Murphy's Law

It doesn't surprise me that with the help of a nap, a double shot of espresso, a thermos of coffee and my lunch, I survived my first night shift.

It was, however, a bit annoying, that three ambulances and a fire truck drove by my house, along with a helicopter that flew in a circle four times directly over my house while I was trying to get to sleep at 0900 today.

Thankfully, Zyrtec really is a sedating antihistamine.

Getting ready for night shift

I'm sorry to say that I'm one of those morning people. I like to wake up anywhere from 4:30 to 6AM. Even on days I don't have to, like today, I was up by 6. Starting tomorrow night, I get the pleasure of working my first string of night shift hours, as part of my orientation.

So, to start, since I am so diurnal, I asked around about how people survive the night shift. I got lots of answers.

• Go to bed as soon as you get home in the morning.


• Do not sit down at 0500, or you may fall asleep. (One coworker suggested cleaning or restocking, so your mind is active.)


• Use room darkening shades.


• Get one of those masks for your eyes.

I also surfed the internet and found some intriguing articles:

Sleep tips from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Coping strategies for night shift (from encyclopedia.com)

Now all I have to do is figure out how to go back to sleep...in the morning. It should be interesting.

Articles of note

I'm surfing away and the boys are sleeping. It seems like this happens a lot. Now that Hubby is back from BigLab, hopefully, he'll get some rest.

I found these two articles that address families of those with disabilities and how they affect their lives. One man filmed a documentary of his experience. Have a look!

Where's Molly - Families get help finding loved ones in institutions (from cnn.com)
Shaw: A mother remembers a special life (also cnn.com)