Switching From 2nd Shift To First

Hi everybody, I am posting this here because I know that fishermen work and play in all hours of the day.
I am 67 and still working, I have worked from 4pm to midnight for 13 years (my choice). I have weekends off but my wife and I are wanting more time together, she works 9 to 5.
I have requested moving to 1st shift which I will likely get. I live an hour from work in Indianapolis and will have to get up at 5AM to be at work by 8.
After so many years of being a "nighter" I'm looking for any suggestions on making such a drastic switch.
My work while stressful is rewarding to me, I just need more Honey time.

Any and all thoughts are appreciated, this has weighed heavily on my mind.

Alan

thats a tough one , you might be pretty tired the first month or better , the traffic alone will likely be dramatically different as well .
sometimes what we think is a good thing isnt always so . the commute in traffic at peak times would be more than i could handle .
one thing about this world i see frequently is that folks dont seem to drive rationally on the way to work , but then again they dont seem to drive right after work either .
it might not be a good thing to come home all stressed out to beat the band to your spouse , just saying .

I worked swing shift for 27 years. It’s all my kids ever knew. My biggest issue was eating and making sure I kept my digestive system regular. It was hard to do but should be easier with your change.


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I spent 20 years in the military as an electronic technician. All of the time overseas (7 years) I worked rotating shifts - 6 days - 6 mids - 6 swings - then 2 days off. I never really developed a sleep pattern that let me catch up. I developed Apnea very badly which sent me to a sleep doctor, who put me on a BiPAP (like CPAP) machine which helped a lot and he put me on a medication for folks who have problems as we have. With the two remedies I finally worked out a new routine. However, the medication caused heart rhythm problems.

So, my suggestion is to see a sleep medicine specialist and see what he/she can do.
Good luck

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Originally Posted by funfishers

Any and all thoughts are appreciated,

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Retire!

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Originally Posted by M R Dux

I worked swing shift for 27 years.

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My dad did that. I have no idea how but he could sleep whenever and wherever at the drop of a hat.

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/imag...quote_icon.png Originally Posted by funfishers https://www.crappie.com/crappie/imag...post-right.png
Any and all thoughts are appreciated,

Retire!

My wife is 9 years younger than me and will continue working at least till 62. I fear I would have too much time on my hands (many may laugh at that).
I only intend to work 1-2 more years, the additional income would be helpful but not necessary.

I appreciate your input.

Alan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by funfishers

Hi everybody, I am posting this here because I know that fishermen work and play in all hours of the day.
I am 67 and still working, I have worked from 4pm to midnight for 13 years (my choice). I have weekends off but my wife and I are wanting more time together, she works 9 to 5.
I have requested moving to 1st shift which I will likely get. I live an hour from work in Indianapolis and will have to get up at 5AM to be at work by 8.
After so many years of being a "nighter" I'm looking for any suggestions on making such a drastic switch.
My work while stressful is rewarding to me, I just need more Honey time.

Any and all thoughts are appreciated, this has weighed heavily on my mind.

Alan

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If you could I would suggest you retire. If you can't retire I would switch shifts to have more time with the wife. I was forced to retire at age 50 and hated that I had to retire. But since my wife died a couple of years back I realize how lucky I was that I retired early. Before I retired I traveled a lot for work and would only see my family 2-3 days a week. By being forced to retire early I was able to spend 25 years with my wife full time before she died. I now realize just how lucky I was to get that time with her.

You may be surprised at how quickly you adjust to an early schedule. Or maybe not. LOL
Get plenty of sleep and adjust your bedtime to match your new schedule and you should be fine.
Your morning fishing will suffer when you have to join the weekenders, but the trade-off is more time with your wife.

Retire and get a part time day shift job close to home. Getting up in the middle of the night isn't fun. If you don't need the money at 67 that is what I would do. I retiered 4 years ago but still work for myself. Keeps me busy and plenty of time to do a few things.

I drove the roads for 20+ years and I got to know my sleep needs and habits. I don’t rotate shifts overnight like I was required to do in the last years, days today and nights tomorrow. Changing from one shift to another takes me a week to get my sleep schedule adjusted to where I don’t feel rundown all the time. Having done it the many years you did it might take some longer. I had to be rigid in my new bedtime and make myself relax and go to sleep. That made it easier for me. Not going to bed until you’re tired just lengthens the transition. Hope you find it all worth it after you make the changes, my family saw me different times-and different days on different Weeks, but their mom did a stellar job taking care of business in my absence. Home every day now and on a set daytime schedule, albeit 11 hour days.