Night Shift

So as I've said before I'm working the night shift.

For those of you who don't know me well, I am NOT a night person. I've always been a 10 o'clock bed time observer and have always adhered to that. In high school, if I went to a youth group lock-in I would always go home around 11. It was beyond me to think that people would stay up late "just for fun". Why is that fun? Why would one stay up late when they could be sleeping? The few times I have stayed up late, I try and sleep in the next day and then just feel like crap for the next few days. So why would one do that?

I don't even stay out late when I go on exciting vacations. In fact, I have left my group early to go back to the hotel and "crash" while vacationing in New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, and London, England (just to name a few).

I studied a lot in all my years of college, but I never once pulled an all-nighter.

That's not to say that I've never stayed up past 10; I have even stayed up til midnight talking with friends at times, or watching a movie, or being involved with some other nonsense. But as a whole I am not a night owl, not a late nighter, not a night person.

So, I'm working the night shift.

I realized, when I got off from my first shift, that that was the first time, in my 30 years of life, that I had stayed up all night long. I quickly came home and completely crashed, only to wake up at 12 noon. It took me a few weeks to actually sleep a full nights worth during the day. I had bags under my eyes and found myself yawning all the time. Things are better now, I usually go to bed at 8 am and wake up around 4 pm. I don't always get out of bed till 5, but that's okay. So I'm doing a lot better on days that I'm working, but on days that I'm off I'm completely screwed up.

I've never been one to lay in bed all day. I suppose I have felt like that was lazy and that isn't a characteristic I ever cared to possess. Previously, the latest I've slept in was 9:00. Now, on any given non-working day, I don't wake up til around 10:00. I'm not able to go to sleep though until midnight or 2 in the morning. I never thought that I would have trouble sleeping or that I would stay in bed so late, but that's where it's at.

But overall, the night shift hasn't been too bad. I like the people I work with. I'm able to go to church on Sundays (at least once) when I work and if I worked the day shift I wouldn't be able to do that. I don't have to get up early. People are telling me I'm losing weight.

I'm committed to schedules. I love them, I always have. They give me structure, security, and expectations. I like that. So, I'll journey on with the night shift, but as soon as day shift is available, I'm jumping ship. After all, I'm a life long commited day person.