Insomnia. The real thing.

[SNAAKE]

thats a strange insult

[jennifer]

     That"s not your dad..... that"s his dad.

[DaOld Man]

I was going to comment on this thread since I have worked a swing shift for around 28 years now, but after reading that joke(?) by PBJ, I was a bit hesitant.
Its strange how conversations can turn on this threads.

[DillonFoulds]

Swing shifts must be brutal on the body! How can your internal clock even function with all that switching?

I've got a friend who works month on/month off overseas (Russia), and for 2 days every month, he's utterly useless. Just a sleep deprived zombie, until his internal clock regulates. It'd be awful to have weekly changes!

[DaOld Man]

Swing shifts do suck.
At one time, I was working all three shifts in one week. Went through a divorce during those two years.
Right now I have been on straight dayshift mon-fri for 2 1/2 years, but I do go back to swing shift Jan 1 2012.
In a six weeks period, I will work 1 week of evening shift and 1 week of midnights. There will be two weekends worked in that time frame, 12 hours Sat and Sun. So it's not as bad as the shift I started on.
I used to use tylenol PM only on midnight shift, and I would crash as soon as I got home.
Havent had to use it in last two years because of my day shift assignment. We shall see if it still works.
Midnight shift is the only one I really have trouble with, and the most trouble is going from midnights back to days. I am a zombie for few days and have a lot of trouble adjusting to sleeping at night.
Swing shift pays well, but it is hard on your life, your health and your family. I would not suggest it to anyone, but when I got into it, I didnt have a choice, no one else was hiring back in the mid 80's.
I have tried melatonin, didnt have much luck with it. When on midnight shift I make the room as dark as I can, always keep clean sheets on the bed and always shower before laying down. You must be comfortable. The steady hum of a fan helps too. Usually try to sleep 6 hours, but pee calls play havoc, since your body does not completely shut down. Plus outside noises can be dreadful, you cant tell your neighbors not to mow the yard on the weekend or have cookouts.
And Tylenol PM, however not really good for you, seems to be my key.