Fatigue associated with flying freight

[n57flyguy]

I curious to know how adjusting to a night time schedule is. Does your body and mind eventually get used to it? How long does it take?

Thanks for your help!

[Ian J]

Yup. As long as you don't try to live a double life.

I got used to the schedule easily, but I've heard from others it was hard for them. When I sleep during the day I use ear plugs and a sleep mask (is that gay? ) to help me go to sleep.

[FlySmiley]

It can be very hard for some people. When I started it was not a big deal. It was much easier on a 5/2 schedule than on a 7/7 schedule. It is hard NOT to live a double life with a schedule like that. The first few nights of the work week are the worst after being on a day schedule for and entire week. Lately I have found myself getting a regular 6 hours or less of sleep (not good for someone who needs 8 hours to function 100%).

I would say that the younger you are, the easier it is to adapt to a schedule like that. Some people have actually left Airnet for the reason of not adapting to the schedule and compromising safety as a result.

[mnixon]

Depends, for a long time I was on nights m-thur, and days for the weekend so I could have a normal life. It sucked but it's doable.

[Ian J]

I tried doing days on the weekends, and it ended up sucking way too much. Now I just shift my schedule by about 4 hours to spend more time with Kris without totally screwing up my cycle.

[DE727UPS]

"Does your body and mind eventually get used to it? How long does it take?"

It takes me a couple days to get into "vampire mode". After that, I'm chipper as can be at 4am.

[ackeight]

A simple shot of adrenaline around 3a.m. should do the trick. But in all seriousness the trick for me is strategic naps.

[Ian J]

The worst part for me is right now - Sunday nights. Wife is asleep - I have to stay up all night - nothing to do - and I'm bored, bored, bored.

[mtsu_av8er]

I never had a problem with it. When I worked 1530-0530, I absolutely loved it. I think that I'm a better performer on the backside of the clock that the front. As was said above, you can't live a double life. If you work at night during the week, you have to stay up at night during the weekend.

[captainflyguy]

Originally Posted by n57flyguy

I curious to know how adjusting to a night time schedule is. Does your body and mind eventually get used to it? How long does it take?

Thanks for your help!

Freight flying>not for morning people.

[ctab5060X]

I fly a schedule where I leave home at 2130 and return around 0530, depending on weather and courier. With this schedule, I am definitely not a morning person, but generally get up around 1400 so I can get a few things done that must be done between the normal 8 and 5.

It took about a month to completely adjust to the schedule and figure out a routine to help with my problem times of Saturday morning and Monday evenings. I take a nap for a few hours on Saturday and go to bed early that night and try and force myself to sleep until about noon on Monday to help adjust to "vampire mode" for Monday night.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by n57flyguy

I curious to know how adjusting to a night time schedule is. Does your body and mind eventually get used to it? How long does it take?

Thanks for your help!

I do not fly freight however I did flight instruct purely at night for a period of several months (as FlySmiley could attest to).

That was the first night work that I've done and my brain did not take too long to figure out that an hour after sunrise I'd be in my mostly dark room going to sleep for 8-10 hours. Honestly those months flying at night were some of the most well rested "nights" I can remember...I didn't set an alarm clock for at least a hundred consecutive days and woke up when I felt like it, usually around 4-7PM.

What was slightly depressing towards autumn was that I was going days without seeing the sun. Waking up at 6PM and flying all night and going to sleep at 7AM just before it came back up again is like a tease.

One other thing, and that is nap time. For a normal day worker's schedule there's that time after you eat lunch in the afternoon where you are at your circadian low for the time you are awake and a nap may be in order. When flying at night that time occurred for me around midnight to 2AM. After lunch, in the dark, and at the circadian low. The first few nights where I did a full night schedule I'd hit that time and think, how am I ever going to fly until 7AM when I'm tired already. Then you get out of it and are wide awake from 3AM all the way to sunglasses time. The only thing bad about the night flying was not at night...it was when we were still flying at sunrise+1 hour. Truly awful after being up all night in the dark.

The healthiest way I could recommend you do it is to not get back onto a daytime schedule on the days off. When I instructed at night there weren't really any days off. We'd treat ourselves to a night off when several airplanes we planned on taking were broken. Still gotta stay up until dawn though, because you won't be tired until then. It's the days off that are tough, not the worknights.

[WalterSobchak]

Originally Posted by n57flyguy

I curious to know how adjusting to a night time schedule is. Does your body and mind eventually get used to it? How long does it take?

Thanks for your help!

Loved it!!!! Slept from 12am-4am,8am-12pm for 4 years. Plenty of time for naps too. I miss being a vampire.

[dc3flyer]

Don't try to stay awake duting the days. Get yourself on a routine, and then STAY with it. If you go back and forth on the weekends, it will kill you. It you are a freight dog, you must be a night owl.