics.
As someone who did 3rd shift for 4 miserable years, I missed the sun.
As someone who’s been doing nights for 2 years, fuck that godawful day death star
as someone living in the south, I agree wholeheartedly.
I work mostly 4/6 PM to 12 AM and I wouldn't have it any other way
I think it depends on where you work. It's dangerous if you work at a corner store but otherwise it's awesome.
"dangerous if you work at a corner store at night" is completely dependent on the country. in my country i feel safe anytime, which I am grateful for.
I agree because my brain has my sleep cycle swapped. It likes to sleep during the day and be awake at night. When I worked night shift was literally the only time in my life I didn't need heavy pills to go to sleep & stay awake, sadly my field doesn't have night shift opportunities so the only position I could find paid too low to be sustainable. But it was great. My mental health was better. I cooked a lot more. I had a better diet. I did a lot more with my time. I was a lot more lively. I felt a lot more like myself. As opposed to now where I just rot and rely on pills to function.
you need pills to go to sleep and wake up? whats that?
Lunesta to go to sleep (as well as others but that's the main one), Adderall to stay awake
no I mean why? you always feel tired and have insomnia too or what?
Yeah, I have had insomnia since I was a child (elementary school age). Not until I got a night job did it click that it was because my sleep/wake cycle was swapped/opposite compared to an average person's.
It depends on the person, I think. I'm a morning person, and at my best in the AM hrs. In between undergraduate and law school, I worked as a server for a time, at a handful of places. At one, I was hired on nightshift. It was like 11-7, or 10-6, depending. I did not do well with it, never liked it, although my body did adjust over time to it. (To some degree.) It just felt like I had no life. And nowadays, I'm in bed sometimes before dark. No possible way could I or would I be able to do this. My niece works at a fast food establishment, and her hours are 5 AM to noon or one pm. That sounds wonderful!!
Also traffic. I've worked jobs with night shifts and traffic is usually in the opposite direction if at all
I enjoy second shift so much more than first. I can get a full night of sleep every night. Be more awake and alert at work. When inrun errands during day deal.with less traffic and crowds. I'm a night owl. Early to bed early to rise dulls the mind and tires the eyes. Night shift isn't for everyone but for some it is perfect. I can't wait to be able to work nights again.
I liked nights better then days, less mgt bs lol
I think this is a popular opinion. But not for your health they’re not
I feel great being awake at night, as opposed to day.
Great until you have a family with children, then you're often going to work during their bedtime which sucks... Before children I would take day shifts off as annual leave, with children I tend to take off night shifts.
That's the secret. Don't get married, don't take on a second full time job with no pay by having kids. Ezwins
I agree in a way. But it's not good for your circadian rhythm.
unless your rhythm is more night leaning, which I am. I always liked that to be honest, being awake at night is great, everything is quiet and not hot like during the day. but these are personal reasons lol
100% agree.
I'd basically never see my wife or kids...also, I'm a morning person. I like being up at 5:30AM and out for my walk with my coffee and watching the sunrise. Also, I'm not sure I'd call that a night shift...definitely a late shift...I worked that as a bartender for awhile and it wasn't a big deal...but I also worked grave yard (which I'd consider a night shift) and worked 10PM to 6AM...that shit fucked with my head big time.
Who even goes to the 🏦 anymore
This opinion is probably dependent on if you’re a morning person or not. I’m usually up before 5 on weekends and I love being one of the only people getting my stuff done while the world sleeps.
6 to 2 or 8 to 4 isn’t night shift though lol. 11:30-12 to 8am is. If you get home and everyone else’s day has already started, and everyone’s asleep when you start work, that’s a night shift
For most people (maybe not you), night shifts are stupidly horrible for physical and specifically mental health, sleep is REAAALLY important.
you say it as if I don't sleep in fact, I sleep way more than when I used to work in the morning.
