I have been working at kroger on 3rd shift for about 3 weeks now and i am still not used to the hours. I have only been awake today for about 5 hours and i feel like i have been awake for 12. My body always feels tired and wore down and my muscles stay sore. How did you other 3rd shifters get used to it? I figured i would have been by now. I know this is kinda whiney haha but i really would like some advice.
First, over nights isn't for everybody. It may well be that it's not for you. But, if this is something you feel committed to, there are things you can do to help yourself.
While at work, NO CAFFEINE after, say, 3 am. If you smoke, chill out on that too. You may find your digestion is a bit out of whack while working O.N., so stick to foods that are easy on the stomach. While at home, black out your bedroom windows til your sleeping space is dark as a coffin; ear plugs help as well. There's an OTC drug called Melatonin that has proven to be a great sleep aid, particularly for 3rd shifters.
haha the sleeping part is not the problem. when i get off i crash and sleep for like 8 or 9 hours but when i get up i still feel half dead and it stays that way all night
yep! its a bummer. Feeling tired constantly is no fun especially when you have to bust a** at work. I believe tomorrow i will go for a walk a bit before my shift to see if that helps.
You'll never get used to it unless you (1) live alone (2) adhere to the same sleep schedule even on your off days. Even with all that, you might still never get used to it.
Do you have to work those hours? Do you like working in frozen, or would you be willing to transfer to another store or department in order to get better hours?
If a future with Kroger is what you want, stick with 3rds until you can transfer. ---The trick will be to do an adequate job, but not SO good that management refuses to let go of you.
i'm not really looking at making a career out if it. i was out of work for 3 months after having back surgery and dollar general let me go so i was hurting for money and i couldn't find any other place that was hiring. Just something to do until i find someone else that is hiring, but with the way the economy is right now idk when that will be haha.
If you collected workman's comp for that injury, do everything on your current job to re establish job place credit. If you didn't collect it, do everything in your power to erase that incident from your past.
As for future job ambitions, the trades are very popular, particularly heavy equipment/machinery operation, plumbing/pipe fitting, welding, etc. Truck driving will ALWAYS be good. Microsoft basic certification for programming isn't a bad way to go; in the mid west, it starts out at 20K/yr. Your community college can set you up with $ assistance for a one year certificate.
These fields offer both union training and self education (CDL testing can be done for a fee at your local DMV). Despite what people say about there not being any jobs out there, that is only limited to your aptitude and ambition.
Meanwhile, stick with the Kroger gig for as long as you need to. Job longevity is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity in the job market.
stuff that need done get to bed around a time that gives you from 5=8 hours of sleep do this everyday oh and when you get to work tell everyone good morning it is your morning and it's kind of funny plus it gives you a more positive feel. nights are great you get a lot done with fewer dictractins and no management on your back plus you have a better chance of getting the hours you need because people hate working overnights
i usually never had a problem with sleep before starting 3rds. i knew it would be difficult at first but 3 weeks in i still feel like a zombie when i wake up and stay that way throughout the night
i've worked night grocery for kroger going on 3 yrs now and I'm still not used to it. I admit, im not a night person but I need a job unfortunately.
Nights are affecting my way of life being can't sleep worth a crap(3-4hrs if lucky), feel like a zombie throughout the day stumbling and whatnot, annoying pains in back, legs, chest,etc. Trying to get out but nothing so far, kroger has been a thorn in my side and I can't wait till I get out.
You don't like not having to deal with upper management and a slew of unnecessary bull**** that you can generally avoid on 3rd shift? That sucks. I haven't shaved in over a week. My pants/shirts all have unsightly holes in them. I have not been called up to cashier once. I speak about 20 words to an assistant store manager every month. My grocery/assistant overnight managers generally leave me alone, and let me work with lots of heavy metal blaring from my MP3 player for six out of eight hours a night. Night crew is awesome to those that don't...conform well to social and/or corporate standards of propriety.
But the hazards to your body also suck. I'd kill babies every Wed. and Fri. if Kroger would pay for me to get bi-weekly massages to work out the muscle knots. If anyone here is working nights, I'd highly advise Vitamin D supplements(to offset the lack of sunlight), melatonin (to help you sleep), and if you can afford it, massages by therapists trained in myofascial TrP pain relief. A lot of your pain is going to be caused by repetitive motions, which in turn lead to trigger points, which in turn leads to a metric ****ton of referred pain to areas of your body that aren't actually injured. As an overnight stocker, I get them a lot in my neck and shoulders (and some in my legs), and they cause all sort of weird, frightening symptoms outside of just pain. If you can find an affordable masseuse (and this may be difficult on Kroger pay), competent ones will be able to work out the kinks in your muscles, and if your local union covers chiropractic costs, you should go see one of them, too. Terribly helpful.
Mostly, though, I just drink a lot of beer after work. It helps, if you don't mind the liver damage. And beer is awesome.
i love the fact i don't have to deal with management, but i hate feeling tired constantly. I get 8 hours of sleep every day and i still feel like hammered sh*t when i wake up. i take multivitamins and they haven't helped so far.
