Do Nurses goKrazy without Sleep?
Today, Kara and Geary talk about sleeping and the many aspects of shift work and sleep. With this topic we are only scratching the surface of the many issues that can make nurses goKrazy when they lack quality sleep.
Any and all information discussed on this podcast or at the goKrazy website are the opinions of the hosts only. Hosts opinions are not meant to serve as medical advice and do not reflect the opinion of any of the hosts' current or past employers.
Transcript
Hello.
Speaker:Welcome to go crazy.
Speaker:We're at the nurses round table.
Speaker:I'm here with my
Geary Lynn:co-host
Geary Lynn:Kara.
Geary Lynn:Good morning.
GEARY:So our next topic that we're gonna talk about that I
GEARY:think that's so important is sleep.
GEARY:What are we
KARA:gonna go crazy with today?
GEARY:We're gonna go crazy with sleep, because if you don't get enough
GEARY:sleep, you're gonna go crazy for sure.
GEARY:And that is a problem that, uh, has definitely affected me in the past
GEARY:because I'm one of those people who.
GEARY:Can do both shifts.
GEARY:So I will rotate day and night shift and I'll work three day shifts, three, 12
GEARY:hour days, and then take a day off rest.
GEARY:And then the next day or two I'll pick up an extra shift or extra two shifts.
GEARY:And I know there are other people just like me who will work the night shift.
GEARY:And I remember working the night shift in the PD E R oh, I loved it though.
GEARY:I loved it.
GEARY:It was the best.
GEARY:It, which I just felt like I was really making a difference.
GEARY:I loved it, but the sleeping was so was so difficult for me to sleep.
GEARY:I do think the night shift has, has more of an issue with sleeping.
GEARY:Um, but it's so important.
GEARY:How do you, how have you handled the sleep?
GEARY:Cuz I know you initially you worked night shift.
GEARY:Oh, for me,
KARA:I did seven years night shift nurse.
KARA:It was not my goal.
KARA:I never thought that I was gonna be able to be someone who could stay up
KARA:and not get my eight hours of sleep.
KARA:Um, gosh.
KARA:There's so many different ways, right?
KARA:You try melatonin, you try Benadryls.
KARA:Yes.
KARA:Some people try glass of wine or a beer or something before they go to bed.
KARA:I think sleep, sleep for those people who work night shifts.
KARA:It takes like 10 years off your life.
KARA:Statistically, like it's as bad as smoking if you work nights, just because
KARA:you become so sleep deprived, your body, your cells are just constantly a
KARA:little bit stressed because your body is designed to be awake during the.
KARA:right?
KARA:Yes.
KARA:. So for us, for sleeping, I mean, it has to be a black room with
KARA:no sound and we have to be, yeah.
KARA:Some of those strategies or something in order to stay asleep
KARA:for at least six or seven hours.
KARA:And then you wake.
KARA:And then, you know, you get into your routine and it's all about your routine.
KARA:But I can say going from nights to days and 24 hours, even going
KARA:from nights to days, I had to train myself to sleep again, like a kid.
KARA:I had to, you know, play certain music or play a certain podcast or
KARA:listen to something very specific every day around the same time to
KARA:train myself, to go back to sleep at night because I couldn't do it.
KARA:And if I, and even now I'm probably three years out of
KARA:working night shift and swing.
KARA:Mm-hmm um, you know, if I don't go to bed when I'm tired and I
KARA:get my second wind last night, I was up till three in the morning.
KARA:Oh, wow.
KARA:Yeah.
KARA:And then I woke up at five and then I woke up at six and then by seven, my
KARA:body was like, oh, look, there's a sun.
KARA:Now it's probably time for me to get up and move around now.
KARA:And here we are.
KARA:Yeah,
GEARY:I do.
GEARY:I it's important to develop good strategies establishing that consistent
GEARY:routine of when you go to sleep.
GEARY:And, you know, having, you know, your kids not wake you up, don't disturb me.
GEARY:Don't you guys don't, don't wake mommy when she's sleeping, uh, making your, your
GEARY:sleep area, your bedroom friendly, the sanctuary mm-hmm, your sanctuary, where
GEARY:you go in and that's where you sleep.
GEARY:It's cool.
GEARY:Enough.
GEARY:The temperature is cool enough where you you're comfortable and it's just, you
GEARY:know, how can we get better sleep at.
GEARY:You know what I
KARA:think the self care routine of exercise exercise.
KARA:And like, for me, it was yoga.
KARA:Mm-hmm if I could go and do some and do like an hour of hot yoga and then go.
KARA:I was so physically and just emotionally done already from work,
KARA:but physically done from the yoga.
KARA:Yes.
