DH works the midnight shift and is a LEO he works 7pm-7am with a schedule that has him 2days on 2days off, with every other weekend off......on his days off he tries to sleep normally going to bed with me around 10pm he says he wakes up all through the night and can't fall back to sleep......I can see it taking a toll on him......this schedule is nothing new.......any suggestions to help him stay asleep???
He and I are kind of opposed to prescription meds......
grapefruit / 4136 posts
DH worked nights for years, the worst thing was him trying to switch to a 'normal' schedule on his time off. As hard as it is have him try to keep his normal schedule just a few hrs different so you have a good chunk of evening time together. If there's something you must do together during the day, he'll need a solid nap. It's hard to live opposite of everyone else but trying to switch back & forth was way more difficult on DH than just altering the times just a bit (waking up a couple hrs earlier than necessary)
apricot / 390 posts
My DH works 3:45 pm -2:30 am, so its not as bad. Like Babyjmama said, we each just adjust a couple hours each direction on the weekend, so its not his schedule taking a complete hit. Also, he really hit a low about 8 months ago when he first started working nights. We had lost my dad about 5 months before, and he did CPR on him until the paramedics arrived and he was also having severe nightmares. While we were uncertain about prescriptions, his health and our marriage were really suffering. The doctor prescribed him a lower grade sleep medication, not something like ambien that makes your really loopy. He only takes a half pill a night and it has really changed our marriage and his life. If his health is suffering, don't be afraid to find a health care professional that you trust and who has a similar viewpoint as you do. They may be able to offer some other solutions that could help improve his sleep and quality of life for both of you 
grapefruit / 4056 posts
I am a shift worker (I work both days and nights, and 12 hour shifts) when I am not pregnant/nursing I use a long release melatonin to flip my days and nights. It really helps me!
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