Hello nightshift, goodbye normality

I am a nightshift nurse. I have been my entire nursing career. It’s what I am used to and it’s been great for me. Key word: been. I used to love being a nighshifter. You couldn’t get me to work a dayshift if you paid me extra. 

That’s changed. I’m old now. I’ve been a nurse for 7 years, that’s like 21 years in human time. Nursing ages you, quickly. I’m tired. I’m always tired. That’s the problem with nightshift, it goes against your natural rhythms. I’m not supposed to be up wiping ass at 0241 in the morning and yet here I am doing just that. I can’t just have one shift off in between nights anymore either. It’s impossible for me to get anything done because I’m so exhausted that I sleep the whole day away. I’m lucky I live in a house and not apartment because I cannot tell you how many times I have been up cooking and cleaning at like, 2330 at night as if it’s normal. When I have a stretch of days off, I fall back into a normal rhythm, up during the day and down by 2200-ish. That first shift back after a stretch off is BRUTAL. It’s getting harder and harder to adjust back to the nightshift life. I think I may be reaching the end of this “nightshift nursing” thing. Then again, my mouth is far too vulgar for dayshift so…