KARA:That I would knock me out for a good six hour straight.
KARA:Yes.
KARA:And it was good, deep sleep.
KARA:I felt like I was actually getting enough sleep.
KARA:That is I important.
KARA:And I think nurses and, um, physicians as well.
KARA:I think sometimes physicians are a little bit more type a as far
KARA:as their like O C D, which is rid, um, like their, their regimens.
KARA:They're a little more regimented, so they may be a little bit more
KARA:prone to being in the gym and exercising and having their morning.
KARA:Routine that way, nurses are a little bit more all over
KARA:the place, I think sometimes.
KARA:And, um, if we can get into a better routine of food and exercise, right.
KARA:I think it really facilitates better sleep.
KARA:I think that's
GEARY:important.
GEARY:I
KARA:do, but that's very basic, but it's, it's so
GEARY:necessary.
GEARY:So I think something for nurses, a lot of the times there's so
GEARY:much sugar around, you know, some.
GEARY:Somebody here, you're getting caffeine to get through the day.
GEARY:And then there, there are people, physical therapists and doctors,
GEARY:mostly doctors that are bringing donuts and cookies and cake to the nurses
GEARY:station and coffee and coffee, and yes, coffee and coffee and coffee.
GEARY:And so you're eating, eating that all day in some cases.
GEARY:And then you go home.
GEARY:do whatever, spend time with your family.
GEARY:And then you're expected to go to sleep on all that sugar and caffeine.
GEARY:I think the caffeine
KARA:is plays a
GEARY:huge role.
GEARY:Oh yeah.
GEARY:Depending on what time you're drinking.
GEARY:If you're drinking coffee after four o'clock caffeine all day long.
GEARY:Yes.
KARA:It's kind of like alcohol, is it five o'clock?
KARA:Yes.
KARA:It's
GEARY:time.
GEARY:Yes.
GEARY:It's five o'clock somewhere for the coffee.
GEARY:Mm-hmm instead of, you know, a drink they're actually, you
GEARY:know, can somebody go get me a coffee and uh, you know, where's.
GEARY:Where's my FRA or my ice coffee.
GEARY:Yeah, my monster drink.
GEARY:Oh, those drinks too.
GEARY:I've been those energy drinks.
GEARY:I see those all over the place
KARA:Umpteen different kinds of energy drinks from natural ones to
KARA:extremely unnatural and unhealthy ones.
KARA:And most of us consume at least one to two caffeinated beverages.
KARA:I'm drinking one right now, Alan, thank you.
KARA:Right.
KARA:Um, saving our lives every day so
KARA:we can help others.
GEARY:Well, I think some of them are good, especially the ones that
GEARY:hydrate you, you know, there are all those energy drinks that have all the
GEARY:vitamins and minerals and everything.
KARA:That's the perception
KARA:with 300 milligrams of caffeine to chase it.
KARA:Right.
KARA:Right.
KARA:But then also.
KARA:How about the drugs?
KARA:I mean, how many of your own coworkers do you know are on Adderall and other
KARA:stimulants just to get through their shifts and to stay skinny, right?
KARA:Yes.
KARA:So that it helps their appetite.
KARA:They don't have to drink all the caffeine.
KARA:They don't have to eat all the food and they can still have a
KARA:few brain cells to function on.
KARA:medically
KARA:I think that's something we don't talk about.
KARA:No, we don't talk about it.
KARA:It's drug use and the providers that prescribe it because I'm,
KARA:I mean, are you really add or do you just need to stay awake?
KARA:Well, the drug use absolutely the things we, and then the ju what is it?
KARA:Um, new vigil for swing shift.
KARA:I mean, it's, cuz people can't sleep and they're moving back and forth and
KARA:they have to be able to stay awake.
KARA:I've been put in positions where, where my supervisor told me, you
KARA:need to look like you're more awake.
KARA:I don't know what you need to do to get yourself awake at 4:00 AM, but I need you
KARA:to be present and awake, figure it out.
KARA:Yes.
KARA:Um, okay.
KARA:Does that mean that I start caffeinating at two, do I start sucking down a monster
KARA:at two or three in the morning so that I can look perky and perfect at 4:00 AM?
KARA:Right.
KARA:I mean, what do I need to do?
KARA:And that's the position that a lot of people are in because you need to be on,
KARA:you have to be on guard all the time.
KARA:You can't let your guard.
KARA:do I pop a pill?
KARA:Do I take a caffeine pill?
KARA:What kind of pill am I taking?
GEARY:Three right.
GEARY:That is something so many people don't wanna talk about.
GEARY:So many people don't wanna touch this subject because what is it?
GEARY:Something like 20 straight years now that nurses are one of the most
GEARY:trusted professions, according to the latest Gallup ratings for 2022.
