Never satisfied!

[duggie]

I worked nights for eight years when my children were young so that both my partner and I could work without using child care. It was tough - I slept between 4-5 hours a day, five days a week - school holidays were exhausting! Four years ago I switched jobs to more normal daytime hours. The children were older and I felt so much better both physically and mentally.

Now I have an allotment and half regret not working nights so that I could spend all that free time down on the lottie - especially on days like today! Sitting in an office, staring at the blue skies (when I know it will rain on Saturday and Sunday) and wishing I was on my knees weeding that garlic and onion patch!

Like I say - never satisfied!

[seasprout]

Going to be a lovely weekend Duggie just you see.

[piskieinboots]

tis too gonna be lovely weekend - seasprout knows cos SS is MOM and they know everything

[kernowyon]

i do shift work, no very regular pattern though, our hours are averaged over 16 weeks and it works out as 37.5 per week. when we do nights (19:30 - 08:00) we get the daytime off before and the whole day off after as recovery time, funny how i manage with 3 hours sleep when i go to the lottie after nights but can't seem to function with 7 hours sleep when on normal days.

[Alice]

You've lost your memory Duggie. All that time off you had was when you were supposed to sleep but couldn't. Been there, done that bit but do remember other people thought you had a day off when in reality it was a sleep time. You do have to sleep some time

[duggie]

I always found it really hard to sleep during the day Alice - especially in the summer months. Had to have the window open so that the bedroom wasn't a steam room but there was always some neighbour mowing the lawn, having their drive re-laid or cold callers knocking on the door despite the rather large sign on the door (I removed the battery for the bell within the first week!).

People who have never worked night shifts really do think that you have the entire day to yourself and can't understand why you haven't been out and about whilst they are at work.

Seasprout - I hope you are right about the weekend. Have soooo much planned for the lottie

[Novice Gardener]

Talking about never being satisfied - yesterday I was on site and got chatting to one of the painters. He's always talking about his house and garden and what they grow and that they've got chooks, anyway yesterday he showed me a little video of his place he'd taken on his phone. It was stunning and I said so and how lucky he was to live there - his dad had built 3 houses - one for himself, one for the son and one for the daughter on this plot of about 5 acres. They've got soooooo much space and are mortgage free and I told him thats what I dreamt of being and he said that he envied me!! I asked him why did he envy me - I got married very young at 20, have 3 children and am constantly stressed out running the business and trying to juggle money so I can pay the bills and pay the peeps that work for me - and he said alls he's ever wanted is a sense of achieving something on his own instead of it being handed to him. He said I should be proud of what I've got & done whereas he hasn't had to do strive for anything!!! It just made me think - sometimes the grass isn't always greener

[SarzWix]

I worked nights when my children were small (Sam 4½, Mike 2), but as the OH worked normal days I had to stay awake all day til he got in at tea-time. I was effectively missing 2 or 3 whole nights sleep a week. I managed it for 18 months, but I was properly mentally ill by then, and it didn't do the kids any favours either Missing sleep is very bad for you, long-term.

[duggie]

Sarah, it wasn't until I finally changed jobs after 8 years on nights and the kids were at secondary school that I realised just how exhausted I was, mentally and physically. There is a biological reason why we sleep at night and our health can suffer if we don't. My kids used to call me "the vampire". Even now, four years on, I still have problems with my sleep pattern.