Working night shift is obviously not easy as it disrupts the body´s clock. Adjusting to this lifestyle seems to be an accomplishment in itself.
Rajesh Poudel, 35, of Lahan who is living at Chhyabahal, Lalitpur, works as a bar cashier at Soaltee Crown Plaza hotel. “Due to sleep pattern disturbance, the fatigue that sets in the following day is really hard to cope with. We try and simulate night-time sleeping conditions after the long hours of night duty, but the sleep we get is just not the same,” he says.
Mamita Maharjan, a nurse who has been in the profession for 10 years, says, “As a nurse, taking care of patients requires us to take care of ourselves as well, so that we are alert enough while working into the wee hours. Getting adequate rest and relaxation before commencing the night shift is key.”
But then with the kids running around the house, she says it´s really hard to get any sound sleep. “I normally shoo them off to their grandparents when I need to sleep,” she says.
One big challenge night shifters face is getting people to understand and acknowledge their way of life.
“People sometimes just don´t get it that I work night shift and I need to sleep during the day. I used be frequently disturbed by friends dropping in, pulling me out of bed to go shopping,” says Preeti Pun, a BSc Nursing student.
“Now I simply tell them straight when I can and cannot give them time. I even switch off my cell phone. Thankfully, if anything urgent comes up, I have folks at home who will take a message when anyone calls my house number,” Pun adds.
But unless family and friends fully comprehend the different lifestyle, resentment can build up on both sides, she says. So it is very important for all to manage their personal expectations and recognize the limitations involved.
Another aspect she points out is society´s attitude towards girls doing night shift. “I´ve often encountered raised eyebrows when I tell people I do night shift. Some are just concerned and some others clearly don´t seem to like the idea. But it hardly bothers me, as all I am doing is working like they are; it´s just that my option is to work at night,” she says.
Night workers say they are careful not to work more than an average of eight hours in each 24-hour period.
But many of them do not have that luxury. Shambhu Kant Pathak, 40, of Mahottari who now lives at Satdobato, works as a night security guard at Kantipur Engineering College. He only manages to get two to three hours of sleep in a day.
“Because of financial problems I choose to work at night so that I can do part time jobs during daytime as well,” he said.
Night shift might seem undesirable outright if one has a choice. However, there are people who actually prefer night shift to day jobs.
It is the perks of night jobs that attract these folks. The pay is almost 10 to 15 percent more than for day shift. Other perks include greater autonomy, fewer meetings, likelihood of quicker promotions and a simply extraordinarily interesting lifestyle.
Jennifer Thapa, just getting off her 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift, says, “I actually would not trade the night shift job I have now for any alternative. With just the minimum academic qualification of +2, the pay you get is awesome". "Plus,” she adds excitedly, “if you sleep early you have the whole late afternoon and evening to hang around, which is great.”
She does acknowledge that going to college regularly, though, gets a lot harder.
Then there are people like Ashish Manchanda, associate vice president of Serving Minds, who you´d think are just born to work night shift. “I was born at night, I started my working career doing night shift. That was when I was in the U.S.. In India I worked three years and now five years in Nepal, all night shift. And I intend to do so as long as I can,” says he in a cheerful tone.
About disruptions in health conditions and social life that night shifters face, he says, “Whether working night or day, I blame health problems on individual persons. And yes, it does take part of your social life away and I have heard people say they don´t know what is happening with their family and friends anymore. But I always tell people joining night shift to make sure they take out time for family and friends. You need to keep connected to your personal world.”
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