Working overnight is not easy, and getting the sleep you need to perform the job may be hard.
Dr. Tina Waters treats sleep disorders at the Cleveland Clinic, and says she hears a common complaint among all of the overnight workers who step into her office.
"I only have this certain time to sleep, in addition to doing all of my other daily activities: running errands, dropping the kids off, doing whatever else you need to do from a normal, everyday perspective," said Dr. Tina Waters of the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Waters says overnight workers typically get 1-2 hours less than the recommended amount of sleep. She says the best way to get more sleep if you're working overnight is to make it a priority.
She says you may have to enlist family members of neighbors to help you with some of your errands and or control noise around your bedtime. Dr. Waters says that even though it's the middle of the day, developing a bedtime routine can help you to sleep.
"Sometimes a warm bath, nothing too hot, relaxing, simple stretching, coming up with a worry list or things to do for the next day sometimes helps so that you're not trying to remind yourself about what you need to do when you're trying to fall asleep," Dr. Waters says.
Sleep aids can help, but it's best to talk to your doctor first.
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