I need to find a job

I am seriously messed up as far as my sleep/wake cycle goes. I stay up anywhere from 5 to 7am, and sleep until 12-2pm. I have always been a night person, but it's getting harder to get through the day. I am worn out as I am cooking dinner. The last couple weeks, I have been wanting to "nap" between 8 and 10pm. Not fun at all. Plus, I am gaining weight.

The doc prescribed a sleeping pill for 30 days to get me turned around. Worked great...for 30 days. Then; I was right back to my old habits.

Any suggestions? I just turned 56, so I am not the most desirable new employee these days. Should I seek daytime or nighttime employment? I am willing to work for minimum wage. I prefer to work 20-25 hours a week. I just need to get into a cycle that works.

3:00am...still not sleepy.

I work midnight to 11am and sometimes it really messes with my head because I can't get enough sleep. My ideal hours are actually closer to what you currently have. I love second shift. It's the only shift where I feel well rested. It just goes to show how people's natural rhythms can be different.

Seeing as how your needs don't seem too demanding I would think that you would not have a hard time finding a job that better fits with your body's natural rhythm. Otherwise, it's caffeine and melatonin.

these 12 hour shifts used to be OK but now they are getting to me - it's hard to work that long when you don't get enough sleep and that happens to me often. I'm with you - second shift was always my dream shift - except for the fact that I tended to not get much done home-chore-wise LOL, I pretty much never had to use an alarm clock and oooh how I detest alarm clocks!!!

Say no more, say no more.... nudge-nudge, wink-wink.
:hippie:

I like it for the most part. It's good for my family because i can be home in the afternoon when the kids get home from school. I can help with homework and stuff. I also get dinner on the table and get stuff ready for the next day.
What I am starting to find is that it IS starting to get to me. Today for some reason I am exhausted.
Normally I take a nap when I get home from work, which helps, but yesterday I stayed up to watch the outdoor NHL game in Buffalo.
Then we putzed around the house doing stuff. I went to bed early but am still dragging my ass today.
Usually by Thursday and particularly friday I have had enough and really hit the wall, but again, I reason with myself why it is good for my family for now, which keeps me going.
I am starting to think about changing shifts, or finding another job more conducive to normal daylight hours in the next couple of years once the kids get a little older. I know I don't want to be doing this at 50! I'm 42 now...I figure that's a good enough buffer zone to try and get "normal"

Melatonin helps regulate sleep cycles and works like a charm. GABA helps if you're one of those people who don't fall asleep because of a 'restless brain' - which is my biggest problem. GABA, an amino acid, helps calm the brain down. Both products are chemicals normally used in the body are are safe to take in limited quanities (I do 3mg of Melatonin and 750mg of GABA each night).

Most nights I sleep like a baby.