Staying awake..

[IgnoredOne]

I work a graveyard shift due to having to communicate with international employees, and I have a problem with staying focused after a specific hour. While I can measure my productivity as optimal from 11pm to 6am as serviceable and that I'm very awake...

...right around 5:50 am, I begin to get sleepy or tired or otherwise notice that the quality of my work degrades along with my performance speed. The last hour of my work is pretty much wasted.

Its frustrating because it almost feels like a regular cicardian rhythm is kicking him at that hour. I really don't want to be anything less than the best asset that I can be to my employers, so what would be the best way to maintain that focus? I've tried the usual method, being caffiene, and that seems to keep me awake without really improving my focus as I continue to make errors.

I suppose that another obvious answer would be to 'sleep more before work' but before I cut into my already limited daytime hours, does anyone have any advice or similar situation? I could modify my shift to increase an half an hour, giving myself 30 minutes of a break in the middle and as I live less than 5 minutes from work, that will allow me to nap for ~15 at home. Would that help?

 

[Sci-Fi]

Yes that should help. I've heard of some places allowing their employee's 15 minute naps during their break time. I really wish I could do that, but it is my fault for staying up late and not going to bed when I should. You should also try to get the proper amount of sleep, which sucks when you work the graveyard shifts since it cuts into your day. Or it could be because your brain knows it's getting to the end of your shift and wants that sleep that will be coming soon. I find it easier to not watch the clock during the day, it goes by much quicker and fatigue doesn't set in as quickly.

 

[rosebud]

I work graveyard shifts for 5 years now. Quick naps help a lot if you don't want to cut your daily hours. You do somekind of "brain reboot" with a little short nap. It doesn't need to be naps. I realized that if you close your eyes and don't think about anything for 2 to 5 minutes every hour after a few days you'll be fresh even after 10 hour shifts. Make yourself some kind of schedule that you're going to do before and during your shift and soon enough you'll see the difference. I hope this will help you...

 

[IgnoredOne]

I work graveyard shifts for 5 years now. Quick naps help a lot if you don't want to cut your daily hours. You do somekind of "brain reboot" with a little short nap. It doesn't need to be naps. I realized that if you close your eyes and don't think about anything for 2 to 5 minutes every hour after a few days you'll be fresh even after 10 hour shifts. Make yourself some kind of schedule that you're going to do before and during your shift and soon enough you'll see the difference. I hope this will help you...

Yeah, right now, I average around 6 hours of sleep - which in itself is still healthy, I believe. I'm extremely tired after work, but only seem to sleep for about 4 hours before I wake up. Before work, I sleep for some time but it always feels a bit forced. I usually try to sleep around 8pm or 9pm, with work being at 11 pm, but I actually only sleep 1-2 hours.

My work doesn't check on where or what I do during my break time - my break time is my own and at 3-4 AM, I doubt anyone will care if I bundle into my car, and setup a pillow and small coverlet within. Its a massive sprawling office complex with a large parking lot, so for all practical purposes, I've just disappeared during my break time.

I'll see what I can do about closing my eyes every few minutes per hour. My job gives me a lot of independence in how to use my time, so I'll take advantage of that.

 

[user 8428]

maybe you could try keeping yourself awake with some coffee or a energy drink or if you smoke, a cig sometimes helps.. but by the sound of it you probably just need some more sleep time before work

 

[IgnoredOne]

Coffee keeps me awake but not alert. That's not what my aim is. I want to keep my numbers high and my work can be somewhat both research intensive and customer focused at times, as well as overlaid with a ton of legal technicalities, so its definitely not something which I can just automate on zombie mode.

I'll try to get more sleep before work. Six hours a day should be acceptable, if not, seven definitely should be.

 

[alonewanderer]

solution : go to sleep 1 hour earlier or later

 

[IgnoredOne]

solution : go to sleep 1 hour earlier or later

One thing is that it doesn't actually seem to help and I've tried it before. I think my cicardian rhythm might be set incorrectly now.

 

[Eaton]

Yes dude,..
Coffee is awesome to make me awake,.....
i love to drink coffee as compared to tea,..

 

[IgnoredOne]

Yes dude,..
Coffee is awesome to make me awake,.....
i love to drink coffee as compared to tea,..

Coffee keeps me awake. It does not keep my focus.

Napping, on the other hand, does seem to work. Thanks!

 

[kutrinawang]

I like this sentence:
"The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity...a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe."

 

[IgnoredOne]

I like this sentence:
"The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity...a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe."

Thank you.