What It’s Like For Us Nightworkers
Night shift doesn’t suck. Staying up all night doesn’t suck. Drinking coffee all night long doesn’t suck. What sucks is constantly trying to function as a normal human being when the sunlight come out.
It’s having insomnia on your nights off and being forced to still be awake during the day because you have to go to the store, appointments, work out, or hang out with your family because they think you’re ignoring them. It sucks passing out in the middle of the day and feeling like a failure because you had a to do list and all you did was sleep.
It’s feeling guilty for sleeping when you in fact are sleep deprived. It’s waking up to random phone calls in the middle of the day because that’s when people call and you don’t put your phone on silent because you’re worried work is gunna call.
It’s driving home in the sunrise while screaming and slapping yourself so you don’t fall asleep. It’s having to constantly explain to someone that you know you don’t work till 7pm but you have to take a nap to stay awake all night.
It’s people not understanding that it wouldn’t be normal for you to wake up at 2am and start your day but most nightshifters start their day at 2pm. It’s the constant shadow of exhaustion that never goes away. It’s being asked what’s wrong when you’re just tired, you’re always tired.
It’s feeling sick because you don’t sleep enough or you ate too little or too much because you’re not sure if you eat all day while you’re home or all night while at work. There is a lot I like about the actual night shift but don’t for a second think it doesn’t come with a sacrifice. It will never get easier while attempting to have normal days on your day off and then going back to pulling all nighters. Not looking for sympathy just expressing frustration and to ask you to please try not to judge the bags under our eyes.
