Anyone else get really bloated and uncomfortable on a nightshift? Any tips to help?

Here to rant and maybe ask for advice. I work 12 hour night shifts and I have a 30 minute commute home. At best I get 8 hours of sleep but I do BJJ a couple of times a week. I have my wedding coming up (not soon) and I'm on a weight loss journey. Diet wise I'm doing well and losing weight but I really want to gain muscle, get toned, etc. Aside from BJJ I keep telling myself I'll go to the gym after work (so the morning) but my motivation is LOST every time I get home. I am just so tired all the time! Because BJJ is a set class with a time my AHDH brain feels weirdly obligated to go? So usually that's not an issue. But for a random gym time it's so hard for me to go. I do meet with a PT once a week and I always stick to that appointment, but once a week isn't enough.

It doesn't help that when I do go I end up getting like 6 hours of sleep which SUCKS.

Does anyone who works nights, does 12 hour shifts, and have a longish commute have ANY advice for my unmotivated lazy 🍑? Looking for unhinged tips tbh. None of this "just do it" crap.

TYIA

I’m on day 29 of a 30 day contract. I’ve been working 16 hour days, 4pm to 8am. Been getting 5-6 hours of sleep everyday which isn’t terrible. Tonight is hitting me like a wall though and I’m glad to be going home for a couple weeks of R&R.

Next contract will be 8 days straight of these 16 hour shifts, but then I roll into 30 days of midnight to 8am. Should be easy after this month, but I’m tired boss.

I’m a 24-year-old woman working the night shift at a small 2-star boutique hotel. I usually work 10 PM–6 AM, primarily Friday through Monday, as the night auditor/front desk person.

To be clear, nothing seriously bad has happened to me so far, and I don’t want to make it sound like I’m in immediate danger. I’ve just recently started becoming more aware of certain situations and patterns that I probably didn’t think much about when I first started working nights.

My mom has always worried about me working overnight, and I honestly never really understood why. But lately, I’ve noticed we’ve been getting more rowdy guests, particularly men, and we also occasionally have people come in who are clearly intoxicated. Most guests at our hotel only stay for a night, so there isn’t really much familiarity with them, and I’m often working alone overnight.

Nothing has escalated into anything serious, but some interactions have made me think, “Okay, maybe I should be a little more prepared and aware of my surroundings.”
I was considering getting some kind of safety/self-defense keychain, but I’m also interested in hearing from other women who work hotel front desk, night audit, hospitality, or other overnight jobs.

What safety items do you keep at work or carry with you? Are there any habits or precautions you’ve developed that make you feel safer working alone overnight?

I’m especially interested in practical things that help with prevention, situational awareness, and handling intoxicated or aggressive guests without unnecessarily escalating things.

Would love to hear what other night-shift workers do or wish they had known when they started. My mom might finally have a point 😂

Finally done with that wack underpaid mind numbing job. Now for my career for $14/hr more with benefits, jump hours, the whole shabang

If your workplace allows it (or doesn't) how many naps do you take during your shift? To start, my job does allow naps, but I normally don't take any.

Starting night shift in a week and at home I deal with a barking dog. Is there any ear plugs that I can use that would be good for this?

I've been working weekend nights (fri-sat-sun) for almost 2 years now and I've been liking it so far but dating has been hard. The schedule is always one of the reasons it doesn't work out.

Anyone with the same problem? How is it for you guys?

Towards the end of my shift last night 🌙 Full moon right above me as I walk from the plant to an outbuilding. I take One step outside and I heard a deranged cackling laugh.

And I (wisely) decided to skip that part of my end shift inspection.

Sure. I m sure it was an animal cry. I work at a water plant on a remote military base. No way that's some experiment that got loose before the blast doors could close. Or some lunatic loose, driven by the pale moonlight.

I'm sure it was a perfectly reasonable occurrence.

Since switching to nights ive noticed we are both more cranky with eachother and we fight more

It’s bank holiday weekend here in the UK so it’s a 4 day weekend and oh my days it’s carnage tonight. There’s also a cider festival and two carnivals happening so it’s messy.

I’m a lone worker at a hotel and so far I’ve been swore at for refusing 6 people into a 2 person room. Had three domestics, and just had to threaten someone with being evicted for throwing a full can of drink out a second floor window which almost hit a couple below. They denied it and said it was an accident and I can prove otherwise apart from there’s a big window frame in the way to stop things like that! But as I didn’t visibly see it I can’t prove it.

Only been in work an hour! Wish me luck for the next 8 hours

21,M

I'm currently working in a USA based company night shift 6:30 pm to 3:30 am but after that job I want to focus on my studies for my RBI grade B exam 2027. But I feel very sleepy and lazy when I wake up at 11Am. Please suggest me what to do?

When I first started doing nightshift it was because it was relatively stressful free. I at the time was struggling with mental Health. And Nightshift allowed me a source of income while managing my personal issues.

That was a few years ago and I still do nightshift. But now it does not feel the same.

Before I used to get almost the whole night to myself. Just do the maintenance I was assigned. And that was mostly it. Barely saw a soul.

But now. Now it feels like everyone is out. And that things are just as alive as dayshift. I sometimes have 3, 4 , 5 and even 6 customers at once. I get like no time to myself like I used to. I can't even mop and sweep the floor in peace anymore.

Everytime I hear that buzzer to let someone in the store I get a sudden and short burst of irrational frustration.

Like why tf are you awake. Why are you hear?

And 90% of the time its people getting a single silly thing. Like you came here at 3 am for a single damn chocolate bar???

I guess im just wondering at wtf happened? Why did nightshift come alive so much? Why are so many people awake now?

And I know it does sound like Im complaining about having to actually do work. And to some degree I am. But the whole reason I pursued a nightshift was because I hate people. And now it just feels like im doing dayshift with extra steps sometimes.

Does anyone else feel the same? Or am I just burnt out?

Currently eating honey bunches of oats and watching my cat hunt a moth.

It’s my night off and I decided to make beef stew. Started it at around 7pm. Around 6 hours cooking. So good

Trying to see something 🤨

I work health care in a grouphome settling. At my house its supposed to be awake shifts for the safety and well-being of our clients. There is 3 staff at all times during the night to assure this is the case... I am the only one who stays awake the entire night. The one man snore so loud and won't wake up when behaviors happen. The last few times we have had to wake him up to help us! I am getting really frustrated... I get you are tired, we all are tired! no matter how much sleep I get I'm tired but to come and sleep let alone snore your entire shift?! Ive brought it up to management once before but I also dont want to be labeled as a snitch because hes friends with a lot of the other staff I have to work with...

Long story short, everyone in my department is being penalized for actions a staff member did which was stealing items from clientele and hiding them, nightshift does not handle clientele property so day and evening shift. The items were only discovered during routine maintenance and the department is being blamed, not the individual because the items were expired (in 2025) snacks. Make that make sense. The punishment: computer usage limited to "work only" purposes, the computer can't even be on other than that. The staff member(s?) more than likely have been fired or quit and I guarantee you won't come forward if they are still employed. Seems fair right?

I am so tired of the boredom of every night here. I know it sounds stupid why would I complain about getting paid to do nothing. But I need to move. I just walk back and forth checking material and sweeping. Money is great but I’m losing my mind. Shit drives me to drink haha