i think i'm getting the hang of thzzzzz

[rone]

It's nearly my six-month anniversary at Netflix, which means that i've been working graveyard shift for 21 weeks.  Despite a few hiccups along the way, sleeping during the day hasn't been too bad; i've settled into taking a melatonin+valerian capsule and half a Benadryl before sleep (occasionally washed down with hot chocolate instead of water).  I usually hit the sack soon after i see Kim off to work in the morning, so that i can be awake by the time she gets home.  On Friday, i eschew the sleeping aids and just settle into a four-hour sleep period; when i wake up, i can attend one of our team meetings in the afternoon, and then proceed with having a normal weekend (although lately my sleep has been cut short at night, so i've been taking a full Benadryl on Friday nights).  On Sunday evenings, i have another 4-hour nap, and upon waking put out the trash and then head to work.

At times i feel a little uncomfortable about the pill-taking, but given that this isn't going to last forever, i'll keep it up for now.

Comments

[epileptikitty.livejournal.com]

My understanding was that melatonin is not really a sleeping aid- it's a circadian rhythm adjuster. You take it a half hour before you want to normally go to sleep, and the following day you are sleepy at that time.

I find it knocks me out too hard. Ambien is great, but you can only take it so long.

And, of course, sleeping with someone is less restful than being alone.

[wisn.livejournal.com]

That's a good way to put it. When I was transitioning between first and third shift and pulling the occasional hundred-hour work week, melatonin was about as strong a med as I cared to take.

It didn't make me sleepy or knock me out, but it seemed to help ensure that I could stay asleep once I fell asleep.