So I started my new job last Sunday. Same company, different department. And, a much different shift–graveyard.

Last time I worked graveyard was 20 years ago, when I was on temporary duty due to injury, in the Navy. So this shift isn’t completely new to me.

I start work at 11pm and end my shift at 7:30am. If you’ve never worked these hours then you won’t know how badly it can mess with your head.

Here are some examples:

I go to work one day and go home the next
When entering dates on the computer, the day changes in the middle of your shift
When entering times on your computer, particularly if you’re used to working days, the PM to AM shift can get confusing
Instead of going to sleep and waking up when it’s dark, you’re doing it during daylight
Concepts like “tomorrow morning” and “last night” occur during your 8 hour shift
I’ll go to sleep, and when I wake up it’s still the same day

So you can imagine I’m pretty messed up right now. It’s been about a week, so I’m still getting used to the hours. I got my first solid 8 hours of sleep yesterday afternoon.

I still don’t know what day it is.