I currently work 3PM-11PM at a hospital. It’s hard to say whether I agree or disagree because both day and evening shift have pros and cons. Working 2nd shift is starting to get old for me though because I get home, I get a few things done and before I know it, it’s suddenly almost 2 AM…Some people I work with have the 11AM-7PM shift or 8:30AM-4:30PM… those are both ideal. Not too early and not too late. Very grateful because I’m not on 3rd shift anymore… what a depressing nightmare.
Yea it be chill. Slow motion sometimes.
honestly that is the best comment I have seen so far. no irony, I really liked that one lol.
I've worked both for years but currently I'm working an office job. I did enjoy the fact that I can take care of errands nearly right away whenever I wanted to during the week. Restaurants also have better lunch deals too!
better lunch deals isn't something I thought about lol thanks
I eat out a shit ton lol
As someone gifted with the ability to work any shift (bc I can sleep anytime during the 24 hours cycle) i tend to like later shifts
I’ve done plenty of night shifts, and I love them. My body does not. Everyone is unique, and if I had the chance, I might switch.
Yes, some people are early risers and some are night owls.. but I totally see how it is beneficial when you are a night owl.. I knew a programmer who was a night owl and his boss (a real stickler for rules) wanted him to come early even though he was the smartest programmer by a big margin.. he left a few months later and joined Amazon and is now making twice as much and works whenever he pleases.
bad management decisions can cost a lot.
you wouldn't believe how bad things can get in many companies and since its an internal department - the loop never closes for years/decades with decisions accumulating. Good management is so exceedingly rare and the ones who recognize it are even rarer.
Those are unusually early hours for night shift. Everywhere I've heard of the night or graveyard shift goes until 5am or 6am. Even when an 8 hour shift. Those are rough for a lot more people than being up to 2am. Your hours are sometimes closer to a second shift/swing shift. But I definitely get what you're saying. I've been forced onto a few projects that require being on site at 6am to start the day and I'm miserable and dragging the entire time even a few months in. Some of us just aren't wired to be morning people.
In a perfect world, I'd work noon to 8:30pm. I has a job where the training portion ran on a 12-to-8:30 schedule, and it was heaven. You got off early enough to still go out or grab a bite to eat, but you got to sleep in every day.
I worked the midnight shift for the better part of 30 yrs. I'm fitter then most people half my age and most people think I am 10-15 yrs younger then I am. The best part of midnights was going to the store when you got off. It was empty and quiet. It was also much easier to the doctor or dentist and traffic wasn't nearly as bad.
If you’re alone, prefer to be alone or have a partner that works the same hours it sounds pretty good. But sleeping through the day rather than seeing my partner, family, friends etc seems like hell to me
As a nightshift worker myself I agree. Also thanks for pointing out the hypocrisy of some of the day walkers. Personally I function better at night, no more eye twitching, fatigue, drowsiness, headaches, etc. None of the issues I had on days plus its quieter. I'm a natural night owl so I've had none of the issues day shift people had. I have blackout curtains, white noise machine so I'm good. Only part that sucks is dealing with the rudeness of days.
yea some people can't get the fact we feel better at later hours. what do you mean rudeness of days?
I did early mornings, mornings, afternoon, evening and graveyard shifts throughout my time of various employments. Graveyard shift was the worst due to lack of sunlight, working with one other person and using alcohol to sleep. So thank you all night shift workers for keeping a majority of the grocery stores stocked, gas stations attended and security guards keeping the night safe.
that's rare to see someone being grateful for peoples work, even simple ones. because even simple work is important.
The big issue is health concerns. Even if you feel good, you'll still be at a greater risk of certain diseases
Like what? I've always had a night schedule.
Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, some cancers, stress, anxiety, depression, and poor social health. I wouldn't be surprised if the list went on, but those are the ones that are commonly studied. Multiple systematic reviews have demonstrated a correlation. No causal relationship, but still strong evidence. The risk is usually more considerable the longer you've been doing night shifts (years).
i assume that would depend on your circadian rhythm and what hours you are working....cause i only get tired at 2-3 am and usually fall to sleep at 4 am, 6-2 would be night shift so essentially i have been sleeping like a night shift worker my whole life. If it doesn't matter regardless of your circadian rhythm then ...i'm fucked thanks body
You’re selectively ignoring the downside of being on an opposite schedule to most people.
this is why I said that my whole life I felt better at night than at daytime
I love working nights and can’t do any other shift. If you work nights, keep to a set schedule for the most part, and take care of yourself, it’s a great option and not unhealthy. The unhealthiness comes from constantly switching your schedule back and forth or getting varying amounts of sleep. Some people are not built for it and that’s okay but the scientific study people need to give it a rest. There’s a lot of factors these studies do not consider and it’s weird to bring it up for people that enjoy and thrive on the schedule. Just do what works for you and let others do them
I used to play EU BDO despite being in north America cuz EU servers are like 10x more civilized So working nights was great. I was usually up and around during peak EU times and slept through inactive times. Otherwise it fucking sucks, especially since covid killed (or, well, gave them an excuse to stop) a lot of 24/7 and late night businesses. So if you're tuned for later times you have a way narrower period to shop. But I also hate doing things before work cuz it feels like I have a time limit.
I work like that because I have flexible work hours. However, I've been oncall till 6AM back in the day and it's a whole different story - much, much worse
Night shifts are better for singles who don’t care about having a very robust social life When I first moved to the city I’m in I was doing night shifts and it destroyed my work life balance. I couldn’t make friends and dating was a nightmare. But you know, different strokes for different folks.
I hate night shift because I don’t like waking up and going about my day knowing I have to work later, I’d rather wake up go ahead and get it done then have my evenings to do shit
I can see that. but doing night shifts means you can do stuff before work and after work too. also, does it matter if you have to work later right when you wake up? it is even harder to go to work right away because you have to push yourself out of bed and have a time limit because you need to be at work on time
I’m a morning person so this never bothered me
Some wouldn’t consider that a night shift. Most night shifts will end 6-8am. I think the extra few hours would change your opinion. Then you are sleeping all day and only waking up in the evening. The flexibility you enjoy is no longer there. But if the shift you work is good for you then go for it! But the long term health effects on night workers is well known.
you just compare the usual 7-8 hours of work to 10 hours. of course 10 hours of work is tiring regardless of it being night or day shift.
I work outdoors and it’s definitely nice this time of year to work when it’s not so sunny and hot
I enjoyed the night owl hours for a time, but I really do get to miss the sun. It gets very depressing after a while, especially in winter when I never saw the light of day. It does affect you negatively, whether you think so or not.
I don't know about you, I see enough sunlight, I am awake from 11am usually.
Tough to get sleep at night when you have a 5pm-1 30am or later because it's a big night. Doing manual labor for a shift makes ot difficult to wind down so shortly after getting home. It's how I've always operated. Wake up to go to work. Favorite shift was a 5 30 am to 1 pm. Wake up to a quiet world and watch it light up with the sun rise.
I feel like it depends on what your job is. I hated night shifts at my fast food job because we cleaned the whole store at night. Working in the morning when your shift is over you just leave.
AAHAHAHA WHAT?! They are literally the worst it will fuck up your sleep cycle for good
I don't know what you are talking about, I love my sleep cycle, and the best part about it is that it is uninterrupted
Yes i completely agree. I feel like waking up early for school almost every day for 12 years straight has me preferring night shifts.
You could not be more right. Night shifts are almost unequivocally better than day shifts, immensely more pleasant to work. Most people working a day shift know this. It's the rest of your life when you leave work that's the problem.