GEARY:And there's a reason for that.
GEARY:We take such good care of our patients.
GEARY:It's just, it's in our hearts and our souls to nurture, to be nurturers.
GEARY:But because we have such poor self care, we have, that's where the issue comes in.
GEARY:Right.
GEARY:what are the extra steps?
GEARY:What are the extra steps that we are taking as nurses to
GEARY:continue to be able to do that?
GEARY:Nurturing?
GEARY:What are we doing to meet those expectations?
KARA:Right?
KARA:The, the extra steps we're willing to go.
KARA:What are the links you're willing to go to make sure that you
KARA:can do the job that you want to
KARA:do.
KARA:I think one of the most important topics that we need to talk about right now that
KARA:no one is talking about is the drug use.
KARA:The pharmaceutical
KARA:drug use, not necessarily like right.
KARA:It's illegal drugs.
KARA:It's, it's, it's prescription drugs that are prescribed for a reason.
KARA:But yes.
KARA:I mean, no, I totally agree.
KARA:Do I need to take Adderall three times a day just to get through one shift?
KARA:I mean, these are addictive addictive medications.
KARA:Oh yes.
KARA:That potential.
KARA:That cause a lot of harm in the long run.
KARA:Yes.
KARA:You know?
KARA:And Adderall's not the only one.
KARA:There are so many other different types of diet drugs out there that we can use.
KARA:Not just my nurses.
KARA:So many nurses out there that we talk to are aware of and are taking
KARA:these extra diet drugs, just to help them lose weight and stay awake.
KARA:Basically,
GEARY:and so it's, uh, like we were talking about earlier about, you
GEARY:know, fifties, sixties and seventies nurses could, could go down and not
GEARY:only they were taking their coffee, they were drinking their coffee
GEARY:all through this shift, but they would actually take a smoke break.
GEARY:Yep.
GEARY:And they could smoke and smoking was something that was acceptable.
GEARY:Oh, you were gonna go smoke a cigarette, but it's also an extra
GEARY:break.
GEARY:Yeah.
GEARY:True.
GEARY:You're even gonna lie when I first became a.
GEARY:There were still nurses on the, on the floor that could
GEARY:go and take a smoke break.
GEARY:Right.
GEARY:And I thought, well, how come you get to go and take an extra 15 minutes
GEARY:to go smoke, but I can't even go take a dump so where are you going?
GEARY:I'm gonna go take my smoke break.
GEARY:You don't smoke.
GEARY:Absolutely.
GEARY:And right now I do, I'm gonna go take my smoke break.
GEARY:Right?
GEARY:That's I think that that's something, I mean, I never smoked, but I took
GEARY:my smoke breaks because why not?
GEARY:Because
KARA:people at that time, people would say, oh, smoking was such an acceptable.
KARA:Form of, oh, just smoke
GEARY:break from, we just moved from, you know, smoking and from the nicotine
GEARY:and caffeine, keeping us awake and alive and, you know, moving around right.
GEARY:And thin to, you
KARA:know, other forms, other forms of pharmaceuticals, medicating.
KARA:Yeah.
KARA:Self-medicating so we could stay thin mm-hmm
KARA:I know so many again, and it's not just a matter of, I know, and.
KARA:Others have, uh,
KARA:discussed,
KARA:discussed this situation of smoking to stay thin mm-hmm oh, I smoke
KARA:because for whatever reason, smoking a cigarette keeps me from being hungry.
KARA:I'm not hungry when I smoke a cigarette.
KARA:Well, it's an appetite suppressant.
KARA:Oh,
KARA:okay.
KARA:Well you learn something new every day?
KARA:Uh,
KARA:I do know so many people that the friend you've been on that for.
KARA:There you go, oh, there you go.
KARA:The French that's.
KARA:So that's how they do it.
KARA:That's how they eat all those.
KARA:They always take the stairs.
KARA:There you go.
KARA:They smoke take stairs, but they can eat as many quants as they want.
KARA:I think that that's something that now, now we're taking
KARA:drugs to help us stay thin.
KARA:And uh, what are we doing to our bodies and for our own mental health, again, it
KARA:leads all back into the same situation.
GEARY:Right, right.
GEARY:Trying to take care of our, trying to take care of our
GEARY:responsibilities during our shift,
GEARY:All right.
GEARY:That's all the time we have for today.
GEARY:We'll continue to have our discussions here at the round table with Karen, Gary.
GEARY:Catch us next time.
GEARY:. And remember whatever life
Geary Lynn:So email us, drop us a line at gokrazy@thenursesroundtable.com.
Geary Lynn:That's go krazy and remember crazy with a k@.
