Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

After being hired as a new CO at the county jail in my area, my supervisors and FTO's had me on the 7-3 shift for about a month to have me learn the basics. I'll move into the 3-11 for a week, then on to 3rd shift. for how long I don't know, it could be a while. Generally speaking, I am not a night person at all. My main area of concern is being able to stay awake and alert to make my rounds, check inmates who are on suicide/medical watches, and be ready to respond to a call for back-up. Having no interaction with others (there is only one CO on duty per block on the 11-7 shifts), makes for a very mind-numbing night, as my fellow CO's state. My other area of concern is the drastic alteration in overall lifestyle change. To be more specific, adapting to new meal and exercise times, and dealing with the potentials of a weakend immune system and weight-gain.

Any thoughts/advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -OldGreg

Not being a night person is going to be your main issue. I am a night person so I can't help ya with that, but I have found if you think of something to take your mind of the repetitive tasks it makes things go a lot smoother. I drink Sunkist to keep me away only because it doesn't have the caffeine that other sodas do, but it has a "kick" to it that will keep you awake.

As for the drastic change in lifestyle, it's not all that drastic if you have a 24/7 wal-mart/target/ shopko in your area that you can get your food/grocery shopping done at, because you will develop a routine and your sleep patterns with adapt to thirds (this takes about 2 weeks to full adjust). If you think you will have problems sleeping during the day, I suggest going to wal-mart and getting what they call "black-out" curtains, they keep out about 80% of the sun light if not more. Make sure you keep working out, eating healthy and taking vitamins and you should be fine with your "lowered immune system and weight gain."

I put aluminum foil on my bedroom windows and blocked out all the light, but we had the small, old fashioned windows. You might get some foam ear plugs too. I never needed them, but several of my co workers told me they used them.

It will take a while to get used to. I tried not to go to bed right away when I got home, that kept me from getting too sleepy at the end of the shift.

I'm a long time 3rd shifter, here's a few tips:

Figure out a sleep/wake schedule and stick to it. This is very important. It's easy to fall into a random pattern, since you'll be out of sync with friends and family that sleep at night. You MUST have a 'bed time' and maintain it. If you don't, your sleep cycle will suffer and so wil your health. If you have a schedule with a single off day during the week, you might want to stay up all night to maintain your sleep cycle, rather than trying to sleep at night once or twice a week. Your body needs a predictable routine.

An hour or two of missed sleep once in awhile won't mean much, but it definitely will matter if it happens frequently. Despite some arguments, it is possible to build a "sleep debt" that must be paid eventually. You don't want it to come due while you're at work... especially where YOU work. Do your best to get 8 hours of sleep a day.

As Retdetsgt mentioned, darken your bedroom as much as possible. Aluminum foil works to block light, but the problem I found with it is that it's very noisy if there is the slightest draft around the window frame. When it's otherwise quiet and you're drifting off, a gust can make foil extremely loud. I've tried all sorts of materials to block light, with varying success. The biggest problem was getting it to stay up. I gave up on the windows and now use a soft sleep blindfold or mask. Neither solution is perfect.

Set up a white-noise source in your bedroom. I use an old box fan running on low to mask outside noises. Once you get used to it, it really does help.

Keep your room temperature as cool as you can get it and sleep under a blanket(s). I don't know why, but it makes a difference.

I occasionally take a 5mg Melatonin tablet, instead of a drug-type sleeping pill. Melatonin is produced naturally by your body, produced by sunlight. It's a natural sleep aid. Since you'll obviously see less sunshine, you're going to see a deficiency. You can find it in the vitamin section of your local pharmacy. Be careful, though. Taking too much or taking it too often can induce your body to stop producing it on it's own. All things in moderation.

I'm old school when it comes to caffiene. I'm a coffee drinker. Plain ol' Folger's drip made strong. I usually go through 3/4 to a full pot when I wake up and into the beginning of a work shift. I do have a cut-off point where I drink no more caffienated anything, usually about 130-2AM on a 10PM-6AM shift. That little rule makes being able to sleep much easier later on. Pepsi is a downfall of mine and if I drink any after a certain time, I pay for it dearly.