You don't like not having to deal with upper management and a slew of unnecessary bull**** that you can generally avoid on 3rd shift? That sucks. I haven't shaved in over a week. My pants/shirts all have unsightly holes in them. I have not been called up to cashier once. I speak about 20 words to an assistant store manager every month. My grocery/assistant overnight managers generally leave me alone, and let me work with lots of heavy metal blaring from my MP3 player for six out of eight hours a night. Night crew is awesome to those that don't...conform well to social and/or corporate standards of propriety.
But the hazards to your body also suck. I'd kill babies every Wed. and Fri. if Kroger would pay for me to get bi-weekly massages to work out the muscle knots. If anyone here is working nights, I'd highly advise Vitamin D supplements(to offset the lack of sunlight), melatonin (to help you sleep), and if you can afford it, massages by therapists trained in myofascial TrP pain relief. A lot of your pain is going to be caused by repetitive motions, which in turn lead to trigger points, which in turn leads to a metric ****ton of referred pain to areas of your body that aren't actually injured. As an overnight stocker, I get them a lot in my neck and shoulders (and some in my legs), and they cause all sort of weird, frightening symptoms outside of just pain. If you can find an affordable masseuse (and this may be difficult on Kroger pay), competent ones will be able to work out the kinks in your muscles, and if your local union covers chiropractic costs, you should go see one of them, too. Terribly helpful.
Mostly, though, I just drink a lot of beer after work. It helps, if you don't mind the liver damage. And beer is awesome.
This is one of the COOLEST POSTS I 've ever seen on here~
You don't like not having to deal with upper management and a slew of unnecessary bull**** that you can generally avoid on 3rd shift? That sucks. I haven't shaved in over a week. My pants/shirts all have unsightly holes in them. I have not been called up to cashier once. I speak about 20 words to an assistant store manager every month. My grocery/assistant overnight managers generally leave me alone, and let me work with lots of heavy metal blaring from my MP3 player for six out of eight hours a night. Night crew is awesome to those that don't...conform well to social and/or corporate standards of propriety.
But the hazards to your body also suck. I'd kill babies every Wed. and Fri. if Kroger would pay for me to get bi-weekly massages to work out the muscle knots. If anyone here is working nights, I'd highly advise Vitamin D supplements(to offset the lack of sunlight), melatonin (to help you sleep), and if you can afford it, massages by therapists trained in myofascial TrP pain relief. A lot of your pain is going to be caused by repetitive motions, which in turn lead to trigger points, which in turn leads to a metric ****ton of referred pain to areas of your body that aren't actually injured. As an overnight stocker, I get them a lot in my neck and shoulders (and some in my legs), and they cause all sort of weird, frightening symptoms outside of just pain. If you can find an affordable masseuse (and this may be difficult on Kroger pay), competent ones will be able to work out the kinks in your muscles, and if your local union covers chiropractic costs, you should go see one of them, too. Terribly helpful.
Mostly, though, I just drink a lot of beer after work. It helps, if you don't mind the liver damage. And beer is awesome.
This is one of the COOLEST POSTS I 've ever seen on here~
nocturnia you drunkard :P
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
You could just not be a night person, then. I've always been a night owl since high school--so many nights sneaking hours of video games in after my parents went to bed kinda wore off on me.
As for the caffeine, I usually take enough to kill a horse, but only right before work, and sometimes on first break. (So 9:50ish PM and 12:00 PM, respectively.) I won't touch it after that because otherwise I'll be up drinking until 3:00 PM and those hangovers are horrific.
I'd definitely try to get in for an hour or two of massage when you can first afford it, and you should look into melatonin supplements to help you sleep a bit better. Melatonin is a naturally occurring chemical in your brain that regulates sleep, so it won't be habit forming like diphenhydramine or other sleep aids. It does affect everyone differently, though, so I'd try taking 3 mg of it the first few nights and adjusting up or down depending on what it does to you. My sister is barely cognizant after taking 1 mg a night. I take 10 mg pills and still don't get tired, they just help me sleep better after I go to bed. The best part is, though, is that they're safe to take with alcohol. Lots and lots of yummy alcohol.
The second best part is that they'll give you more vivid dreams. Rolling over to shut your alarm clock off so you can try and re-enter the one where you're in a hottub of vanilla pudding with Megan Fox and Halle Berry won't do much good for making it to your shifts in time, though.
Editor's note: I am not responsible if you dream about sitting in a hottub of urine with Freddie Kreuger and Rosie O'Donnell.
nocturnia wrote:
This is one of the COOLEST POSTS I 've ever seen on here~
I was pretty hammered by the time I found this forum yesterday. BEER: IT MAKES YOU COOLER! And cuts 20 years off of your life, but the PRIIIIIZE.
-- Edited by phoenixblade on Monday 10th of October 2011 09:18:30 AM
