nights for me is the worse shift. I always have worse issues when working that shift.

Yeah I had no idea it would be this bad. My body feels and sees the sun and thinks it's time to work. I might have to talk to my manager and see what he thinks. I feel so embarrassed about this.

I had the same problem too. I just couldnt sleep well in the day. I tried to change my shifts but they were having non of it so i had no choice but to look for another job which i felt was a shame.
so you say you got your sleep pattern sorted before how did you manage that and the change in your shifts will be difficult to adjust to at first but you may well get there with perseverence, I would have a chat with the manager to see what they suggest but i wouldnt feel embarrased by it because it is a problem for some people, hopefully they will be understanding , good luck

Shift work can be very challenging, especially for those prone to insomnia.

Because our minds and bodies have evolved to be active during the day and asleep at night, shift work can throw a monkey wrench into our natural circadian rhythm that to a large extent controls sleep.

There are some things you can do to help yourself. One is to try to establish a regular sleep-wake pattern as soon as possible for your shift.

Try to sleep in a very dark bedroom if possible. A couple of hours before bed, draw the blinds to darken down your living space as much as possible. Upon arising, immediately expose yourself to bright light, preferably daylight. These kinds of things help regulate your circadian rhythm.

Good luck.

Thanks guys. I'm seeing a therapist tomorrow. I'm gonna see how it works for another week or two, then talk to my manager depending on if I improve or not. I hope he works with me if needed. I can't keep going like this. Past three days I'm lucky if I got 9 hours of sleep.

many people working nights is hard. I am kind of a night person so thought it would be fine and it was just 3 12's....it was awful so I moved to 2 16's thinking just 2 nights wasnt bad but yea it was awful and that was before my kids. I would not attempt it with kids now...wishing you the best.

Other things you can do is take Melatonin before bed and exposure yourself to bright light upon awakening (when you do sleep!). Melatonin is very useful for jet lag and shift work to help you reset your circadian rhythm.

Thank you for the replies. I went to the therapist and it was very helpful. I need to give it more time and be realistic. It's very rare that someone go from a day job to a night job and change their sleep pattern on a dime. She said it could take 1-3 months depending. I need to relax and not let it get to me so much.

I have 3 days off and have been sleeping no problem during the night. I need to move my sleep patter up to like 3-4am for bedtime and not 10-11pm. I starting to feel confident that this will work at least until I can move to 2nd or preferable 1st shift.

Thanks for all the help and support guys!