Shift-work questions re: brewing and life

[droid]

Hi all,

There's a possibility that an impending career change might involve going on to a rotating shift of 8hrs / 24hrs shift

So a couple of questions for youse in the know;

What are your drinking habits coming off a shift?
How do you plan brewing?
What are the tips and tricks for dealing with shift work?
How do you deal with a busy family life and still get some sound sleep with all the comings and goings?

Appreciate any advice thankyou very muchly

Jonny

 

[Drick]

Hi Droid/Jonny

I found that I didn't feel like drinking after coming off shift and you'll find your diet will probably change a bit too.

On nights try to not eat too much, not the same meal sizes that you normal eat during the day. Make sure you drink a lot more water what ever shift your working as i found it'll help you bouncy back.

I made up a foam board that fit perfectly into my window recess which shut out all the light and stopped a lot of sound sound coming in from outside.

Depending on the shift type you may find you'll have plenty Tim to brew between when your run of shifts finish and the next start.

Lastly I found I felt best to set up and keep to to a strict routine while working shift.

Good luck with the career change.

 

[droid]

Thanks mate, we live near a school and a busy'ish road so the foam board sounds like a great idea, thanks for the tips on diet and routine too cheers!

 

[Mattress]

I've been doing shift work most of my working life and like most things there is the ying and the yang/ good and bad side.

Good -
I can go to the shops, pay bills, go to Bunnings, go to the tip etc. when they are mostly empty of people, I don't have to stand in a queue or have trouble finding a parking spot.
I get to spend a lot of time at home when no one else is there. I can put on any music I want and crank it up, I can brew mid week and only have to concentrate on my brew day, or I can just walk around the house scratching my nuts and no one yells at me to stop it.
I can go to a lot of my kids school/sporting activities during the week. When my kids were younger I would pick them up from school and go and get a milkshake. We would sit in the cafe and they would tell me about their day - good times

Bad -
I've missed a lot of family birthdays, Christmas etc. over the years.
When I'm on night shift during the week I can go 3-4 days without seeing my wife. (some may say this should be on the good list)

My advice is to find what works for you regarding handling shift patterns and stick to it. I tend to stay up after my last night shift and fall into a coma about 10:00 pm. Can mean I've been awake for 30 hours by the time I get to bed, but allows me to get back into a normal sleeping pattern quickly.

Invest in decent curtains or something else to keep your bedroom dark during the day. If the rest of the household are too noisy, sometimes a bit of "white noise" from a fan or air conditioner in your room can help.

 

[Mardoo]

Sound advice Drick. I did night shifts for a few years. I just went with foam earplugs. Sounds like both those and the panel would be good for you Droid.

I myself would often have a drink coming off shift, but I was a young bloke. Nothing like watching the sun rise, glass of cognac in hand. Helped me relax though, as I found that about 1/2 hour before sunrise my body shifted to a higher energy level.

I found winter very difficult, as I usually got to bed at sunrise and woke up at sunset. I would just take everything slowly. I found my body wanted much more protein than carbs most of the time, but especially during winter.

 

[droid]

this is what I love about the internet and forums - immediate responses/solutions to a problem

brilliant! cheers

 

[billygoat]

Jonny,
I've worked shiftwork for the last 21 years. It can take some getting used to and as you get older it doesn't get any easier.
My roster is basically 12 hour shifts for 3 or 4 shifts in a row, then 5 days off. It repeats itself every 5 weeks. Plenty of time off for brewing related projects.
My kids were young when I started and there was no way my wife could have kept them quiet when I slept so I built an air conditioned bedroom in one of my sheds. Nice and quiet and cool during summer. It helps also that I live in a quiet rural area on a couple of acres.
Keep an eye on your diet and keep your exercise up. Good tips for anyone but even more important when doing shift work.
In regards to drinking/ shift work. I rarely drink when I'm rostered on and use those 3 or 4 days as non alchohol days. But when I finish, look out.
I usually will be in bed by about 7.45 am on my last shift and sleep to about 1pm. Get up, have a cup of tea and some lunch and have a beer about 3pm. The problem is that drinking after night shift knocks me around a bit so it takes only a few schooners and I start buzzing. As I've got older I have found it harder to recover from night shift so I tell myself not to drink as much when I get out of bed but I rarely listen to my own advice.
If your kids are primary school age and you get days off during the week, you can get to things like the school sports, excursions etc that you wouldn't be able to do in some jobs but you will miss things on weekends.
If your wife works (mine used to work part time), and the kids are at school when you are rostered off, you get to get some quiet time to yourself which is always nice and gives you a chance to do brewing related things.
There's a few things to think about.

 

[droid]

^ indeed, plenty of things to consider - thanks mate, mum works and kids are 7&5. I wondered about building some kinda room alongside the shed as there is only one big room for one child and one tiny room for the other. I figured when "the other" is older they may want another room and so maybe an outside bedroom could be on the cards - which could double as a dedicated brewery site...hmmn

sounds like routine and habits are going to change quite a bit - not that it's a deal breaker - just **** to get through/ deal with isn't it?

 

[Bribie G]

I did heaps of shift work in my 20s. It never gets any easier.

I once worked in a light tube factory in Newcastle Upon Tyne on the night shift. At around 9pm when the managers and engineers had left the premises the foreman would send someone out in a van to collect fish and chips for anyone wishing to place an order.
And quite a few slabs of Clubs Federation Pale Ale mysteriously would come back as well.

After doing night shifts in this glass factory for two years I only ever suffered one small nick to a finger.

 

[WE5TY]

Gday droid

Nights are good and bad. I work 12hr days & nights, 3-4 in a row and I haven't had a weekend off in a year. But it works for my family, we don't need childcare as my missus works 2 days a week and I hang with the kids on those days.

I usually have a beer after work - I get home at 8.30 - 9am and find its a good unwind. I do get a few odd looks if I walk the dog pint glass in hand!

I bought a braumeister to make brewing easier - just mashing out my second batch today. I find the ability to dough in when I get home after a night shift, then I go to bed and wake up to a mashed out beer awesome.

On dealing with shift work - I am lucky I sleep well - a fan and a dark room is all I need. I have done nights since I was 18 (32 now) and I have taught myself to relax. Check out guided meditation. Eating well and exercise helps too.

Good luck

 

[droid]

WESTY - Since most of the advice ers towards working out what's best for the individual,, I'm definitely going to try a beer after work first and by jingoes I'm gonna work hard at it before I give that particular "strategy" away thanks mate