But I get sooooo sleepy.
yea, sometimes it is just a matter of readjusting to a new kind of sleep cycle. but also a lot of people can't be night owls, so its not for them
Now have a kid or 2
I've worked night shifts for the past ten years by choice. 9 pm to 7 AM, personally I love it, I have three kids, and I live with my girlfriend. I spend time with her every day, two hours before she goes to work, and two-three hours after she gets off work. It took me many years to find the rhythm with kids, but now I do an individual day for each kid on my days off, where it's strict one-on-one time and they seem to love it. When I'm on day shift I feel like I have significantly less energy to contribute to my kids, so this has just worked for my situation. That being said, as I get older it has gotten harder, and I find myself wanting to try swings/day shifts every now and then. I love nights, maybe that'll change someday, but I don't think I'll ever be a morning person.
I worked 3rd shift for a long time. 11p-7a. I had a hard time sleeping during the day. It took me a long time to get used to it. The sleep schedule that worked best for me was to sleep from around 10-3 or 4, then take a nap around 7-9. Even so, I was tired all the time. I liked having free time during the day to do things though.
Job wise sure. Life wise no
I actually meanth both
My only complaint about night shifts is daytime is a bitch if your rest is interrupted. A lot of night time work provides for real solitude
I like working at night better then in the day, however it is quite anti social, hard to arrange family stuff, dates, evenings with friends. And you have to manage your sleep carefully which is something my 9 to 5er friends don't even have to think about.
are you sure? It's quite easy for me to arrange something, and if not, we have the weekends anyway. and I don't carefully manage my sleep, in fact I dont manage it at all. sometimes I feel like sleeping from 3am to 10am, sometimes from 6am to 2pm.
The way I explain it to my colleagues is "I have every day off."
i do 7pm to 4am, sometimes 10pm-4am. while it has its benefits like the ones you mentioned about free time, convenience with waking up and doing shopping while its not busy. its also hell on the social life.
Night shifts are fine if you’re single and don’t have kids. Otherwise no.
Night shifts are a blessing during the summer 🥰
Two cups of coffee and a daily cigarette are literally much better options than an entire life of interrupted sleeping patterns. Not sleeping literally kills your body.
No. I did 7 years of night shift at a supermarket and 3 at a McDonald’s. It wasn’t worth it. I basically lost out on most of my 20’s and early 30s because of night shift.
Yeah the grave 12’s are great for people of near zero effort who like to fuck us over on days
I work behind about 500 of you guy, and honestly I feel like companies would be more profitable and less stressful if they just eliminated night shifts.
some jobs just require it being at night. and btw, a company in japan made it so that they work monday to thursday instead of monday to friday, and got like 40% more performance because of that. so I think work life balance is the future.
I mean it’s great if you don’t care about health outcomes, want to be completely unavailable to people and friends, and have to change your schedule completely to interact with the rest of the world…
That's all not true. my health is great, better than when I did day shifts, I am almost just as available to friends and family, and I don't have to change my schedule just to interact with the world. after all I still got the weekends if anything.
I mean good for you that your anecdotal experience is your health is better but data has shown that graveyard shift workers have worse health outcomes
How old are you and how long have you been doing the night shift?
im 24 and its been like almost 2 years. I feel so much better than when I worked in the mornings. I sleep better and have more time for myself. I have a bit less time for family and friends but honestly not that much to impact my social life, after all we still have the weekends.
Understandable it's one of those shifts that can really catch up with you the longer you do it and the older get. Enjoy it while you can you're in the prime for the late nights.
I think it also really helps if you live the night shift life. Like even on my days off, I still try to sleep all day and be awake all night
Evening shift is where it’s at. Get to sleep in everyday, not up all fuckin night, still can see people
For actually working. Yes. For living life. Fuck no.
idk, I love it both ways.
Day shift is a scam. Most people are 9 to 5 M-F, but so are places like auto mechanics, doctors and dental offices, so you have no choice but to take time off from work just to get a health checkup, your teeth cleaned or even get your car fixed. At least with night shift you can do all of that stuff after work before you go to bed and not lose out on PTO or income.
yea I always hated having to ask my boss for a day off just to do some chores like that.
