While most people are climbing into bed for some shut-eye, some have just sipped their first cup of coffee for the day.
Charm sat down with three women to get a glimpse into their not-so-normal lives as night shift workers.
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Sarah Rogers couldn't be happier with her decision to work nights. She loves knowing that her days are free for anything she wants to do.
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Sgt. Laura Robinson's just now getting her feet wet in the world of graveyard shifts. She was promoted to sergeant in January and is learning to adjust to her new schedule.
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Fewer people are at the hospital during Judy Luster's late shift, which allows her to spend more time with her patients and their paperwork.
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SARAH ROGERS
There are some people who just know working night shifts is right for them.
Sarah Rogers, 33, works as a waitress at a local restaurant. Even toward the end of her 6 PM–3 AM shift, she greets each patron with a warm smile and a cheery attitude.
"I love being a waitress. I'm a people person no matter what time it is," said Sarah, a Diana resident. "It makes me feel good to make people smile."
Testing the waters
Before finding her niche as a waitress, Sarah worked in the banking world. For almost 10 years she sat behind a desk at a day job, which nearly drove her crazy.
"I couldn't do it anymore. I just feel like there's a whole lot more to a person than a credit report," she said. "Some people are made for it. I opted out."
After she left, she tried out a few other things, including a stint as a beer cart girl at a golf course, but she couldn't quite settle into one thing ... and she didn't feel like she had to.
"It was nice to take some time to try out different things," Sarah said. "But all along I knew I wanted to work a night shift. My dad worked night shifts my whole life. I was familiar with the routine and just thought it would be so awesome."
A happy waitress
She found her night shift as a waitress and she said she's having the best year of her life.
"When I had a day job I didn't feel like I was really living life," Sarah said. "Winters were especially hard because I left for work before light and I got home from work after dark. Now I get to live my life in the daylight."
Sarah realizes that working into the wee hours of the morning isn't ideal for everyone, though.
"There's some kind of stigma about late shift workers, unfortunately," she said. "As if some people think, 'poor thing, you have to work nights' ... like we're forced to work these hours. But the world doesn't stop just because you go to sleep. I think it takes everyone to make the world go 'round."
LAURA ROBINSON
There are other people who have a tougher time making this type of adjustment.
Sgt. Laura Robinson, 40, started working as a Longview police officer in June 2000. She was promoted to sergeant in January of this year, and with her new position came new responsibilities and new hours.
Now, instead of patrolling the streets of Longview between 3 PM-11 PM, Sgt. Robinson is in a supervisory position overseeing and evaluating officers of District C, the south side of Longview.
"I've always loved the law and everything about it," she said. "When I got the news about becoming sergeant, I couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately, that meant leaving my perfect schedule, but it's worth it."
Hard adjustments
Now Sgt. Robinson works 11 PM-7 AM. She has asked colleagues for advice on how to get her biorhythm in sync, but nothing's quite working for her.
"I never know when to eat anymore," she said. "I'm taking lots of vitamins and I'm snacking, but as far as meals go ... my body can't figure out when it needs to be fed."
Another area of daily life that poses a problem for Sgt. Robinson is sleep, or lack thereof.
"I can't seem to stay awake on my days off," she said. "I'll rent a movie that I'm excited about watching, settle in on my couch and not even get past the first 10 minutes before I'm asleep."
Fortunately, while she's on the clock Sgt. Robinson's as alert as a fox and ready to catch the 'bad guys'.
"Once I put on my uniform and strap on my belt, I'm in high-gear," she said. "That's an awesome feeling. It just makes me feel alive."
JUDY LUSTER
One veteran of the late shift gig said that in order for night workers to feel well-adjusted they must take care of themselves and stay positive.
Judy Luster, 55, waited for her daughters to enter high school before she pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. Even then, it was hard for her to juggle being a wife and a mother, while working full-time at the hospital.
"Raising a family while working the night shift isn't the simplest decision, but plenty of people do it," Judy said. "It was hard for me, but it's easy for others."
Into the wee hours
After 15 years, Judy's found that she still keeps her hours on and off the clock.
"I stay up all night on my days off like I'm making my hospital rounds or something," she said. "My husband used to give me a hard time for not sleeping. He'd catch me watching TV and drinking coffee at 3 AM."
Although Judy has known women who can revert back to regular sleep hours while they're off work, those women are few and far between.
She stressed the importance of wellness and awareness. In 1995 she became extremely sick and her husband took her to the emergency room at the hospital. Once they ran the tests, doctors reported that her white blood cell count was practically off the chart — she had gall bladder cancer.
"We caught it, it was localized to that one organ and now I'm fine," Judy said. "I'm not saying I got sick because I worked night shifts, but I know that my body's resistance was low because I didn't get as much rest as I needed and I didn't eat as healthy as I should have."
Staying healthy
She's cancer-free now. She tries to be mindful of her snack intake and gets plenty of rest when she can.
"I think that experience made me a better nurse. I feel like I treat my patients with more tenderness and empathy," Judy said. "This night shift business is definitely not your 'normal' life. But it's a choice that I'm glad I made."