Explain to friends and family that they must not call you during certain hours, unless it's a dire emergency. I had a mother-in-law that would call in the middle of the day, then had a helluva time getting back to sleep. I'd answer the phone all groggy and she'd say, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Uh, yeah, Ma, you did. The same as you did yesterday and the day before. I work nights, Ma, been doing it for years. She just didn't get it... until I got fed up called her once at 3AM and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She was pissed, but got the message and never called before my wake up time after that.

I just put the foil on the glass itself, not whole window frame. That way you don't get drafts under it.

Some people put a sign on their front door, "Day Sleeper" or "Night Worker" to discourage people from ringing the door bell during the day. I never did, but I didn't live where I got a lot of people coming to my door. Where I live now, I'd have to have one of those signs, there are always kids selling stuff for school, etc.

Curt is right on about keeping a schedule. Fortunately, as a CO, you don't have court like we do. That was the bane of my existence. Getting all day court for several days in a row would damn near kill me.

Blackout blinds AND curtains. Soft foam ear plugs. Tell the wife / family that they are not to get you up unless the house is on fire.

Tell your friends and extended family of your new shift and that you wont be available during certain hours.

Hardwood floors are not 3rd shift friendly. Carpet is.

Turn your bedroom phone off. If you can , your cell.

Put a towel or " sock" under the door after you close it.

Some sort of white noise device ( fan , tv, radio) helps.

Eat breakfast when you get up , lunch around 8pm and supper around 0200.

Stop drinking coffee by about 0300.

I love night shift, although being well into my 40's now Vs. my mid 20's or early 30's when I worked it before..........it seems to be taking more of a toll on me.
I live in an apt., and I know my neighbors know I work nights, but it doesn't stop them from living their lives and making noise.
It's an alien world when you work nights and you can't help but feel a little disconnected with the rest of society.
In my bedroom I have one of those thick curtains that supposedly cuts down on the noise, and by golly it does.
Get home from work around 0630 Hrs, and every day I start to settle down around 0900 Hrs. I'm dead to the world by 1000 Hrs and wake up around 1700-1800 Hrs.
Definitely maintain your exercise. I'd suggest you do this exercise before going to work, otherwise exercising after getting home could hamper your ability to get to sleep at a decent time.
Week or two on nights and you'll get the hang of it.

I liked working it because the only people out were drunks, crooks, newspaper carriers and garbage men. I didn't have to be subjected to too many "citizens". A DV was usually a good one, not just a spat. In fact, everything was more intense and there was a lot less BS.

However, when I finally went to day shift when I got promoted, I found it odd to actually feel good. When I was working 3rd shift, the only time I think I felt good was when I was working.

I have been off mids for almost 2 years. I may have to go back to rotating shifts ( 4 weeks of days and 2 weeks of mids) this summer. but I always DID like working traffic , especially big trucks and at night , they think they can get away with a lot because DOT isn't out.

But I am :)

Wow, thanks for all of the great advice everyone! I'll make sure to make of all of these tips and pieces of advice work to my full advantage.

I have been off mids for almost 2 years. I may have to go back to rotating shifts ( 4 weeks of days and 2 weeks of mids) this summer. but I always DID like working traffic , especially big trucks and at night , they think they can get away with a lot because DOT isn't out.

But I am :)

Rotating shifts........YUCK.
I worked for an agency eight years that rotated us every three months. When I was younger I enjoyed the change, now, no way.

Rotating shifts........YUCK.
I worked for an agency eight years that rotated us every three months. When I was younger I enjoyed the change, now, no way.

I agree. I was so grateful that my department had permanent shifts. Very few people really had to work shifts they didn't want to and it didn't take long to get enough seniority to get another shift if they chose to.

I never liked working either day shift or swings in uniform. Days, because there was too much brass around and I hated swings because just about the time it really got busy, it was time to quit. I hated getting pumped up and then having to stop, write reports, etc and then go home. Also there was too much traffic on swings. The first few hours, it was a pain trying to get from one call to another. On graveyard, it was busy as hell for the first few hours and then I had the rest of the shift to wind down and catch up my paper work.

Sorry this one's a little old, but still good advice. Do not, eat to stay awake. If you're getting tired find somewhere away from the inmates sight, do some pushups, sit-ups, run in place, splash water on your face and neck (cold), but if you get into the habit of eating to stay awake you'll be a fatty in no time.