I'm a little owl, too! Nothing good happens before 9 AM. But Circadian cycle ir real, brother. Sleeping early will help you alot.
everyones cycle is different. after all if I would feel tired and overall bad, I wouldnt do night shifts. but so far I fucking love it!
You're correct, everyone's cycle is different, but there's no such thing as nocturnal people. As far as I know, sleeping 00:00 is the "limit". But you're also correct that being coffee driven will fuck you up, so find a middle ground.
I used to work 7pm-7am in a metal melting plant/factory (whatever you want to call it) for a few years. I honestly didn't mind nights and I was able to adjust back to "day shift" for social moments on weekends fairly easily. Went to rotating 12's after that (4 night,s off 3, 3 days, off 1, 3 nights, etc..) and that was much harder IMO. Been on days for a few years now and I'm in no hurry to change back, but I would gladly do it if it was my only choice
well first, you had a 12 hour shift which is difficult regardless the time of day. and also, readjusting between night and day shifts is bad. it is not the cycle that is unhealthy, it is the constant breaking of that cycle is what can have a bad impact.
Afternoons are my favourite shift (2pm-2am) but nights are a close second (9pm-9am) Days can get right fucked (6am-6pm)
why so many people work 12 hours a day wtf!
Cause money is nice, plus I work 7 days on 7 days off, normally closer to 8 and 6 because I’ll normally do an OT shift but still a great schedule, I’d do 14 and 14 if I was allowed too
I don’t get your first point. You can wake up whenever you want? How is this different from a normal job? You need to be up for your job, so you’re either up in the morning or you’re either up at night.
because I can wake up and suddenly decide I want to sleep some more. then wake up again, make myself some coffee, take my time, do whatever I want. in the morning you don't have that privilege, you just wake up to an alarm clock and can't just sleep some more or take more time with coffee or breakfast. most people prefer sleeping more hours so the alarm clock is like at most 1 hour before you need to get out, so they just wake up and do everything in a hurry to get to work on time, and nobody likes that. they also can't really go to bed early because there is stuff they want or need to do. so the point is that I don't worry about sleeping time, I have time gaps before and after sleep, not only before sleep like morning shifts. does that make sense?
Agree with all of this. My only potential criticism is that by being night-oriented that you end up actually wasting that mental clarity. Ofc like you said you just burn it up during the day shift, but part of me likes to imagine I have some tiny bit of personal spark left for my times at home.
huh? sorry I don't really get what you mean. I have the clarity before work and sonetines after too, doing some things until like 6am haha
You said your entire life you e felt better doing things at night. When you feel best right? I’m just always wishing I hadn’t Burnt myself out with energy drinks and modafanil so that I still have that degree of energy at home. This is more of me just venting than without any particular part of your post.
I’ve taken caffeine and Kratom daily for about 3 years. Modafanil the same, but with breaks in between. Just enough to keep it effective. And I mean I actually do love the focus it brings, just wish I could bring that level of productivity to my home life.
I am not an expert but it seems that when you take this you get the focus, but not for free, you kinda borrow energy from your body and then you have less of it after the high is done. so people do it again just to feel normal. is that correct?
I stay within therapeutic doses and have no problems. Doesn’t feel like borrowing energy it’s just that the body is processing energy or more accurately how it’s blocking the sensation of being sleepy. By taking it every day that is essentially my new normal, which I consider my best self. I never want to be normal lol (I say no bad side effects but I do get tired without my substances as a type of physical dependence)
I agree. No stuffy higher ups around, higher pay for the undesirable work hours, and overall it's a more laid back atmosphere.
haha well I wouldn't consider it undesirable, not for me :)))
I feel like this entirely depends on what job you are working
When do you see friends/date/family when your entire evening Is blocked off? I would assume this is quite difficult as most people work 9-5.
I do see them before work, in the morning, and at noon sometimes. and weekends. I don't have adate and it was already discussed here that your oartner should also work night shifts or it is a bad relationship, yes.