Lack of sleep and I feel like a nursing mother

One major problem with working on camp and working 12 hour shifts is the fact that your never really away from work, some times your on call so your available and most of the time your at work anyway. social life revolves around trying to have get two hours chatting or drinking and not trying to stay up late or drink yourself silly as you have to get up for a 6.00am start , and that is everyday for 4 weeks, i personally have to work 2 weeks of nights and then change to two weeks of days, i hate night shift as it leaves me alone most of the time with no one to talk to and i feel like a zombie with being awake during the dark hours of night. I have been sleeping pretty well over the last few rotations while on the night shift but when it comes to changing to days, my body clock is completely screwed up. i sleep very light and any noise at all wakes me and then that is it i cannot get back to sleep. this leaves me frustrated as hell tired all day and feeling miserable, depressed almost. then the next night i have a thunderstorm wake me and keep me awake with the sound of 2 inch diameter rain drops beating the roof of my block like bongo drums and i get 3 hours sleep, and i feel like shit again the next day, i go out for a drink with the guys and feel really tired and dont really enjoy getting drunk , i get back to my room and fall into a total dead blackout sleep, but have to get up because i am about pee myself and stumble into the bathroom at 2.30 and then spend the next hour trying to get back to sleep and convicing myself that i havent only got 3 more hours in bed, again i suffer. The remedy that most of the bitter and twisted old timers use is to take valium, this is bought legally from the pharmacy in malabo town, 30 tabs for only $5.50, a bargain, i was reluctant to go down this road as i was frightened about the side effects and addiction problems but i am a well balanced guy and thought i would try them, if you have never tried them before then it is remarkable the effect they have, withing 15 mins of taking a tab you slump into a great total undreaming sleep. i do this maybe 3 or 4 times per month trip and usually only during the shift changeovers. but when you awake from a valium sleep , you feel just fantastic, like you slept for a year in hyperspace. but you have to prepare for the sleep, dont drink too much before bed, or you have to get up to prevent peeing the bed, dont eat too much or you feel bloated in bed and go to bed early, sometimes 8.00pm, to take full advantage of your sleep. when this happens i just feel totally refreshed , something i havent experienced in many years of sleeping in strange hotels and distand lands with crappy beds and hot swealtering bedrooms. They are great for the temporary relief of a week of bad sleep, if they ever bring out a non addictive copy of then i think i would be tempted to try a go on them. Anyone who suffers bad sleep knows exactly what i am talking about, especially mothers with young babies, that need feeding and attention at night. I will never slight a mother with a baby for looking tired and worn out and for never wanting sex, they deserve a huge round of applause for taking all those sleepless nights and being proud of there babies Print Article
-->