just started a job a couple weeks ago, and will be getting my hours changed to a compressed schedule for probably 6 weeks

Any one have any advice on making this transition as easy as possible?

Invest in a blackout shade for your window. Good sleep will suck in the daytime.

Save your errands for the days off. Don't try to run them in the daytime hours when you haven't gotten a full "day's" sleep. It will leave you crankier then ever.

As for meals? That will be the hardest since you are working 12 hours a day anyways. Don't make the mistake of grabbing real breakfast food between leaving work and going to sleep or you are going to gain weight pretty quickly.

To flip your sleep schedule now, stay up one night until 7:30am or so, then make sure to wake up about 2:30pm. It might feel awkward for a few days and you'll be more tired then usual, but the most important thing is to not nap and to stick very rigorously to the sleep schedule until it's routine for your body. Oversleeping or napping is just going to make things worse until your body is used to it.

Are you working a help desk or some type of hotline?

I worked that exact 7-7 schedule 5 years ago and really kind of liked it because of the 4 day work week. My biggest issues were that others do not sympathize with you when they wake you up at 1:00 p.m., and that I'd usually work till 9:00 every day but Friday for some reason. I had it down to where I'd take a nap on Friday until 2ish and be on everyone else's time all weekend, and do my best to sleep till at least noon on Monday. That lifestyle worked for me because I was young, single, and enjoyed going to the bar.

A few things about sleepng during the day...

Get some sort of fan/white noise maker that can drown out noises from the normal day. i.e neighbors, dogs, etc...

Turn off/mute your cell phone so you will not be woken up. (also turn ringer off land line if you have one)

Ditto on the black out curtain stated above...

This sounds funny, but limit you drinking of water(or other drink) the last few hours of work so you don't have to wake up to piss.

Basically, you want to eliminate items that may disrupt your sleep...

thanks for the help guys

I'll be working in the fab at Samsung as part of my training so it is definitely not a desk job

[This message has been edited by astros45 (edited 4/14/2011 9:00p).]

I have worked the Dupont Schedule for 2 years, so I can offer a little help.

-I stop drinking any fluids after 6am, no matter what. No caffiene past 2am.

-I agree with blacking out your room and I also suggest investing in a loud fan. Turn the cell phone off and stick it in another room. Also, if you get up to use the bathroom, try to make sure all rooms and routes to the bathroom are dark. if lights are on or come on, that triggers your mind automatically that it is time to be awake.

-Naps are your enemy

-I like to eat dinner at 730 then another small meal around 2am. I munch on snacks too. I drink a protein shake around 4am to 'eat breakfast'

-Working nights can add on the pounds so try to pack a healthy meal and snacks. Try to drink Tea instead of Cokes if you can. If you are looking for a cheap caffiene boost, look at HEB in the water bottle drink mix aisle for Spark Energy drink mixes(orange box size of deck of cards). They are $2 for 8 servings and have more caffiene than any energy drink or coke on the market.

[This message has been edited by Hoyt Ag (edited 4/15/2011 1:14a).]

A person working a typical 8-5 shift might wake up at 6:30 and go to bed at 10:30, which means 1.5 hours of time before work and 5.5 hours after. You do not have to stick to this balance at all. When I worked an overnight shift, I found it easier to put the bulk of my free time before work and a little bit after to wind down. Some stores do not open until 10 am, so it was just easier to wake up in the late afternoon and do my shopping then go to work. I could also meet friends for dinner, which wasy breakfast The trick is adjusting to find the right balance for you. Just because a certain scheule or order of the day's events is conventional, doesn't make it the only way of doing things. Order your day however you choose and you will be happier.

Ahh, fun memories of the 7 PM to 7 AM shift. I received an offer for full-time employment from back in '01, but they didn't need me to report to work until August. I had three months to work and try and raise money for a down payment we were making on a new home in Houston.

So, I went to a staffing agency and they got me hooked up with Grant Prideco in Navasota for a 3-month gig. They first started me out on the 7 AM to 7 PM shift inspecting drill string pipe. That was brutal. You're standing ouside all day in the heat of the day with a hard hat, dickies, and steel-toed boots inspecting pipe. I was very relieved when they moved me over to the 7 PM to 7 AM shift. It was at least a little bit cooler and I didn't have to worry about sunburns etc.

As far as how to prepare? Keep yourself up all night till about 8:00 AM the next morning. Good to sleep then. Sleep as long as you can and force yourself into your new schedule. It will take a couple of days to transition, but it's manageable.

Good luck to you!

TAF