I'm not a big baby for wanting get my 6-8 hours of sleep....

[joe hx]

At night I have to take my medicine, which normally means I'll be out for at least six hours. There's no way I could wake up only a couple hours later because I'm completely out of it.

[blas87]

Free beer? No thanks, I have enough gas and bloat problems from working an odd shift and eating at odd times.

Speaking of an odd shift, you won't hear any arguing from me that people need their sleep. I hardly ever get what I need because I always have to go in early for my stupid overtime and that means cramming errands and things I have to do, but not compromise sleep too much.

I have coworkers who get by every day on only a few hours every day, and I don't know how they do it.

[Red Panda]

Either you don't drink or aren't 21 yet because free beer at the bar trumps everything else.

Free beer is good but is rarely given without some sort of secondary motive or expectation of a free beer in return. Free coffee is always truly free and without worries.

[Plaidman]

I have coworkers who get by every day on only a few hours every day, and I don't know how they do it.

Years of practice for me is how I do it. After months and months every year of working odd shifts, including several periods where I was working Grave, Grave, Swing, Day, Day, Swing, Off, I just got use to it.

Even better were the days where I would do double shifts.

Day/Swing, Swing/Grave, Grave/Day.

Even better were the few times I did a double shift, but at different times. Day/Grave. .

I don't sleep much. I doze for a bit every few hours.

[Greenday]

Free beer is good but is rarely given without some sort of secondary motive or expectation of a free beer in return. Free coffee is always truly free and without worries.

Unless you know the bartender, then it's a total possibility.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I have to have at least eight hours to function; however, if I have back to back shifts (late night followed by an early start) I'll be knackered the next day, surviving only on caffine. I just can't sleep if I go to bed to early, either.

However, I can nap and still sleep at night, so that always helps. Nothing bugs me more than an early bird ringing me up at the arse crack of dawn when I need the liein in order to get my quota of sleep. -.- Of course I'm going to snap down the phone. And I will then revenge myself on you by ringing you up at midnight and see how you like it.

[Peppergirl]

I am one of those annoying people that only need 5-6 hours, which helps me work the crazy-assed hours that I work, but I fully realize I'm out of the norm - and that most people need more.

Hell, my ex husband couldn't freaking function (without being a total dick) if he didnt get 8-9 hours.

Tell your friends to quit being judgemental assholes and walk a mile in your shoes.

[Racket_Man]

try working rotating shifts every group of shifts.

worked a job that had the following schedule
3 days on 2 days off -- 6p to 6a
2 days on 3 days off -- 6a to 6p
3 days on 2 days off -- 6a - 6p
2 days on 3 days off -- 6p to 6a

every 2 weeks we rotated 12 hour shifts


then they went to
week 1 M - F 11p (Sunday night) to 7a
week 2 M - F 7a - 3p
week 3 M - F 3p - 11p
then start the rotation all over again

either way my body was WAAAAAAY out of sync for most of that year.

[MaggieTheCat]

Sounds like my last job, except I was not guaranteed the same hours every week or guaranteed any days off between weird hours. My "normal" week would be something like this:

M: 10am-6pm
Tu: 2pm-10pm
W: 8am-4pm
Th: noon-8pm
F: 10am-6pm

Some weeks looked more like this:

M: off
Tu: 2:30pm-11pm
W: 8am-4pm
Th: 6:30am-3pm
F: 2pm-10pm
Sat: 8:30am-5pm
Sun: 6:30am-3pm
M: noon-8pm
Tu: 2:30pm-11pm
W: 8am-4pm
Th: off
F: 10am-6pm

That's not including the overtime that usually came with it and wasn't necessarily attached to my shift (imagine those days when I worked in the afternoon, except I would also work a few hours in the morning, leave for an hour or two, then come back for my normal shift.)

And then management wondered why I called in ill more than anyone else in my department (all of whom had steady shifts that did not change during the week ever at all) and I had to get FMLA for my migraines. I need a good 6-7 hours to function, preferably closer to 8-9, and also preferably at roughly the same time every night. I tried to go to bed by 11pm when I worked my last job, but obviously when I was at work till 11 (or sometimes even till 10) I didn't get to bed until well after midnight, and if I had to work at 8 (or earlier) the next day, I felt like crap.

[telecom_goddess]

I could NOT function on crazy ass schedules like that and it's ridiculous that any company expects people to.

But yea on sleep I get about 6 hours a night....and that's because I get to bed no later than 10 pm I don't care what's going on. And I'm the same type that will miss a concert if I have to work the next day or if I want to go to the concert or whatever I want the next day off. I don't do any late night things on work nights or pretty much any night cause I'm passing out by 10pm. I am an early bird though. I get up at close to 5 weekdays and about 6:30 on weekends.

Sleep is important, and it has to be steady and on the same schedule. I have a sleep disorder already and don't need anything else mucking it up.

[insertNameHere]

My job doesn't give me enough notice of the next weeks schedule and then they give me a shit ton of random shifts and get pissed when I'm a zombie, I'm sorry when I normally am on 2nds and 3rds and you put me on a 1st I can't as much as a try get any sleep during the night, or take a nap and try to stay up from 6pm till 3pm and then crash but it doesn't always work. Also, 7hrs between shifts means I still need to drive home, shower, eat and sleep, how am I going to get any amount of sleep??

[Racket_Man]

I voluntarily did the following for 2 1/2 years between 2 jobs (well I did get forced by Ex to get the second job but I continued to do them even after she left casue I did need the money for a while)

P - pizza place
G - gas station

M = P 5p - 12a
T = G 7a - 2p
= P 3:30p - 12a
W = P 11a - 2p
=P 4 or 5p to 12a
Tr = P 11a - 2p
=G 3p - 11p
Fr = P 11a - 2 p
=G 3p - 11p
Sa = G 3p - 11p
Su = G 3p - 11p

I did, however take a day and a half off every 5 months or so (on a Sat ngith for RHPS) at the gas station to at least re-balance myself

total between the 2 jobs was 70 - 75 hours a week

during the month after we opened the new Pizza Place I was doing 85+ hours a week until my brain turned to total mush and my physical health started to deteriorate. I quit the gas station cause I did not like the manager anymore.

now I just do 43 hours per week at the pizza place.

[Rantsylvania 6-5000]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to get a full 8 hours of sleep. In fact, it's necessary for good health. I know from experience that I don't feel right on anything less. My brain dies and my muscles ache if I don't get enough sleep. I also don't like to be drowsy and yawning all day. I don't enjoy myself when I'm tired. It also wreaks havoc on my health, and my health is important to me. I've been battling sleep disorders most of my life, so when I'm lucky enough to get a good night's sleep, it's heavenly.

It pisses me off to hear some self-righteous asshole put someone down for wanting to do what is necessary, natural, and healthy. It seems there are people who think they are morally superior for sacrificing sleep in order to keep busy all the freaking time, especially those who do it for their employers.

[jackfaire]

I worked for this "retired" guy who owned an RV for the sole puprose of doing more work.

[Rageaholic]

I need my sleep too. I can go a day or 2 with only 6 hours per night, but even then, I'm not as energized. I typically try to avoid staying up past 2:00am, or being put in a position where I have to get up before 8:00am. The last thing I like to hear is "I get up at 6:00am every day!" when I am trying to decide if an early class is worth it. Uh good for you, but I don't and if I don't have to, why should I?